Southwest Conference

ASC San Diego

ASC players prepare to enter the field just before their final 2018 match of the season. Image courtesy of ASC San Diego.

One of the most successful squads in the NPSL Southwest, Albion Soccer Club was crowned 2018 champions, played in the playoffs, and has displayed strong talent throughout its entire roster. Along with the NPSL season, ASC will be participating in the NPSL Founders Cup in anticipation for the NPSL professional league in 2020. San Diego will finally get its first taste of professional soccer, something the city has been begging for.

En route to being crowned champions, ASC went 9-2-1, scoring 31 goals and allowing 15. The leading goal scorer was Amani Walker who tied as the conference’s golden boot winner with ten goals. The club’s talent didn’t stop with Walker; Dallin Cutler is a San Diego State University alum, Garrett Heine, Felipe Liborio, and ex-MLS player Eric Avila were also part of the team. While it remains to be seen if all of these players will be returning to the squad, one thing is for sure: the Albion Soccer Club of San Diego will continue to develop and bring in talented players.

Developing youth talent is something that Albion SC does in stride. Multiple clubs play underneath the ASC umbrella. There’s the NPSL squad, WPSL team, and multiple academy teams, some of which partake in the U.S. Developmental Academy. ASC’s academy teams continue to provide scholarship opportunities and playing opportunities that can help propel a player to the next level of their career. One alumni of the ASC system is Ari Lassiter, who currently plays professionally for Costa Rican giants Alajuelense and has played in the MLS for the Los Angeles Galaxy.

The toughest challenge last season for ASC was rival Orange County FC. The club’s two losses came at the hands of OCFC in 2-1 and 3-1 losses. Once in the playoffs, ASC would face its dreaded rival once again and the result would mirror that of the regular season. Another 3-1 loss sent the Southwest champions home.

2019 will be an iconic season for the Albion Soccer Club. With stronger competition entering the conference and the Founders Cup competition waiting in the wings, ASC will have to rely on its strong coaching staff led by Ziggy Korytoski and its rowdy supporters that fill Mission Bay Stadium.

A.S. Los Angeles

Welcome to the NPSL Southwest. A.S. Los Angeles was announced in September of 2018 and immediately began preparations for its inaugural season. Originally named Los Angeles United Football Club, the club would undergo its first change at the end of November, due to legal reasons. Since then the club has started acquiring players and building a roster.

The first signing for ASLA was Tré-Daniel Spedding, a Canadian youth international who spent time playing with Surrey United of the BC Premier League. Born in 1999, Tré trained with the Canadian U-15s and has continued his development within the BC Premier League. Tré is a hold-up striker who also has the speed to play on the wings.

Shortly after, ASLA announced the signing of NPSL veteran Alessandro Canale. Canale spent time with Orange County FC as well as playing with the United States National Team for beach soccer. Canale is a cerebral attacker, who always turns up in the right spot and has a knack for finding the final pass. His experience on the field will help lead this new team to success in 2019.

“[Tryouts went] amazingly well. The Los Angeles area’s hidden gems and raw talent came to the field. We have one more tryout Jan 19th and 20th,” said Mary-Beth Sales, Director of Media. The club has identified its coach and will be announcing him in an upcoming press conference, as well as a few additional player signings.

A.S. Los Angeles has begun to check all the boxes before its season kicks off: stadium, coaching staff, and players. All that is left for this club is to continue to develop its brand and work on its fan engagement. The beauty of being a new club like ASLA is the product that is being developed for the field will help dictate the experience the new fans will see throughout 2019 and beyond.

California United Strikers FC

2019 looks to be a special year for the Strikers. After a perfect fall season in the UPSL, Cal United is faced with a new batch of challenges in the NPSL. The club season goes from thirteen matches to twenty matches, plus playing in U.S. Open Cup qualifying and the Founders Cup. One element that has prepared it to be successful in 2019 is the roster strength. Cal United employs players like Chris Klute who has professional experience with the Colorado Rapids, Columbus Crew SC and Portland Timbers; Christian Gordillo who has professional experience in Mexico and who consistently has multi-goal games; and Paolo Cardozo who has played professionally in MLS and Costa Rica and came through the River Plate youth system.

Currently the club is still playing through the UPSL playoffs and has recently been crowned Western Conference champions after defeating future NPSL rival Orange County FC 6-1 in the Western semifinal, then beating Jasa Redwood City 1-0 in the Western final. Not only did Cal win every match, it dominated. In ten matches it scored 53 goals and only allowed one. That one goal would come in match week four after Cal United beat San Diego Premier Pros FC 7-1

The biggest event for any semi-professional or amatuer team is the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup. Cal United has traversed through three rounds of qualifying: beating CaliGators FC (SoCal Premier) 6-2, followed by a 2-0 victory over Chula Vista FC (SoCal Premier). In round three of qualification the Strikers faced UPSL rival Cal FC. The game was tied 2-2 when lights shut off in the 89th minute and the game was called off, forcing a replay on January 16th where United lost on penalties to Cal FC.

Most excitement for this club in 2019 will be its play in the Founders Cup. The first test run of the yet unnamed professional league, which launches in 2020. Cal United will be one of the three teams in the Southwest to partake in this event when play starts this fall. The competition will be tough, but the Strikers have continually shown their quality on the pitch and any fan should expect a strong outing from this SoCal side.

City of Angels FC

This Los Angeles based club comes back to the NPSL Southwest after a year on hiatus. This club has a knowledgeable ownership group in PJ Harrison and Joe Sumner. One hire that has helped elevate this club is its Director of Football, Cobi Jones. City of Angels will be entering back into the NPSL in one of the most challenging seasons to date, but hopefully this club can build upon the bright Los Angeles talent and produce a better season than 2017.

