Finally. Finally. Finally, soccer is back in the Inland Empire. The UPSL clubs were the first back to the pitch with seven matches in three conferences between both divisions. A nice bonus of having multiple IE based derbies.

Premier Division

Western Conference- SoCal North

Inland Empire FC vs. Santa Monica Surf SC

In the club’s first match in the Premier Division Santa Monica Surf SC came away with a 4-2 victory over IEFC. SoCal North is a highly competitive division and a strong showing against IEFC, a club who has finished mid table the last few seasons, will help push them further away from relegation and closer to making a playoff run in its first year after promotion.

Inland Empire FC will have a chance to quickly rebound next week against its cross town rival MAFO FC, who they have yet to beat in UPSL regular season play.

Orange County FC vs. High Desert Elite FC

HD Elite traveled down to Lake Forest Sports Complex in Orange County to face Conference heavyweights Orange County FC. HDE immediately took control of the game by pressing the OCFC backline. This caused the tempo to hasten as OC would immediately try and get the ball out of their half, which continued to lead to HD Elite getting the ball back and attacking once more. After about 10 minutes, both clubs began to settle down as they took turns attacking each other patiently.

The first goal would come in about the 16th minute after the OCFC keeper came to stop the attack at the edge of the box and left a lingering foot that clipped the HDE attacker. The penalty was converted.

The next goal would come in at around the 38th minute from an HDE corner, swung in towards the near post and head low and away at the back post. While Orange County had a few chances, they were unable to really grab a foothold to this point in the match.

Orange County FC would get on the board at around the 41st minute from a beautiful free kick attempt that went over the wall and dipped past the keeper. HDE would quickly get back onto the ball and continue to push the tempo higher in the final minutes.

Approximately two minutes after the half starts HDE continue to press the OCFC backline who are becoming more susceptible to the constant pressure. This leads to an HDE break at the top of the box. As the attacker drives in he shoots and it is deflected off the OCFC defenders hand for another penalty, which is converted for a third goal for HD Elite.

OCFC continued to battle to chip away at the deficit. While HDE had the majority of the possession it didn’t take too long for Orange county to find themselves in dangerous positions. OCFC would find themselves on a counter with a bulk of the High Desert team committed into the opposition half. As the attacker drove forward, he laid a stunning through ball that split three defenders and was calmly tapped past the keeper and into the goal. Once again the teams were split by one.

The final goal would come in late in the 73rd. OCFC counter and the winger gets clipped by a sliding HDE defender. Another penalty called and another penalty converted. This tied the match at 3. High Desert were showing strong signs of fatigue that turned into mistakes. Those mistakes led to frustration then to a loss of composure. HDE looked dominant until about the hour mark, hopefully with another week of fitness under their belts they can surprise Cal FC.

Division One

Western Conference- SoCal South

PSC vs. MAFO Ballerz FC

In the club’s first official match, the Ballerz came out and balled, beating PSC 6-1. A great showing for the Coachella Valley side, whose recent partnership with the MAFO organization helped put a bigger spotlight on the talent in a not so represented part of the region.

PSC will attract some strong talent due to the clubs connections to multiple professional clubs from different countries, but it is too early to tell how that will play out in UPSL play.

IE Republic vs. Athletic FC

2020 started out with a bang for IE Republic. They launched, showed some strong performances, had a player sign with NISA side LA Force and then the season was canceled. Beating Athletic FC 2-0 allows for IE Republic to continue its trajectory and to potentially promote in its first full season.

Athletic FC is driven by youth development through playing experience. The club is focused on playing primarily sixteen to eighteen year old players. Next match will prove to be tough as they face off against Storm United FC, an experienced side in Division one.

Fontana International SC vs. FADP Footballers Academy

Another IE derby as these two experienced UPSL sides face off for the season opener. Fontana Inter opted to go heavy in attack, employing a 352. This led them vulnerable to FADP’s press which led to a goal from a bad touch from a pass in the defensive third.

