Dan Vaughn

Chattanooga FC vs. LA Force

Tuesday, April 13, 6p EST

Finley Stadium Chattanooga, TN

NISA

Wait, Dan, you say, this isn’t this weekend. And you have a valid point, EXCEPT this match takes place early in the week and therefore is available to be picked. This is the host kick off match and a massive chance for CFC to put their stamp on their group. Of course, it’s also a chance for LA Force to upset everything for Chattanooga. Imagine hosting and losing your opening match, effectively ending any chance of making the Legends Cup playoff. It would be a massive deal. Chattanooga looked sharp in their friendly against Louisville City of the USL Championship, losing 3-2 on a goal in the 82nd minute. Everything indicates a strong roster for the homeside who will be playing in front of fans. Edge has to be given to CFC, but LA Force is a strong contender this season and I’d expect a tight match.

Dan Creel

Columbia FC vs Christos FC

Sunday, April 11 at 7:00 EST

Marriotts Ridge High School, Marriottsville, Md.

This is an easy one. It’s the final of the 2021 Rowland Cup. Originally established in the 1913-14 season, it’s the oldest cup in Maryland and the holders of the cup are considered the state’s club champions. If you don’t know Christos FC, you should. They are the best club in Maryland. This year, Christos is trying to make a statement by attempting to sweep the four state cups they entered this season. (They weren’t eligible to enter the second-tier Morton Cup and a sixth cup, Maryland’s women’s state competition, has been dormant for almost 30 years.) They’ve made it to the finals of the Rowland, Stewart, Over-30, and Over-40 Cups. And, Wednesday night, Christos took their first step on that path by winning the Over-30 Cup blanking a combined Fighting BOBs/Yinz Legends O30 team by a score of 4-0.

Based in their namesake city, Columbia F.C. hit the pitch in 2018 and has steadily built a solid reputation in Maryland soccer. The club is part of Maryland Major Soccer League’s First Division, recently joined the EPSL Mid-Atlantic Conference, and recently made it to the semifinals of the Morton Cup. It would be a massive upset if Columbia took down the Christos juggernaut in the Maryland state cup final. A team on the rise trying to take out the big dog on the block? Count me in.

John Howard-Fusco

FC Misconduct v Icarus FC

Saturday, April 10th, 1PM EST

Academy of The New Church, Bryn Athyn, PA

CASA Primera Division

If you follow CASA at all, you know that FC Misconduct is a regular at the top of the Primera Division table. Case in point: the club just won the Fall 2020 title. But Icarus FC has gotten off to a hot start this spring with three wins and a draw, putting them to the top of the standings. FC Misconduct, just one point back, has a game in hand, but a win by Icarus FC here would suddenly give them a four-point lead and would force FC Misconduct into the role of being the chaser instead of the chased.

Josh Duder

SF Battery vs Oakland SC

Saturday, April 10th, 10:45 am

Beach Chalet, Field 3

San Francisco Soccer Football League (SFSFL)

At the far west end of Golden Gate Park is a set of four soccer fields only separated from the Pacific Ocean by the Great Highway and a hundred yards of sand. On Field 3 this week, SF Battery FC will host Oakland SC to help kick off the 119th year of the San Francisco Soccer Football League. SF Battery FC, founded in 2012, have seen three promotions and are now playing in the premier division - not bad for a team whose motto is “no practices - no d-bags.” This SFSFL season, the league is mashing its premier teams with its majors division for the preseason and Oakland SC may benefit from that.

They were founded in 2013 and have been promoted just once, from the first division to majors, but there’s a chance they could move to the premier for the season if one of the current teams drop out. Because the 2020 season was interrupted, and based off of a 3rd place finish the season prior, OSC would be first in line for a promotion through those circumstances. While I have no idea what to expect, Technical Director of OSC, Benno Nagel, said “Should be a good one… we have a solid group. A few guys who should’ve probably been in the first crop of local Roots signings when we were in NISA.”

Steven Ramirez

Inland Empire FC vs. Santa Monica Surf SC

UPSL SoCal North Premier Division

Kicking off SoCal soccer are two clubs with very different structures. Inland Empire FC has played through the UPSL system earning promotions in 2018 and finishing mid table in both 2019 seasons, but the club has continued to elevate their product on and off the field. Most recently, the addition of new head coach Salvador “Chava” Moran, an experienced coach who has been coaching throughout the various ranks of the LA/Golden State Force organization. With a year away from soccer, new players, a new coach and a new crest, IEFC is ready for its first match against Santa Monica Surf.

The Surf are a massive organization of over 35 affiliated clubs , primarily focused on youth to pro-development. 2019 was the Santa Monica clubs first year in the UPSL. While promotion evaded them in the spring season, they earned promotion in the fall. In both seasons the Surf had the highest scoring offense in the Socal North Division. If the clubs offense translates to the Premier division we could be in for a high scoring match.

Orange County FC vs. High Desert Elite FC

UPSL SoCal North Premier Division

These two organizations are already familiar with each other, through their collective time playing in the NPSL South West conference. Both clubs are new entrants into the UPSL, but only High Desert Elite FC will participate in the 2021 NPSL season.

Orange County FC have become a well-known club throughout the grassroot soccer sphere, mostly for the clubs performance in the 2019 U.S. Open Cup where the club beat two USL sides and made it to the fourth round, where they lost to the LA Galaxy 3-0. OCFC has also been a consistent side throughout SoCal soccer, competing in national playoffs and acting as a launching pad for players to play professionally. Orange County could be considered the favorite to win the conference.

High Desert Elite FC hits the Premier division for the first time in 2021, but the High desert soccer community is growing with multiple you organizations expanding into the pro-development scene and playing in the UPSL. HD Elite are also using the UPSL as a way to expand its umbrella of clubs, using the UPSL side as a platform for local high school students as well as players from affiliated youth organizations. This stacked OCFC squad will be a big test for a youth HD Elite.