The National Premier Soccer League West Region playoffs are here with five California teams in action today and tomorrow. First up is #8 Albion SC
The National Premier Soccer League West Region playoffs are here with five California teams in action today and tomorrow.
First up is #8 Albion SC Pros as they will travel to the desert to take on #1 FC Arizona tonight at 8:00 p.m. Tomorrow, #4 Orange County FC will play host to #5 Riverside Coras at 6:00 p.m., and #2 CD Aguiluchos (Oakland) will host #7 Sonoma County Sol FC also at 7:00 p.m.
#1 FC Arizona vs #8 Albion SC Pros – Friday, July 14 8:00 PM
In the first game, Albion SC Pros face an undefeated and first-year FC Arizona squad that took the NPSL by storm this year. FC Arizona, Southwest Conference champions, have arguable the best defense in the conference and the entire NPSL with just 3 goals conceded.
Holding down the back of the net is former MLS goalkeeper and MLS Cup winner (Portland Timbers 2015) Andrew Weber The Southwest Conference was so competitive this year between the top four teams that Albion (11-4-1) finished just six points behind FC Arizona. In two previous matchups between the sides, FC Arizona walked away with a 1-0 victory on March 25. On June 10, the two sides played to a 1-1 draw at Mission bay High School.
Albion is currently on a 10-match undefeated streak after they had a slow start to the season. Last week, they scored a season-high 11 goals against sports Club Corinthians. Tonight’s match will feature a high-powered Albion SC Pros offense against a dominate FC Arizona defense.
#2 CD Aguiluchos vs #7 Sonoma County Sol FC – Saturday, July 15 7:00 PM
These two teams will know each other pretty well as they squared off three times during the regular season. CD earned the first two victories, defeating Sonoma 3-2 on April 15 and then 5-3 on May 21. Sonoma, playing for a playoff berth defeated CD 4-1 in their second to last regular season match. CD enters the playoffs on a skid after a strong start to the season. They dropped the final three matches by a combined score of 7-2, while Sonoma enters the playoffs on a three-match winning streak.
#4 Orange County FC vs #5 Riverside Coras – Saturday, July 15 6:00PM
Another tough matchup coming out of the Southwest Conference pits one-loss Orange County FC (10-1-5) against three-loss Riverside Coras (11-3-2). Both teams will have a chip on their shoulders as Orange County almost finished the regular season undefeated and Riverside almost won the Southwest Conference. Orange County FC’s one loss occurred on June 24 to Albion SC Pros 4-3. Riverside had a chance for the conference title, but they suffered a 2-0 loss to FC Arizona on July 2.
Orange County enters this match on an incredible goal-scoring run that saw them scored 24 goals in their final two matches. In two previous matchups between these sides, they played to a 2-2 draw on May 7 and Orange County FC walked away with a 2-1 win on June 3.
The only matchup that does not feature California teams is #3 Kitsap SC hosting #6 FCM Portland on July 15 at 7:00p.m.
This weekend is the quarterfinal round with the semifinal round next weekend, July 22. Teams with the highest seed will face the teams with the lowest seed.
