US Open Cup Qualifying Review: Santa Ana Winds FC vs La Habra City FC

La Habra City FC truly tested Santa Ana Winds FC, don’t let the 5-0 final score mislead you. La Habra City was the better team in the first half of play in a US Open Cup qualifier on Sunday, September 18 at Colton High School Stadium. LHCFC generated more corner kicks and had three clear scoring opportunities in the first half, with one of those denied on a big save by the Winds FC keeper.

The first half could’ve been 2-1 or 3-1 in favor of La Habra. But Santa Ana weathered LHCFC’s offensive onslaught well, demonstrating improved defensive. Winds FC have shown defensive lapses in UPSL play, but showed a more determined defense in this Open Cup qualifier, with midfielders and defenders fighting and tackling for possession effectively. The Winds midfielders show good ball recovery when double teaming and going al choque, or jostling, for possession.

The Santa Ana defense was the bigger story of the match in contrast to its offense. Winds FC are known to score a lot of goals but their defense was the biggest question mark going into Open Cup qualifying. Their defense kept them in the game and allowed them to break through in the 54th minute, when Fermín Lara scored on a corner kick, and the floodgates broke open very soon after. The third goal came two minutes later, ten minutes later came the fourth, and the fifth goal came two minutes after the that.

Winds FC will have to repeat their defensive performance, especially against their next rival and fellow UPSL club, La Máquina, who are expected to be a bigger test.  The match is said to be held at Santa Ana Stadium, pending confirmation. But the next round match could be held at Westminster High School given that La Máquina is the “home side”and played elimination games there in the 2016 Open Cup.

Takeaways from the match

• Winds FC show an improved, more determined defense
• Four different players scored for Winds FC: Carlos Andrade (2), Fermín Lara, Eric Zúñiga, and George Zúñiga
• The Winds FC win sets up a Santa Ana showdown with La Máquina at Santa Ana Stadium pending venue confirmation

 

 

U.S. Open Cup 2017 Preview: Santa Ana Winds FC vs La Habra City FC

United Premier Soccer League members Santa Ana Winds FC and La Habra City FC will face off in a qualifying match to the first round of the 2017 U.S. Open Cup on Sunday, September 18 at Colton High School Stadium in Colton, CA at 6:30 pm.

Santa Ana currently sits in fourth place with a 5-2-1 record in the UPSL Southeast Conference, behind reputable sides La Máquina FC and Strikers FC South Coast, in addition to upstart Avalanche FC, which has taken the UPSL by storm.

Another upstart, La Habra City FC, currently sits in sixth place in the UPSL Western Conference with a 1-2-2 record. La Habra’s coach, Cesar Reyes, is well-familiarized with Winds FC having coached the Santa Ana side prior to starting up La Habra City. Reyes’s familiarity with Winds FC may be an advantage for him and his club.

But Santa Ana Winds FC, though exposed to have defensive deficiencies, have a potent offense having scored 37 goals in 8 games. That’s one more goal than La Máquina FC has scored on the same conference opposition that Santa Ana has faced, and four more than UPSL expansion club and sensation Avalanche FC has, versus the same conference. Nevertheless, Winds FC will have to improve vastly on defense, regardless of their offensive capabilities, if they want to make a name for themselves in the Open Cup the way other UPSL clubs La Máquina & LA Wolves did in the 2016 Open Cup.

Winds FC is considered the “home side,” given that this match was originally scheduled to be played at Lake Forest Sports Park, but the field became unavailable, according to club owner Leonel López. The Santa Ana side, still continues to struggle to get fields in Santa Ana, citing politics involving other leagues in town. For instance, while Winds FC had to schedule a match 47 miles away in Colton, another club calling Santa Ana home, “L.A. Laguna” of the Premier Development League, aka “Ozzy’s Laguna,” for UPSL and youth league purposes, will play an Open Cup qualifier at Santa Ana Stadium vs UPSL club OC Crew on September 17.

La Máquina sigue avanzando en la Copa Abierta

La Máquina FC se convirtió en el último equipo de la División Abierta (Open Division) con vida en la Copa Abierta de Estados Unidos (US Open Cup) al derrotar a su compañero de la liga UPSL, el Club Lobos de Los Ángeles (LA Wolves), la noche del miércoles primero de junio en Westminster High School en Westminster, CA. Con esta victoria La Máquina avanzó a la cuarta ronda y enfrentará al Galaxy de Los Ángeles el 14 de junio en el StubHub Center a las 7:30 pm.

El atacante de La Máquina Edwin Borboa, que ha jugado con clubes de la Liga y Ascenso MX incluyendo a Chivas, Pachuca, Leones Negros, Atlante, León, Lobos BUAP e Indios de Cd. Juarez, fue el hombre del partido al marcar dos goles en los minutos 17 y 68. El Club Lobos de Los Ángeles salió con mayor intensidad en la segunda mitad del partido y tuvo una serie de oportunidades de gol en los últimos 15 minutos del tiempo regular, pero La Máquina los mantuvo en cero.