Seven of the eleven teams participating in the 2019 season participated back in 2017. After sixteen matches, the Los Angeles club finished with a record of 2-13-1. Those two victories happened late in the season over Sports Club Corinthians USA- a club that ceased operations after the 2017 season -and Temecula FC. Temecula FC is the only still-active club to give up points to the City of Angels. The club scored 22 goals and allowed 88, that’s an average of five and a half goals allowed per match. The team had ten different goalscorers, but Byron Rivera led the pack with nine goals. Rivera played in every match except one, due to suspension.

City of Angels plays out of Calabasas High School and has developed a fantastic brand. The use of the word ‘underdog’ gives a the club an iconic image to tie the club to the city. Any club willing to make a splash in the Los Angeles community will need a strong product on and off the pitch.

FC Arizona

One of the most exciting teams going into 2019 is FC Arizona. The club has seen success, both on and off the field, in its two seasons. In 2017 FC Arizona won the Southwest conference and was eliminated in the regional semifinal by Orange County FC. In 2018 the club took a slight dip in performance, but managed to finish in fourth place then lost once again to OCFC in the NPSL Playoff play-in round. By the end of the season it managed to score twenty goals while only allowing thirteen.

FC Arizona looks to continue to build upon its strong performances in the previous years and move towards its professional ambition. During the offseason, Arizona has announced a few big name, highly experienced signings. Cesar Mexia has been re-signed after his ten goal season and other than his experience with FC Arizona, he has also played professionally in Mexico. Russ Klabough, a new goalkeeper standing at 6’5”, is an Arizona native and has experience playing with USL club Reno 1868 FC. Shane McFaul has played in multiple countries overseas including England, where he started his career with Notts County FC. Shannon Cole is an A League veteran and also earned one cap with the Australian Men’s National Team. Owner Scott Taylor continues to tease about more big names coming to the squad before the start of 2019.

High profile signing Josh Doughty is a product of the Manchester United program. Image courtesy of FC Arizona.

Other than a solid product on the field, FC Arizona continues to develop its relationship with its community. Most matches at John D. Riggs Stadium bring in about 2,000 fans, a number that rivals many of the best lower league markets. The club has made strides in partnering with local youth clubs and continues to make each match a special event to attend.

With the announcement of a women’s side, Founders Cup, and the eventual NPSL professional league, Arizona is looking to become one of the best soccer markets in the country. With all of the progress within the organization, expect FC Arizona to be battling for first place in 2019 and a strong competitor in Founders Cup action in the fall.

FC Golden State

One of the biggest and unheard of brands in lower league soccer, FCGS has not only its team in the NPSL, but one in USL League 2, multiple affiliated clubs in SoCal Premier, and a strong academy that includes multiple U.S. Development Academy age groups. Winning is a culture that has been repeated throughout the various levels of this football group.

The USL League 2 franchise, FC Golden State Force, played through four rounds of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup beating LA Wolves FC (UPSL), Orange County SC (USL Championship) and the Las Vegas Lights FC (USL Championship). This run would end when it faced the LA Galaxy, losing 3-1. Many of these players that contributed to the Force’s success spent time playing with the NPSL squad as well, making for an overall strong amatuer side.

Last season was Golden State’s inaugural year in the NPSL and its pipeline of talented players help produce one of the strongest sides in the Southwest. It finished in second place, scoring 27 goals while only allowing 15. Golden State would make it to the region semifinal after beating northern California side CD Aguiluchos USA 4-2. Once in the semifinal, it faced Southwest rival Orange County FC- a team it had beaten earlier in the regular season -and lost 4-2 at home. During that time in the NPSL, FCGS had seventeen different goalscorers including U.S. Open Cup Non-MLS Player of the Tournament Allison Faramillo.

Look for FC Golden State to continue to develop players like Anderson Asiedu, who was drafted by Atlanta United FC in this years MLS Superdraft; Pablo Ortiz, who signed with Honduran first division side, C.D. Real De Minas; and Samuel Goñi, who signed with Mexican side Celaya C.D. Golden State will continue to be a club that is worth watching for its multitude of talented players that get onto the pitch throughout the season.

High Desert Elite FC

Strength and conditioning coach George Mangum gets the expansion side ready for their first season in the NPSL. Image courtesy of High Desert Twitter account.

“We’re blessed by the community support as well as the support and encouragement we’ve received from throughout the globe that has made this possible: from the enthusiasm within the City of Adelanto, to the players, parents and coaches of competitive youth clubs and recreational programs, into the powerhouse high schools of the area and local colleges such as Victor Valley College, and of course the business community has been a huge booster of what were working toward,” said Director of Soccer Operations, Fidel Gonzales, when asked about the importance of a new club in the High Desert. While the club is only in its first year, it is ready to make its mark on the community and nationwide. The club has already taken to hosting tryouts, signing players, and preparing its new home, Adelanto Stadium. The club is looking to become a catalyst for sports in the High Desert, something Fidel mentioned continuously. “This slot within the NPSL schedule is a game changer for the High Desert and a testament as to why we are #StrongerTogether.”

Adelanto stadium is the old home to minor league baseball team, the High Desert Mavericks. While the stadium is currently fitted for baseball, hopefully it can find its purpose within the soccer community. The stadium holds 3,800 people, a more than respectable number for stadiums in Southern California. Due to the stadium’s previous uses it offers amenities that surpass other clubs that may be playing their matches in high school stadiums. Fans should be able to grab concessions and hopefully a cold beer  while they watch their favorite club.

