黑料福利社

Soccer gave Missael Lopez valuable opportunities to build friendships and find a welcoming community when he moved with his family from Mexico to the 黑料福利社 at the age of 13 in 2011.

His passion and dedication to the sport allowed him to travel the world, then eventually sign a contract to play professional indoor soccer for the Tacoma Stars. The 29-year-old never left home in Tieton much as a teen, and he鈥檚 proud to represent Yakima United as it prepares for Sunday鈥檚 Super Cup final against the Wenatchee All-Stars at Marquette Stadium, followed by the Evergreen Premier League playoffs.

鈥淚 love the sport,鈥� said Lopez, better known as "Missa." 鈥淭he sport is fun. It took me places I never imagined I would be.鈥�

The 29-year-old began playing on Sundays in Liga Mexicana when he was 15, then joined United following his sophomore season at Highland High School. Several other Yakima leagues as well as those in Grandview, Prosser, the Tri-Cities and Quincy also offered Lopez chances to play, and he rarely turned them down.

Inspiration started at home with his father, Jos茅, a talented center back, and his older brother, Jos茅 Jr., the Scotties鈥� starting goalkeeper when they won a 1A state championship in 2015. Longtime Highland coach Greg Wagner said Missael understood if he wanted to play he鈥檇 need to switch positions after growing up as goalkeeper in Mexico.

After starting high school as a JV player so weak he couldn鈥檛 even complete one pushup, Lopez worked hard to develop into a three-year starter at center midfield and won the SCAC MVP award while scoring 23 goals and leading the Scotties to a state semifinal as a senior. He鈥檚 also played some defense along the way but now feels most comfortable at striker, where he鈥檚 scored some crucial goals for both Yakima United and Tacoma.

鈥淗e just knows the game so well,鈥� Wagner said. 鈥淗is soccer IQ is so high. His physical ability allows him to play all over the field.鈥�

Steady growth

Near the end of a long drive in a pickup from the border to Tieton, Lopez remembers his dad pointing out the soccer fields at Chesterley Park.

Jos茅 played in Yakima while working at a local orchard for several years before gaining approval from the federal government for his family to join him. Missael, who knew no English when he arrived in Washington, said his dad taught him to do everything with passion, whether on the field or out in the orchards where he learned to work as well.

His brother often suggested the two of them go outside to practice with Missael shooting and Jos茅 playing keeper. Their intense competitions honed Missael's powerful shot, which he admits broke multiple windows and a hard plastic covering on the house where they stayed one summer.

The Sun City Strikers gave Lopez his first club opportunity and he won a pair of state titles with the Central Washington Academy, earning trips to the national tournament in Las Vegas. That success led to a scholarship at Walla Walla Community College, where he experienced a breakthrough capped off by a team-high 11 goals for the NWAC semifinalists as a sophomore.

"When I went there people told me about this stuff like Walla Walla's so good, if you go there you might not play," Lopez said. "I took it as a challenge."

He became a mainstay for Yakima United in 2019, scoring two goals to earn Evergreen Premier League player of the week honors in his first match of the season. Coach Dennis Stevenson, a youth coach for the Central Washington Sounders, became a critical voice in Lopez's soccer journey.

In 2021, Lopez joined Club America Nido Aguila Washington to play alongside other Valley talents, including Yakima United and former all-state Davis goalkeeper Luis Birrueta. Lopez said club founder Begad Anwar quickly became like a second father figure, and that relationship would soon change Lopez's life.

Another level

Following an impressive league debut during the 2021 season, Anwar offered Lopez the chance to travel the world while playing soccer for free.

Naturally, he accepted the challenge right away, recruiting some friends to join the team. They began by visiting the pyramids and the Great Sphinx of Giza while playing five matches in Egypt.

鈥淲e were treated like world-class players,鈥� Lopez said. 鈥淲e get there in a bus. A lot of people trying to check us out and see who we were and everything.鈥�

The trip started with a 2-1 win featuring a goal by Lopez and he continued to excel on the team's next trip to Mexico, where they began by playing Club America's U17 team. Lopez, who was 24 at the time, said after he drilled a free kick from 30 yards out that forced a remarkable save from the goalkeeper, a scout told him if he were a year younger the famed Mexican club would have offered him a contract on the spot.

Wagner counts Lopez among a handful of players from the 黑料福利社 who possessed the talent to compete at the highest levels but lacked the financial resources needed to travel outside their small communities and draw the attention of big clubs or top colleges. He's confident if Lopez had been given the right opportunity while growing up in Tieton, he could have quickly moved up the ranks.

The words of the Club America scout gave Lopez a notable confidence boost as the trip continued in Monterrey, where he scored a goal and assisted another in a 2-1 win over the local Nido Aguila club. A different scout from a lower-level club offered him a roster spot, but he declined due to the significant fee he would have needed to pay.

Lopez's world travels ended with a trip to Abu Dhabi, but he continued playing for Nido Aguila while living in Tacoma and working for a landscaping company with one of his teammates during the week. Adam Becker, one of the club's coaches, admired Lopez's commitment and many of his qualities as a defensive midfielder.

鈥淗is ball-winning capabilities, his passing and his range,鈥� said Becker, the longtime Tacoma Stars Reserves coach who became the leader of the pro team in 2025. 鈥淗e can strike the ball both right and left-footed, good control as well so he鈥檚 technical and just the way he read the game.鈥�

Meanwhile, Yakima United progressed well without Lopez, winning the Washington Super Cup and the Evergreen Premier League title during the 2023 season, which ended with the first-ever EPLWA championship in Yakima. That persuaded Lopez to return to the team and he quickly established himself as one of its top attackers.

During the spring Lopez spent time on Wagner's staff when he could, sharing his soccer knowledge with the next generation of Scotties. Wagner believes Lopez would be a great head coach, something he's open to when his playing career ends.

"I know that when he comes in and helps us the things that those kids learn are not just one day lessons," Wagner said. "They carry over for the rest of the season."

Another door opened in 2024 when Birrueta invited Lopez to join the Tacoma Stars Reserves, who welcomed him as a valuable goalscoring defender. That success and some injuries to the pro team led player-coach Nick Pereira to invite Lopez along on a road trip to Chihuahua, Mexico, on Jan. 31, 2025, and his first career goal turned out to be decisive in an 8-7 home win over Harrisburg in February.

Despite the promise he showed, Lopez felt uncertain about his future with the Stars. Becker not only offered Lopez another one-year contract for the 2025-26 season but also put the versatile defender and target man up top on the team's 11-player protected list in May prior to the league's expansion draft.

鈥淗e鈥檚 only had truly about a year and a half of the indoor side,鈥� Becker said. 鈥淗e still has so much to learn and grow. With his age, with him being a local Washingtonian, with his dedication that he鈥檚 shown and his willingness to sacrifice, there鈥檚 no way I can let a team take him for free.鈥�

Becker encourages all of his players to compete as much as they can and said Tacoma's USL2 team would be happy to have Lopez, although his schedule hasn't worked out yet this summer. He's stayed match fit by playing for 3 Cities FC prior to Yakima United's season, and he still joins Highland for Liga Mexicana matches on Sundays whenever his schedule allows.

Lopez recently started working for a friend's Everett-based pool remodeling company and plans to move back to the west side this fall. He's hopeful the job will be as flexible as his work in the orchards with his father, allowing him to keep pursuing his greatest passion.

"If I ever stop playing soccer, I think that's the day I'm going to die, for sure," Lopez said.