La Máquina ha superado a sus oponentes en cada ronda de esta Copa Abierta con un marcador total de 6-0, con victorias de 2-0 sobre los Timbers T-23 (PDL), Oro de Sacramento (Sacramento Gold, NPSL) y Club Lobos de Los Ángeles (LA Wolves (UPSL).

La Máquina, on to the next round

Santa Ana-based La Máquina FC of the United Premier Soccer League defeated Sacramento Gold of the National Premier Soccer League in an elimination game in the Second Round of the US Open Cup on Wednesday night May 18 at Westminster High School.

La Máquina dominated their rival since the start of the match but could not capitalize on their chances until the 70th minute when Edwin Borboa broke through. Midfielder José Castro Pérez scored a goal on a volley at the 79th minute to kill the game.

The next opponent for La Máquina will be LA Wolves FC, a team that is also a member of the UPSL. It will be the first time in the history of the Open Cup that teams in this league meet in an elimination game in a later round.

The match between La Máquina and LA Wolves will be played at Westminster High School in Westminster, CA at 7 pm on Wednesday, June 1. The winner will face the LA Galaxy in the Fourth Round.

La Máquina, a la siguiente ronda

La Máquina Fútbol Club de la United Premier Soccer League derrotó la noche del miércoles 18 de mayo al Club Oro de Sacramento (Sacramento Gold FC) de la National Premier Soccer Leauge en un partido de eliminación dentro de la Copa Abierta de EEUU (U.S. Open Cup).

El equipo de La Máquina, basado en Santa Ana, CA, dominó al rival desde el inicio del partido pero no pudo concretar sus oportunidades de gol hasta el minuto 70, cuando Edwin Borboa logró anotar. El medio campista José Castro Pérez anotó un golazo de volea al minuto 79 para sentenciar el partido.

El próximo rival para La Máquina será el Club Lobos de Los Ángeles (LA Wolves FC), equipo que también es miembro de la UPSL. Será la primera vez en la historia de la Copa Abierta que equipos de esta liga se enfrenten en un partido de eliminación, en una ronda avanzada.

El partido entre La Máquina y Club Lobos de Los Ángeles se jugará en Westminster High School en Westminster, CA el primero de junio a las 7 pm. El ganador enfrentará nada más y nada menos que al Galaxy de Los Ángeles.

Santa Ana to be Represented in the U.S. Open Cup

The U.S. Open Cup is the country’s longest-running national soccer tournament, and one of the longest-running tournaments, of any kind, in the U.S.

Santa Ana will be represented in the Open Cup this year by a low-profile, but highly competitive squad that goes by the moniker “La Máquina,” (The Machine) borrowing from storied club Cruz Azul, that also goes by La máquina as a nickname.

La Máquina is described as a program of “FC Golden State Orange County,” of the Irvine Premier Soccer Club. The club was essentially formed to compete in the United Premier Soccer League, which was founded in here in Santa Ana, CA in 2011.

La Máquina will face the Portland Timbers U-23 (Under 23 years of age) squad at Providence Park in Portland, Oregon on May 11 at 7:30 pm PST.

For updates and more on the U.S. Open Cup, please visit TheCup.US.

La Máquina of the United Premier Soccer League, pictured at Cal State Fullerton’s Titan Stadium on February 15, 2016, before a match with the CSU Fullerton Men’s soccer team, Defending Big West Tournament Champion.

Santa Ana Winds FC get a new logo… and?

The Santa Ana Winds Football (Soccer) Club, formerly of the National Premier Soccer League, have resurfaced with a much-improved, and sorely needed, team crest. But they still don’t have a home field in Santa Ana proper. Instead, this team plays some of its “home” games in Aliso Viejo. And the team still doesn’t have its online presence down. Their dot com is inoperable and there’s no Twitter account. It’s shameful. Why re-brand if you’re not going to set your brand to market? The point is to project it and have a presence, make a mark, get on the map, get on the radar.

Santa Ana is flooded with soccer leagues, seemingly all competing with each other for fields. Santa Ana’s Parks & Recreation Director Gerardo Mouet said that these leagues tend to fight over Santa Ana’s Soccer Complex at Centennial Park, for example.

Because of this lack of organized soccer leagues in Santa Ana, it makes it difficult to unite behind a common goal, one that ideally has a pro-level or semi-pro team representing the city. No, it doesn’t have to be a Major League Soccer club, but perhaps one in the NPSL or maybe even the NASL. The truth is, any better-organized club at whatever level bearing the city’s name is better than the scattered, bickering teams and unaffiliated amateur leagues that aren’t really thinking of forming behind a common Santa Ana name, which would only be good for the city’s projection and brand.

Santa Ana could have an elevated profile in competitive soccer if the field at Centennial were better utilized and marketed. There’s also the new field at Santa Ana College, which is available for rent. But there’s been no team, or business plan, that has effectively identified with, and led to cementing a semi-pro to professional level soccer team bearing Santa Ana’s name.

What we have instead is one giant squandered opportunity given all of the talent here combined with the lack of a team with the inability to capture the Santa Ana soccer market.