This new club hosted over 100 talented local players in its first tryouts and found a few gems that were ready to contribute to winning matches in the club’s inaugural year. Anthony Mangold-Caudle will lead the offensive line up top. Fidel described AC as “a fiery catalyst on the field, able to get beneath the skin of defenders, strike the net from an unsuspecting distance or from a very personal proximity to the keeper.” High Desert Elite not only found talented attackers and midfielders, but has already discovered the core of its back line: Sam Howard, Bradley Thompson, and Javier Munoz who are “ cool under pressure, loud, commanding, and smashing down the hopes of an attacker’s passing lanes,” added Fidel.

While it may be the club’s first season, it is ready to win. Coach Claudio Rivas has been and will be instrumental to the success of this first year club. The club has already played in its first pre-season matchup, drawing against Inland Empire FC of the UPSL. High Desert Elite FC looks to continue to build upon that success and produce immediately in the NPSL.

Orange County FC

A team who has shown its ability to perform both in the regular season and during the playoffs, Orange County FC managed to make it to the regional finals in 2017 where it lost 1-0 to northern California side CD Aguiluchos USA. Last season, Head Coach Paul Caliguiri led his men to third place with a record of 7-1-4, scoring 26 goals and allowing 14. After beating FC Arizona in the play-in round, OCFC went on to beat ASC San Diego 3-1 and FC Golden State 4-2, but lost in the West Final to FCM Portland 6-4.

Orange County FC has a wide variety of talent and experience. Its back line was anchored by Patrick Ianni who, prior to playing in the NPSL, spent eight years in MLS with Houston Dynamo, Seattle Sounders FC, and Chicago Fire. His defensive partner, Cody Shelton, is an NPSL veteran known for his versatility on the field that allows him to play in defense, midfield and the attack. OCFC’s leading goal scorer, Dakota Collins has traveled to a few clubs within the lower leagues before coming back home to southern California. Last season Collins scored eight goals in ten games.

The I5 Army will be looking to fill Portola High School to provide an intense environment. Last season the club played out of Championship Soccer Stadium and showed that it had the support from the local community, even though the USL franchise played out of the same stadium. Orange County loves soccer.

What helps OCFC stand out amongst the other NPSL clubs (other than its product on the field and the sleek baby blue kits) is the club’s broadcasted product. It streamed multiple matches on YouTube and during OCFC 2’s UPSL season, the club broadcasted its home matches on Mycujoo. The highlight of the stream is the use of OCFC’s play-by-play analyst, Art Eftekhari. He always has a hidden gem of knowledge about different players and the clubs participating in each match. As the league continues to elevate its broadcasted product, I expect OCFC to remain a top nationally viewed product.

Oxnard Guerreros FC

The Oxnard Guerreros Football Club has been preparing relentlessly for its third season in the NPSL. While the Guerreros have yet to taste playoff success, they continue to build their roster and develop talent within the Ventura County community.The club is led by Head Coach Juan Florez, who offers plenty of experience within soccer. Whether it’s playing professionally in Colombia or coaching in the USL PDL, Juan Florez has enough experience to get this club to reach heights it has yet to reach in the NPSL.

In 2018 the club finished second to last, a result that was determined in the final week of play. The club went 2-9-1 last year and beat Temecula FC 4-0 in the final match of the season to push itself ahead of the Quails in the table. The club would score fourteen goals in 2019, led by leading goal scorers Moises Orozco and Raul Gonzalez, and allowed thirty in twelve matches. The Guerreros’ biggest victory came in the second week, where they stunned 2017 champions FC Arizona in front of a few thousand Arizona fans.

The Guerreros also have a youth academy built under their umbrella. This has given the club multiple opportunities to promote players into their first team. While Oxnard has a few veteran players, it sports a young squad, even playing multiple teenagers. The club is still building its full squad for the 2019 and will be getting a late start to tryouts, which will be held at the end of January. This late start could prove to be troublesome for the club, which starts play in early February. With ten other clubs participating, the Oxnard Guerreros Football Club will need to hit the ground running, in what will be the most challenging year of its NPSL existence.

Riverside Coras FC

This fifty year old club is entering into its fourth season in the NPSL. The club has gone through many exciting changes in the offseason: a new coaching staff, new players, and a new stadium. The Coras have had a moderate amount of success in the NPSL Southwest and 2019 looks even better.

2018 was the first season that the Riverside Coras did not make the playoffs and was their worst finish. The club finished in fifth place with a record of 2-7-3, scoring 18 goals and allowing 29. During the season, the Coras went through multiple coaches and struggled to find their rhythm.The biggest highlight to 2018 was beating rival Temecula FC 4-2 in Temecula. Previous to 2018 the Coras qualified for the playoffs, but never made it past the first round.

For the new season the Coras have promoted former captains Shane Shelton and Jimmy Ross, to Head Coach and Assistant Coach. Both Shane and Jimmy have experience playing in the NPSL and understand the challenges each player will face in the new season. They also understand the level of competition that will be produced by each club. Head Coach Shane Shelton has coaching experience with J.W. North High School and Legends I.E. Academy. While the NPSL will be a challenge, the new staff’s experience as players and coaches will help propel them to a successful year.

“We have always been a gritty, hungry, passionate blue-collar team. We represent the community in that aspect, but I think we have moved away from that in the past couple of years,” said Coach Shelton when discussing rebuilding the roster. During the recent tryouts, the Coras hosted some of the brightest talent in the Inland Empire and combined with players like returning center-mid Hugo Gutierrez, the Coras look ready for the new season.

