Erik Lyslo said he thought he left soccer behind last year when he ended his 15-year tenure as director of the Portland Timbers youth programs.
As it has turned out, though, his soccer connections are paying big dividends for him at Portland Christian, where he took over as athletic director in 2023-24.
Lyslo is the catalyst for Portland Christian's partnership with Portland City United Soccer Club, which has dramatically upgraded the soccer facilities on the campus of the 2A school in northeast Portland.
“I joke that it's becoming a soccer mecca at Portland Christian,” Lyslo said.
It started in the spring of 2023 when Lyslo presented a proposal to PCU director Jeff Enquist, a former coaching colleague. If the soccer club would install artificial turf at Portland Christian, the club could control the facility.
“Jeff got back to us a couple days later and said, 'We're in,'” Lyslo said.
The first phase of the two-phase project, all funded by PCU, is complete. Installation of the CCGrass Vmax surface -- preferred by FIBA -- on the school's main field was finished by spring.
The construction was spearheaded by Alex Baez (a Portland Christian parent and operator of Baez Sports Group, which has installed turf at many of the state's top soccer venues) and Dave Carboneau, PCU's director of development.
“It's been great for the whole community,” Lyslo said. “We invite other schools to come in and use the facility. We have camps. It's been used a lot.”
PCU primarily needs the facility on weekends, according to Lyslo.
“PCU gives us all the time that we need,” he said. “There are no conflicts with what they do. It's a great partnership. They've made it super easy for us.”
When the soccer season begins, Portland Christian's playing surface will set it apart from many other small schools. Lyslo credited superintendent Rhonda Rogers for her support in the project.
“Most small schools struggle with facilities,” Lyslo said. “You get smaller pitches, bad grass, potholes. It's a huge boost for our school, no question. When I took the job at PC, it's what I said we were going to do, try to enhance all our facilities and make this the best small-school facility in the state.”
PCU also converted Portland Christian's tennis courts into three artificial turf futsal courts. The lighted spaces are on the back side of the school, next to the baseball hitting facility.
“Futsal is so big now,” Lyslo said of the scaled-down soccer game. “It's another great addition for our teams and even our PE classes. The baseball team is really excited about it. They've got a turf practice area to use right next to their building.”
Much more is to come in the project's second phase, expected to begin within a year. PCU plans to lay artificial turf on the school's baseball and softball fields, creating an NCAA regulation soccer field in the connected outfields. There's enough space for smaller soccer practice fields, too.
“When Phase 2 comes in with baseball and softball, that's a game-changer, because there's nobody small school-wise that has turf facilities anywhere,” Lyslo said. “We see that as being a huge advantage for us, for sure.”
Lyslo said there has been talk that the Oregon Youth Soccer Association could host events at Portland Christian, such as coaching education and the Olympic Development Program. He said that other schools in the area can benefit from using the fields, possibly for district or state playoff contests.
“There's such a need for turf fields in Portland,” Lyslo said. “Having that NCAA regulation soccer field on there also allows a lot of the small colleges that don't have a home field to come and use it.”
The new field coincides with Portland Christian reinstating its girls soccer program this year after not having a team for the last three seasons. The Royals will be coached by Steve Ancheta, another former coaching colleague of Lyslo's and the ex-boys coach at Barlow, Central Catholic, West Linn and Gresham.
The field, lined for football and with a “PC” logo in the middle, also has provided momentum for the school to reinstate its football program, dormant since 2019.
“There's some motivation there, for sure, to bring it back and do it the right way,” Lyslo said.
