SPOKANE, Wash. – Not everyone gets to live the life of a professional soccer player but the Waldeck family has two. And now, both have found their way to Spokane.
Derek Waldeck is in his second year with the Spokane Velocity. His cousin, Tori Waldeck Zierenberg, just signed with the Spokane Zephyr.
“It’s been cool just to have not only a family that enjoys sports but enjoys sports together… Like I just remember growing up playing on their backyard field,” Tori said.
Now, both will suit up on the same turf at ONE Spokane Stadium, a homecoming of sorts for the two close-knit cousins.
“It’s the first time in how many years that we’ve actually lived in the same city. We used to just live half a mile down the road from each other when we were younger,” Derek said.
Derek captained Stanford’s powerhouse squad before launching his pro career. Tori followed a similar path, wearing the captain’s armband at Pepperdine before signing with the Zephyr; her first stop in the professional ranks.
Having someone who understands the daily grind of pro soccer has been a major support for Tori.
“Even having someone who’s been there, I mean he’s known me my whole life. Having someone there on the sidelines that’s going through it on a daily aspect too: having to come to training everyday and having to take care of himself as a player. I think it’s really important to me,” Tori said.
The Spokane Zephyr kicks off its season in late August, with their first home match set for September 6th.
Meanwhile, the Spokane Velocity sits atop the league standings at the halfway mark of their season and they’re back on home turf this Saturday against Sacramento.
COPYRIGHT 2025 BY KXLY. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. THIS MATERIAL MAY NOT BE PUBLISHED, BROADCAST, REWRITTEN OR REDISTRIBUTED.