Temecula FC

Last season’s last place finishers have been busy trying to prepare for their best season yet. The Quails of Temecula played in the Riverside County Cup, held tryouts, announced a slew of signings and re-signings for the 2019 season, and have promoted multiple teenagers to their first team. One youth product is Jordy Verde who made his debut with Temecula at age sixteen and is still earning first team minutes. The Temecula FC umbrella goes beyond the NPSL squad and hosts multiple boys and girls academy squads.

One of the most impressive aspects of Temecula FC is its ever growing supporters group, the Dirty Birds. The Dirty Birds consistently travel to away matches. They are armed with flags, drums, and red smoke bombs. The rowdy crew has even taken to social media to express their views on the broken U.S. soccer system. All Southwest fans should expect to meet with them in their home stadium.

Starting XI from a January friendly. Image courtesy of Temecula FC Twitter.

The 2018 season was not kind to last place Temecula FC. The club finished with a record of 1-8-3 and only scored 12 goals all season and gave up 32. The Quails started the season with three draws, two of which were against top clubs Orange County FC and FC Golden State. But the Quails couldn’t keep up that trend and managed to lose every other game, except a week six victory over Oxnard Guerreros FC.

Even though the NPSL season may not have gone as planned for Temecula, the club began to build back up in the offseason. It won the Riverside County Cup, a regional tournament against other amateur and semi-professional clubs in the county. Temecula FC would go undefeated in the Cup, lifting the trophy at home in front of hundreds of its faithful fans. The Quails will look to build on their offseason success and continue to pack their home stadium, Chapparal High School.

Photos courtesy of club social media and Protagonist Soccer. Custom art designed by Laura Mills. Previews written by Steven Ramirez with input from David Baker, Joshua Duder and Dan Vaughn.

Northwest Conference

Northwest Conference

FCM Portland put the Northwest Conference Division on the national stage in 2018. After knocking off division winner Spokane Shadow in the West Region quarterfinals, Portland eventually reached the national semifinals before bowing out to FC Motown, 2-1.

The name of the game for the division is stability. Four clubs (FCM Portland, OSA FC, PDX FC and Spokane Shadow) are now in at least their third season of NPSL play. Kitsap Pumas, which won the division in 2017 and reached the regional semifinals in the process, has ceased operations, meaning All Northwest Conference Division XI performers Jack Sluys (defender), Alvaro Rubio (midfielder) and Uriel Herrera (forward) are possibly available to the other clubs in the division. Crossfire Redmond steps in as an expansion club.

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Spokane Shadow

Spokane Shadow is looking for more of the same after finishing as just one of five undefeated NPSL clubs in regular season play in 2018. Spokane posted seven wins, including five clean sheets, and five draws while allowing just 12 goals during the regular season. The club will look to advance further in the playoffs after getting upset by FCM Portland, 2-1, in the first round.

Defenseman Spencer Wolfe, Williams and Ramos earned All West Region Conference Top XI, while goalkeeper Bryan Hernandez was named All Northwest Conference Division.

Mike Pellicio, the Northwest Conference Division’s Coach of the Year, returns.

“We have learned a lot of lessons from last season into this one,” Pellicio said. “Through the completion of last season, with our conference member FC Mulhouse Portland making a run to the national semifinals, we know that the best teams from our conference are competitive enough to compete favorably for a national title.”

Spokane will continue to spread the wealth offensively as 10 players scored 34 total goals. Ramos had six goals while Karl Muelheims and Jake Levine had five and Williams had four. Levine was selected as the NPSL’s 13th National Player of the Week after recording a hat trick in a 5-0 win over Kitsap Pumas on June 9th.   

The defense, led by Wolfe, is focused on allowing even less. The club surrendered more than one goal in a game just four times last season. Other players to watch include Nick Hamer, and Jesse Retan, the club’s U23 coach and a member of Spokane Shadow’s First Team since 2005.

“Our goals are to repeat as NW Conference champions, to secure only home games all the way until the national final and to send our players who seek professional opportunities on to the higher levels of the game,” Pellicio said.

FCM PORTLAND

FCM Portland had a 2018 postseason to remember, advancing all the way to the NPSL semifinals. Along the way, the club upset Spokane, blanked El Farolito, knocked out Orange County FC in a 6-4 barnburner and fell just short against FC Motown, 2-1.

Coach Sergio Medel is back to lead the club to the top of the Northwest table and two steps further in the playoffs.

Freddy Braun, formerly with the Portland Timbers, is back after earning All-Conference honors last year. He led the team with nine goals, including three in the playoffs. Braun scored the winner in the 40th minute of the playoff win over Spokane and added two goals in the win over Orange County FC.

Photo courtesy of FCM Portland.

He is joined in the attack by Christian Thyron and Reed McKenna, who each scored four goals last year, including two each in the playoffs. Thyron and McKenna scored late to clinch the win over Orange County FC in the West Region final. Luis Galeano and youngsters Jay Garmondeh and Nick Evans are again in the mix.

Midfielder Ryan Middleton is the team’s captain. He provides leadership and experience from his days in both Bournemouth and Southampton’s academies. He and defender Alex White joined Braun on the All-Conference team. White came up and scored four goals.

Ryan Callahan is a tenacious workhorse with great vision. Defenders Anthony Hobbs, Chris Lins, Jordan Selland and Cameron LaFleur and goalkeeper Scott Dalrymple all return.

“We started a bit slow and lost a few points, but once they grasped the concepts toward the middle of the season on, the team became stronger and more solid in every way,” Medel said. “We want to continue to grow and experience beautiful moments with our squad.”

