In their debut season as a club, the New Haven, Connecticut based Elm City Express are set to host a semifinal in the National Premier Soccer League p
In their debut season as a club, the New Haven, Connecticut based Elm City Express are set to host a semifinal in the National Premier Soccer League playoffs this Saturday.
Their opponent is CD Aguiluchos, the Salvadorian inspired outfit based in Oakland, California. A cross-country trip for the Bay Area side sees them one step away from the league’s grandest stage.
Elm City Express play their home matches on the iconic campus of Yale University, Reese Stadium the venue for this weekend’s final four clash.
CD Aguiluchos have been in this situation before, just two years ago in fact, when they were defeated in the 2015 national semifinals by New York Cosmos B.
Elm City Express made it into the semifinals with a 3-1 win over Clarkstown Eagles (New York) in the Northeast Region Championship last Saturday.
CD Aguiluchos took down Orange County FC 1-0 in the Western Region Championship, setting up this Northern California vs. Connecticut showdown this weekend.
SoccerNation spoke with CD Aguiluchos leading goalscorer Simon Rawnsley, the veteran forward who will be vital to his team’s success on Saturday. Rawnsley has 13 goals in 15 appearances in the 2017 season. He is quite keen on adding to that total inside Reese Stadium against Elm City Express.
SoccerNation: Simon, what does this mean for CD Aguiluchos as a club, making it to the national semifinal round of the NPSL playoffs?
Simon Rawnsley (CD Aguiluchos) : It’s absolutely massive for the club. Our Chairman Roger Amaya has been working to build and strengthen this team over the last few years and this season it’s really clicked. From going undefeated the first nine games and winning our Golden gate conference (which we consider to be one of the toughest in the nation) to then beating quality opposition in the playoffs and winning the west region, it’s been an amazing ride. We are excited to represent the West and restore some pride to the teams we beat along the way by winning it all.
SoccerNation: You guys have been here before, losing to New York Cosmos B in the 2015 semifinals. Is that loss still present in the back of your mind? Will it provide some inspiration going into this contest?
Simon Rawnsley (CD Aguiluchos): The guys who played in that game certainly remember it very well. It will definitely provide some inspiration for us, but this is a whole different opponent and a whole new game. We have to bring maximum effort and continue to play the type of strong, organized soccer we’ve been playing. I’m looking forward to a tough and competitive match with Elm City Express.
They are a big, physical and well-organized side. I’m hoping we can spring a few surprises and that our technical ability and our passing game will shine in he most critical moments and see us through. We know we have what it takes to get there, and we are more determined than ever to go that extra step to the final this time around.
On the other side: SoccerNation also spoke with Elm City Express General Manager Brian Neumeyer, discussing the meaning of this match for his side, the team’s strong and tight knit coaching staff, the club’s connections to Brazil, as well as the rich cultural diversity on which Elm City Express prides themselves.
SoccerNation: Making it to a national semifinal in your first year in the league is quite the achievement. What does this playoff run mean to you and your club, and what do you think a NPSL Championship would do for the growth of Elm City Express?
Brian Neumeyer (Elm City Express): To be quite honest, we are looking at this semi-final that is out in front of us and are not thinking that far ahead. We have to focus on nothing but this match. As a new club, our preseason goals were created to be very realistic and we have already met those goals in a number of ways. We are proud of everything we have done up to this point, but the biggest day of the season is this Saturday.
SoccerNation: Tell us a little about the early history of Elm City Express, and how the club came to be.
Brian Neumeyer (Elm City Express): The history of Elm City is obviously very shor, but things are moving very fast. Zack Henry, our Club President, and I were former youth teammates. We reconnected last year at a dinner in New York and Zack was already in the vetting process of trying to bring a team to the states acting on behalf of his partners in Brazil and our sister Club Athletico Tubarao. He asked me to jump in and start to help put the project together. Through close relationships with Teddy Haley, our coach and the head coach of Post University (and the NPSL coach of the year) along with Eric Dacosta, our technical adviser and the head coach of Quinnipiac University, we were able to build out a team of players that fit the style of soccer that we thought would be successful in this league. We are trying to play a game that is tactically sound and gets results but allows our players to play freely and provide entertaining soccer for our fans.
SoccerNation: The New Haven, Connecticut area is known for its unique cultural diversity. How has that played a role in the first year of Elm City Express?
Brian Neumeyer (Elm City Express): It’s played a huge role in our growth as a club on so many levels.
We believe we have one of the most culturally diverse fan bases in the country which is representative of the city of New Haven, our players, and of the sport of soccer on a global level.
Our roster boasts players born in 14 different countries. Players from Brazil, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Colombia, England, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Jamaica, Liberia, Mexico, New Zealand, Republic of Gambia, United States, and Venezuela have all taken the pitch as members of Elm City Express in 2017.
Elm City Express vs. CD Aguiluchos
NPSL Semifinal
Saturday August 5th, 7:30 PM ET
Reese Stadium, Yale University