FADP continued to exploit the more limited backline and put more players in the box to play off the last defender scoring through easy tap ins. A dominant performance against a top rival in the division, showcasing a potential favorite for first.

Toros Neza USA vs. MAGZ Premier

Finally back to the pitch in the UPSL, Toros Neza came out with a strong 2-1 performance with goals by Ahmad Qais and Luis Aguirre. In the pre-season the club spent time playing in Mexico against teams throughout the lower tiers of Mexican soccer.

Next up for MAGZ will be another talented IE based club, IE Republic, who they will have a chance to face at home.

DCSC Pathfinders vs. MAFO FC II

The new DCSC adult expansion opens its first match at home against IE rival MAFO FC II. DCSC Pathfinders look to give local high desert youth an opportunity against some of the best adult talent in Southern California. The MAFO organization has already proven its ability to play at this level and was a good test for the new and youthful side. MAFO would win out the day by 4 goals to 1, giving the club three points and a nice cushion for goal differential.

Preview

The region still waits for scheduling news on SoCal Premier, WPSL and NPSL, but Inland Empire UPSL is at full speed with another nine matches.

Premier Division

Western Conference- SoCal North

MAFO FC vs. Inland Empire FC

These cross town rivals who once shared a stadium go at it for the first time since the 2019 fall season, where MAFO FC beat IEFC 3-0. Both teams are talented in attack, but both gave up four goals in week one. Both clubs will be looking to redeem themselves from the prior week, but will Inland Empire’s desire for revenge help give them the edge in the Grand Terrace Derby.

High Desert Elite FC vs. Cal FC

HD Elite impressed in its first match against OCFC a usual top contender in the Western Conference, but they will have to put together a strong 90 minute performance if they want to come away with a result against Cal FC.

Cal FC is coming off a win against LA10 and are typical favorites in the region. The club's success is known throughout the UPSL landscape as well as fans of the US Open Cup. Cal will need its most experienced players to stay calm underneath the high pressure from the elite desert club.

Western Conference- SoCal South

Reyes FC vs. Rebels SC

This will be Reyes FC’s first match in the UPSL. Reyes FC was one of the many who launched during the pandemic with its sights on bringing local adult amateur soccer to its community. Finally that time has come for this Murrieta based side as they open up the season against Rebels SC, an experienced UPSL side backed by a strong academy.

Division One

Western Conference- SoCal East

MAGZ Premier vs. IE Republic

Inland Empire Republic will take its first trip out of the IE and into Orange County where they will face off against MAGZ Premier. Republic will look to repeat its strong defensive performance from week 1.

MAFO FC II vs. Toros Neza USA

Even though Toros Neza gave up the early goal to MAGZ in week 1, the club was able to recover and put in two goals to win. That tenacity will need to be present as they play against a high scoring MAFO side. Expect to see some goals come out of this all IE matchup.

DCSC Pathfinders vs. Fontana International SC

Both clubs will be looking to come back after a less than stellar first matchweek where both sides lost by multiple goals. It will be interesting to see if Fontana Inter keep its attack minded shape in week two when put up against the young talent of DCSC.

FADP Footballers Academy vs. ACE Academy

After scoring the most goals in the East, FADP host ACE Academy. This Pomona based club lost its first match to Sole 2 Soul FC 2-0. ACE Academy will try and score its first goal in 2021, but may have to score multiple goals if they want to come away with all three points.

Athletic FC vs. Storm United FC

After learning and ironing out a few problems from week one, the young Athletic FC will look to grab its first win against Storm United FC, an academy out of Apple Valley who recently merged with High Desert FC. The biggest question for Storm United can the core of the old HD team, mixed with the talent of the Storm system finally push this team into the premier division?

Western Conference- SoCal South

MAFO Ballerz FC vs. Newport FC

After coming out with a big first victory in the UPSL the Ballerz play Newport FC, who are fresh off a narrow loss against Long Beach City FC. Another win for Ballerz FC and we could be looking at a dark horse for promotion, but Newport FC have plenty of experience in the UPSL and went toe-to-toe with a talented LBC side.

- Steven Ramirez