OSA FC

OSA FC, led by owner Giuseppe Pezzano, is an American club with an Italian influence. Based out of Seattle, the team started 2018 strong, defeating playoff-bound FCM Portland in the season opener and drawing with eventual conference division champion Spokane before losing seven of its final 10 games.

OSA stands for Olympic Soccer Academy and Pezzano’s philosophy is to give new and returning local youth, academy and college players an opportunity to play at the NPSL level.

“We are convinced that this model is the right one, and really the only one that will allow soccer players to develop naturally within their club,” Pezzano said. “Players have a place to go after their youth development is finished and that natural place is to have a first team to play for.”

Coaches and staff for 2019’s squad will be provided by OSA FC’s Serie A partner, ACF Fiorentina. OSA FC is starting a new project which will include local coaches working and consulting with professional coaches from their Florence-based Italian partners.

Pezzano expects a high percentage of last year’s team to return, many coming from local first division colleges, as well as a handful of international players. That includes Corbin Anderson, who returns after finishing his career at the University of Washington by being named a First-Team All-Pac-12 midfielder with three goals and four assists.

“He has showed a lot of improvement since starting with us,” Pezzano said. “He went from playing no games at Washington to a full-time starter and team captain. After his first season with us, he gained confidence and really showed everyone what he was made of.”

Another local product, Seattle Pacific University’s Gabe Kellum, led last year’s team with six goals, followed by Orlando Neto and Ryley Johnson with four.

The club will need to be stingier defensively after allowing 33 goals last season.

PDX FC

After a successful 5-4-1 debut campaign in 2017, PDX FC slipped t0 2-8-2 last season, finishing bottom of the table. Coach Luke Babson, in his third year, is building his staff and roster in hopes of moving the club back up the standings in 2019.

Ryo Asai, an attacking midfielder who came over from FCM Portland, led the club with six goals, including two winners, to go with two assists. After earning All-Northwest Conference Division XI honors last season, Asai has a chance for greater accolades this year, according to Babson.

PDX and FCM Portland prepare for battle.

Image courtesy of Michael Eastman of Vox Populi Images.

“He can be a top player in our conference; he has the ability to unbalance teams off the dribble and also possesses excellent vision,” Babson said. “He can score with both feet and is deadly on set pieces.”

The club is hosting a tryout in late March to solidify its roster. PDX FC currently has several players from the past two seasons on trial with professional teams. Babson is hopeful that as many as possible can sign pro contracts, but it will also leave the club with several holes to fill.

“We are hard at work identifying the best players possible for our 2019 roster,” Babson said.

Babson is excited to added Sonimi Halliday to his coaching staff. Halliday was a top center back for Babson in PDX FC’s first two seasons. Halliday’s decision to transition to coaching adds vital experience and depth to the team’s management.

Crossfire Redmond

In late December 2018, Crossfire Premier, out of Redmond, Washington, was announced as a 2019 NPSL expansion club, essentially replacing Kitsap Pumas in the Northwest Conference Division. The NPSL club will be known as Crossfire Redmond. Club Director Bernie James, a Coventry, England native, is a 24-year veteran of the North American Soccer League, Major Indoor Soccer League, American Professional Soccer league and A-League. He played with such clubs as the Edmonton Drillers, Cleveland Crunch and Force and Tacoma Stars, and concluded his career after six seasons with the old Seattle Sounders of the USL First Division.

Crossfire Premier, founded in 2000, is a member of the U.S. Soccer Development Academy and the Elite Clubs National League. Director of Player Development Troy Letherman described the club as follows:

“Our club is structured as a 501(c)3 non-profit youth club, with teams from our junior program at Under-7 through our U-19 US Soccer Development Academy teams (boys and girls),” Letherman said. “The NPSL franchise is simply an extension of that, owned by Crossfire Foundation, and allows us to provide another level of competition and development for our players in Zone 3.

Although the majority of the squad will be comprised of current and former Crossfire Academy players (many of whom are currently playing in college), the club will host tryouts in April. Letherman said Crossfire won’t have final answers on some of its top players until later this spring, as they have trials in Europe and with USL franchises between now and then.

However, some more recent academy graduates are expected to play, including Declan McGlynn, the 2018 Western Athletic Conference Freshman of the Year with Seattle University and a member of the US U-20 national team. Other players expected to play include Ethan Bartlow (University of Washington, 2018 All Pac-12 Honorable Mention as a freshman) and Christian Soto-Rincon (Two-time US Soccer Development Academy West Region Best XI selection).

Photos courtesy of club social media and Protagonist Soccer. Custom art designed by Laura Mills. Previews written by Brian Burden with input from David Baker, Joshua Duder and Dan Vaughn.

Golden Gate Conference

Golden Gate Conference

Academica SC

Were brand new to NPSL in 2018, having come into the league from Liga NorCal during the off season. AC were founded in 1972, so despite heading into year two of their league existence, they are the grand old man of the conference – older even, than El Farolito or The Sol. The club is run by a board of directors, with 8 board members, a president and a general manager—this ensures that all club decisions are balanced and measured. The club owns its own 500 seat stadium, which was built by their hands over the years, called Academica Field, which significantly cuts down on ground fees for training and match days. While the stadium meets the league standards, they have an additional training ground adjacent to the stadium to use for scrimmages and for their youth teams to play on.

