SOCAL SC OPENS NPSL SEASON WITH 5-1 ROAD WIN

The Southern California Sports Club started its second-ever National Premier Soccer League (NPSL) campaign with a sound road win. Playing at LA Valley College in Los Angeles, SoCal SC defeated expansion side City of Angels FC 5-1 on Saturday.

Midfielder Eric Gonzalez, one of SoCal SC’s captains, led the way, scoring a brace and being selected as the Man of the Match. Fullback Alex Zaragoza, midfielder Glenn Verley, and forward Edmilson Santos added one goal each. SoCal SC used returning players from its first-ever NPSL campaign as the backbone of the team, with more than half of its starters in their second year with the club.

“It was a great debut,” said SoCal SC head coach Daniel Musatti. “The plan is always to start the season winning and it’s amazing that we did that on a road match and with such a solid performance. The team had a great intensity and finished very well. We obviously still have a lot to improve as it was only our first game. We will use everything we noticed tonight to fix what needs to be fixed for the upcoming matches.”

SoCal SC built its win in the first half, scoring all of its five goals in the starting 45 minutes. Coach Musatti putted a lot of new faces on the field for the second half and City of Angels FC scored its lone goal on a penalty kick in the 61st minute.

“Our goal was to build the result in the first half so we started putting a high pressure on them,” Musatti added. “We made seven substitutions in the second half and were able to try some new tactical formations and strategies. And the good thing is that we kept the same intensity with different players on the field. I am really pleased with the score, with the performance and with the attitude the team showed.”

SoCal SC will now have one week to prepare for its home opener, the Inland Empire

Clasico, against rivals Riverside Coras.  This match will take place at 6:00 pm on March 25th at the Fairplex.

It should be a great matchup as Coras has started their 2017 season with wins over City of Angels FC and Albion SC Pros. They currently lead the Southwest Conference with a 2-0-0 record.