Cougs
3 stories filed under Cougs on Wazzu. The newest of them: “Three Cougs find grass on pro soccer pitches that isn't from the Palouse”, “Four Cougs chasing the ball on pro soccer pitches this fall”, and “How Wazzu Alumni Turn a Pullman Return Into a Proper Tailgate”. Three Cougs are finding grass on professional soccer pitches this season, and it's not from the Palouse. Four Cougs chasing the ball on pro soccer pitches this fall. The unofficial read for people who left Pullman and stayed Cougs. The list below is every Cougs story on Wazzu, newest first.
Three Cougs find grass on pro soccer pitches that isn't from the Palouse
Three Cougs are finding grass on professional soccer pitches this season, and it's not from the Palouse. That's the headline, and it's worth a cheer. We've got former WSU players out there on MLS and NWSL rosters, doing the thing we always knew they could do. It's not a huge wave, but it's real, and it's ours. You don't see a lot of Pullman names on pro soccer rosters. The Coug football pipeline gets the attention, and rightly so. But soccer has quietly been building something. These three aren't just making a roster; they're getting minutes. They're contributing. For a program that doesn't get the same spotlight, that matters. It's also a reminder that Wazzu athletes go places. They leave the wheat fields and find work on the biggest stages. If you've ever been to a WSU soccer game on a crisp fall afternoon, you know the quality is there. The rest of the country is starting to catch up. This feels like a good time to point you toward our piece on how Cougs celebrate coming home, "How Wazzu Alumni Turn a Pullman Return Into a Proper Tailgate." It's a different kind of homecoming, but the pride is the same. For now, keep an eye on the pitch. These three are representing. Go Cougs.
Four Cougs chasing the ball on pro soccer pitches this fall
Four Cougs chasing the ball on pro soccer pitches this fall. That is a good sentence to read. It means our people are out there, still playing, still grinding, still representing the flag on fields far from the Palouse. We have tracked this before, last time we checked in, it was three Cougs finding grass that wasn't from Pullman. Now it is four. That is growth. That is a pipeline you can believe in, even if the NFL draft board never notices. We are not going to pretend we follow every minute of every match. But we do follow the names. And when a Coug steps onto a professional pitch, it matters. It matters because they earned it in that wind, on that turf, in front of crowds that sometimes numbered in the hundreds. You do not forget that. You do not fake that. If you want the full rundown on who is where and how they got there, we have you covered. And if you are the type who likes to pair your soccer coverage with a proper Pullman homecoming, go read "How Wazzu Alumni Turn a Pullman Return Into a Proper Tailgate." It fits. Because watching Cougs play is good. Watching them play while you crack a cold one in the town that made them? That is better. Go Cougs.
How Wazzu Alumni Turn a Pullman Return Into a Proper Tailgate
You roll into Pullman for a game, and within an hour you've seen three people you haven't talked to since graduation. That's the whole point. For Wazzu alumni, coming back isn't just about the scoreboard. It's about parking the car in the same dusty lot, cracking a can, and picking up a conversation that started five or ten years ago. The tailgate is the real reunion. There's a ritual to it. Someone brings the grill they bought at Dissmore's in 2014. Someone else shows up with a cooler full of something local. You stand in a circle, talk about the game, then talk about everything else. The town hasn't changed much, and neither has the feeling. That's what makes it work. We wrote about how Dean Khosla recently made the case that the land-grant mission still means something. That mission is part of Pullman's soul. When you come back for a tailgate, you're not just visiting a campus. You're standing on ground that was built for people to return to. The town stays small, the research stays big, and the people keep showing up. A proper Pullman return tailgate is simple. You bring food. You bring stories. You remember why you left, and why you keep coming back. Go Cougs.