While down in Liga NorCal, they had squared off against the reserves for Napa 1839, so when they opened their inaugural NPSL season away to Napa, there was some familiarity; however, the rest of the conference knew very little about Academica and despite finishing 5th, their season was more than decent. Midfielder Alex Bettencourt made Golden Gate Conference Best XI and Defender Brennan Canfield made Best XI for both conference as well as the West Region. Cody Golbad, who bagged 14 league goals, was best XI for conference, region and won national honors, making the NPSL Best XI. Head Coach Sergio Sousa was recognized for conference honors too; his squad had 11 goal scorers who scored 29 total team goals.

Currently, the club has no in-conference rival, but they are looking forward to taking on Stockton FC. Turlock is about two hours away from most clubs in the Bay Area, but they are much closer to Stockton, California – just a 45 minute jaunt up Highway 99. Academica open against Napa 1839 again this year on March 9th, and don’t play expansion side Stockton until the 4th of May but they’re hoping that the away side bring fans with them and that Academica fans travel away to Stockton en masse on June 22nd, when AC make that short trip north. A budding rivalry can be good for growing the clubs and the league.

It’s just a short drive out to the stadium from Turlock, a town of nearly 70K, but according to the General Manager, there is no discernible supporters group. One of the goals for the club this year is to improve the gameday experience, which should help Academica SC build a solid base of support; the club seems really well run and it’s only a matter of time before they ascend to the top of the table—if not this year, then soon. Despite a few poor results last year, the club learned a lot about seeing out the match and taking nothing for granted. In a league interview last year, Simon Bettencourt, the GM, stated “we’re going to play an attacking brand of soccer with a lot of work ethic, something we hope will entertain the fans.” If AC stick to this design and bring back fantastic players like Bettencourt, Canfield and Golbad, I see no reason why they can’t climb up the standings in 2019.

El Farolito

Founded in 1985, by a Mexican restaurant chain of the same name, the club from San Francisco, California has a legendary trophy cabinet in which you’ll find their 1993 Lamar Hunt US Open Cup. In just their first year in the NPSL, El Farolito managed to beat out some of the most established clubs in the entire league for a trip to the playoffs. Finishing with 9 wins, 5 draws and zero losses, the legendary club from San Francisco ended the year with a +20 goal difference; including 13 from Edson Cardona, who made the conference, regional and national best XI. Head Coach Santiago Lopez tells me he’s also looking forward to the return of both Carlos Montes of Santa Clara University, who’s been with the club for three years, as well as Jose Cabeza from St Mary’s.

“El Faro” play in the historic Boxer Stadium at Balboa Park in San Francisco and can’t wait to get back. Being in front of their supporters group, the Burrito Brava, makes it “a special feeling to return home.” Their historic rival is the Greek Americans of the SFSFL, back in the 1990s the two clubs would battle annually for the league title—of course the Greek Americans aren’t in the NPSL so the new boys from San Francisco don’t have a natural in league rival quite yet.

2018 was a season of learning and transition for them; El Faro’s desire to be one of the strongest clubs in the country will require patience and adaptability. While they won their conference last year, making that the base is their goal—they hope to win it this year too, of course, and every year thereafter I’m sure. With nearly 80% of the squad returning, and stability in the coaching ranks, there very well may be a good chance of them returning to the top in 2019. They start their campaign with a long drive to Sacramento Gold’s home at Capitol Christian HS on March 16th.

East Bay Stompers

Moved from legendary Boxer Stadium in San Francisco to historic Raimondi Park in Oakland in 2016. That year turned out to be their best season on record, finishing 3rd place in their conference and making the playoffs. Aside from that, however, Stompers have not finished inside the top three since their founding in 2012. Which is a shame, as their organization has developed quite a bit of the Bay Area’s best talent. Something tells me their fortunes are about to change as all their talent catches up with them in 2019.

In 2018, they finished 4th on 18 points and broke even on goal difference, giving up as many as they scored—24. Khalid Arramdani finished the season with five goals, after a four goal performance away to Napa, toward the end of the season. Both Ali Radman, who is now on trial with AD Alcorcon, and Isaiah Dairo were called into the 2018 NPSL Showcase. Former Stomper, Victor Parra signed with second division professional Portuguese outfit FC Familicao. “Our goal is to facilitate a level of exposure to help players move to the professional levels, but also allow for veteran players to play at the highest levels of local soccer,” according to William Forte, President and GM of East Bay Stompers.

Head Coach Martin Sierra Jr. has a lot of potential in his roster and just found out that team captain Eder Guzman has recovered after missing the past two seasons. They have added former US National Team player Benji Joya to his midfield; he started his youth career playing for the prestigious De Anza Force and has spent time at Santos Laguna, Chicago Fire, Necaxa, and Sporting KC—now he can help Stompers climb up the table this Spring. Gustavo Tavera-Rico, Greivin Pacheco and possibly Dom Jakubek are all set to return—this could be a very strong roster.

Currently, there is no supporters group for Stompers at Raimondi Park in Oakland—but that could change, its taken a couple of years to bed into the community and things could happen this year in that department. It doesn’t help when the club’s closest rivals fold or change leagues, CD Aguiluchos last year, Real San Jose and Bay Area Ambassadors well before them, but Stompers are looking to new rivalries within the Golden Gate Conference. They open the season at home against Napa Valley 1839 FC, a few matches later they host Sonoma County Sol on April 13th—this is a club they’ve targeted and hope to beat to show improvement from last year. If they can remain consistent, sky’s the limit. One more to circle on your calendar will be the return leg versus El Farolito on June 15th where they get to travel back across the Bay Bridge and play at Boxer Stadium.

FC Davis

The Lions were added to the Golden Gate Conference in 2018, alongside El Farolito and Academica SC; however, they were a true expansion and were starting from scratch in the NPSL. It wasn’t a bad start, really, the club drew a regular season record 10,000 total fans through their turnstiles and had an excess of 2,000 on hand for their first ever “Causeway Classico,” the rivalry match between FC Davis and their more well-established neighbors in Sacramento. Their home in 2018, UC Davis’ Aggie Stadium, is a 10,000 plus seater and despite the great numbers, it felt cavernous at times. So, for 2019 the club has moved up the causeway a little bit and helped the community prepare Playfields Park to host both the Men’s and Women’s club in a more intimate setting.

Prior to last season, in a league interview, team president Adam Lewin said “getting used to conference play and the teams and playing locations takes time,” he knew the first year would have some growing pains, but “we are a technical, athletic team, and deep at every position,” he said. He spoke with a great deal of confidence in the squad and of Head Coach Andrew Baily’s ability to organize the side who finished 6th, above new rival Sacramento, and with a lot to look forward to in 2019. Midfielder Miguel Acevedo made the conference Best XI and led the team with six goals. Coach Bailey is also the director of coach at nearby Northbay Elite and has likely helped develop a handful of his players.

In 2018, the Lions started off the season looking competitive, but caught a snag in June and lost their last five matches; they were outscored 3-21 in that stretch and gave up 6 goals at home against Sacramento on June 17th—there’s no doubt about it, FC Davis has circled May 4th when they travel to Sacramento and June 22nd when they host their rivals in their new home field. Before that, however, the Lions have to travel to Stockton FC’s Edison High School stadium on March 16th for their regular season opener and Stockton’s first ever match.

Sonoma County Sol

An hour north of San Francisco, are the Sol of Sonoma County, who play their games at Casa Grande High School in Petaluma. They were founded in 2004, and are the longest running participant in the league, which was only founded one year prior as the MPSL. The Sol have qualified for the playoffs 11 times in their 15 seasons; entered four finals, and won the NPSL championship in 2009. Insofar as the league goes, they are one of its most well-regarded organizations, having represented NPSL 6 times in the US Open Cup too.  Additionally, in 2006 the Sol won the USASA Amateur Open Cup. They’ve only finished outside of the top three in their conference three times in 15 years—last year was no exception, having finished in 3rd place in the Golden Gate Conference, on 24 points with a +14 goal difference. The Sol fielded 14 different goalscorers and were led by conference Best XI forward, Omar Nuno, who banged in 13

Midfielder Miguel Lara joined Omar joined Nuno as a Best XI, not only for Conference, but made the Regional list. The Sol have a history of scouting and developing local talent; some notable players have come through their system including former Portland Timber defender Steve Purdy, former Sporting Kansas City goalie Eric Kronberg, and former LA Galaxy defender Troy Roberts. Head Coach Vinnie Cortezzo, who is also the organization’s President, recognizes their pedigree and works to maintain the Sol’s vision of “winning regional and national championships and developing players so that they can continue to play at an advanced level.”

The Sol start this year’s run at the conference title on March 16th when the host Academica SC at Casa Grande HS Stadium. Omar Nuno won the Golden Boot last year and had a belter of a match against Napa 1839, when he nailed-on his second hattrick of the season – in 2019, Napa 1839 gets their shot at revenge on April 27th in what they refer to as the “Wine Country Derby.” This club has a rich history of finishing at or near the top of the table and we expect nothing less this season.

Napa Valley 1839 FC

When they began play in 2017, they finished last in their conference; Napa Valley 1839 FC improved to second to last in 2018 with only 13 points and a -17 goal difference. But there’s hope in this squad, who had two players in the conference Best XI, including goalie Javier Valdez-Reya and defender Jorge Lualua, who also made the regional honors. Francisco Mendoza scored 6 times and there were nine other goal scorers who tallied 13 for the season. This gives Head Coach Rogelio Ochoa something to work with—he’s used to working with this level of talent, as he is also the current coach at Napa Valley College.

In addition to recruiting fresh talent for the 2019 campaign, the club might turn to Academy Director Gavin Taylor to find one or two gems ready to move up from their affiliated youth teams out at Napa United, a youth program in the region. There’s nearly 141, 000 people living in Napa Valley including the nearly 80,000 in the city of Napa—there’s has got to be some great talent for the club to work with. Not to mention that Napa and its neighbors are soccer crazy; when “The Green Machine” hosted big friendlies against Morelia Monarchas and Club America U20 of Mexico, they brought about 2,800 fans through the turnstile. They averaged about 500 fans during their regular season, a number any club would be envious of.

Alejandro Villalpando prepares to shoot. Photo courtesy of his twitter account.

In an interview with the Napa Valley Register, co-owner Arik Housley stated “We want this organization to be deeply connected to all aspects of our community and make a significant connection to our Napa Valley Heritage.” So providing opportunity to develop and play is a no-brainer, but the club also recognizes that their community loves soccer and bringing high-level entertainment to Dodd Stadium at Justin Siena High School is a component of meeting their community’s needs. In 2019, Napa Valley 1839 FC will host its third large friendly when CD Guadalajara “Chivas” visit in March.

Assistant Coach, Daniel Morales says they’ve met the goal, and will continue to, “give local players an opportunity to showcase themselves. If they’re committed, work hard and can play at the NPSL level, the door is open.” However, “as for the league we haven’t made playoffs. It’s a goal we are hoping to achieve this year and trust that coaching staff and players will work hard to achieve this in 2019. Hosting a playoff game would be big for the city of Napa and put our soccer more in the map.”

About half of the 2018 squad will be returning this year, but one of those might not be their top scorer Francisco Mendoza, as he is on trial with Sporting Kansas City in MLS—this can only be a good thing for the club though, it shows local talent that there are opportunities for fun and for career advancement at Napa. This season will be a fresh start for them and Napa Valley 1839 FC go away to Academica SC to start the season on March 9th. If they can grab a result to start the season, it will give them good momentum as they host El Farolito on March 30th for their Home Opener. Another match to watch for is their “Wine Country Derby,” away to Sonoma County Sol on April 27th and hosting them on June 22nd.

Sacramento Gold

In the NPSL’s 8th season, back in 2010, twelve new clubs joined as seven folded and five just left the league—it was break even, but one of the new clubs made a lot of noise that first year and have been around ever since. That was the year Sacramento Gold entered the NPSL and won the league—they had run, neck and neck with Sonoma County Sol for years, with their championship, two USOC appearances, five playoff appearances but have not qualified since 2015. In 2017, they had missed by just two points in the table and touted the conference’s best defense. However, 2018 was a different story and one of regression; finishing dead last in the Golden Gate Conference with a -16 goal difference.

Despite having 10 players scoring goals, they had only scored four goals until June 2nd against Academica then hit FC Davis for six on June 17th. None of Sacramento’s talent made the conference or regional Best XI. All of this is in contrast to their pedigree, this club has been viewed as one of the best in the region for years and has a history of developing quality players. In fact, according to their website, that is part of their mission, “Sacramento Gold FC is not only about providing high quality on and off the field, but also providing a pathway to the pros for local talent.”

Guys like Daniel Cuevas and Clay Silvas showed they had something going on last year, it just didn’t all connect for the entire squad. If Head Coach Ruben Mora can pull them together there’s wiggle room in the table to show improvement. Sacramento Gold FC are set to host El Farolito on their home field at Capital Christian High School on March 16th. The home and away matches in the “Causeway Classico” should prove interesting for them as well; home on May 4th versus FC Davis and they travel to their rivals on June 22nd.

San Ramon FC

San Ramon FC is coming over to the Golden Gate Conference from Liga NorCal—as Academica SC had the year before. Though they are being labeled as an expansion side, it’s not like they’re reinventing the wheel. As a part of Liga NorCal, San Ramon FC have game day and travel protocols, they know how to host a club for a home match, they already have a complete staff in place—these are all advantages over an expansion club with no experience or practical application. As a matter of fact, the organization's foundations go back to 1973, when they were begun as San Ramon Soccer Club; they transitioned to San Ramon Soccer Azzuri during the early 2000s and updated their branding when they moved up a league to NPSL this offseason.

The club have a youth program in place, starting with local kids from age 3 to 4, and moves them along through camps, clinics, juniors and selects programs. To be able to grow your own talent is priceless in this business and for Head Coach Mani Salimpour, this is an advantage over his sibling expansion side in the Golden Gate Conference this season. In addition to that, the club boast a detailed recruiting process, in which they help players grow into college ready athletes and they help college athletes find playing time in their off-season without compromising their NCAA eligibility.

San Ramon’s programs have a history of developing players who have moved on to USL, MLS or even nationally capped; including, goal keepers David Bingham and Andre Rawls, defenders Kyle Davies and Emrah Klimenta as well as forward Andrew Weideman of FC Cincinnati. Who knows, maybe the next big star will be on their roster this season. We can see at the home opener on March 23rd when they take on East Bay Stompers; an early win will be a good way to gauge their place in the conference. If they can follow that up with a good home performance against former Liga NorCal foe Academica SC on May 11th and get a result away to fellow newcomer Stockton FC, they might be set up for a good first season.

Stockton FC

The expansion side from Stockton, California are set to make their debut on March 16th vs FC Davis. Not just a season opener, but their first match ever, will take place at Edison High School’s Stadium. The “Club from Concrete” is the first of its kind in the city; there’s a YMCA club a typical pay-to-play organization and a MASL league 2 team which just started, but there doesn’t seem to be a history of soccer being played at this level or beyond in the city.

The story of the club is one of overseas connections and a hometown boy returning to improve his community, “we wish to bring the community of Stockton together,” said incoming president, CEO, and first head coach Chris Hernandez in an interview with the league. “There have been so many shortcomings that have divided our city in recent decades, but one sport remains true to unify us, and that is football.” Also in leadership are Dr. Bennet Omalu, the club’s vice president and world renown neuropathologist as well as Abraham Kurdich, who will serve as the Club Director of Operations.

Chris Hernandez and staff - “The Club from Concrete”

Photo courtesy of Stockton FC Facebook

No players have been announced, no additional coaching staff members have been posted to the website; only two social media posts have been made and no emails or messages were returned with comment on the club’s status headed into the season. A couple additional matches to look forward to are away to Academica SC on May 4th – as the team in Turlock is looking forward to the prospect of having a rival close by (about a 45 minute drive). The match on April 27th could be fun as well, with the expansion side hosting San Ramon FC, who just came up from Liga NorCal.

The club has posted a link to join their Ultra Fan Zone, smartly avoiding the words “Supporters and Club,” which could lead to a social media nightmare. While there is a prevailing opinion that a club’s supporters group needs to form organically, when there is no history of support for a brand new team and in a city brand new to this level of soccer, its gotta start somewhere. I hope that both the team and the fans show up to give this great project an injection—they have bold ambitions to grow the club into something that loves the community and that the city of Stockton loves back.

Photos courtesy of club social media. Custom art designed by Laura Mills. Previews written by Joshua Duder with input from David Baker and Dan Vaughn.