Regional Overview

Last year, one of these sides played in the Independent Cup: LA Force. Force were matched with Albion SC (current NISA club, formerly 1904 - RIP), Magia FC, and Chula Vista FC. While Chula Vista finished last, the other clubs were the big surprises, with Albion being the only side to hand a loss to LA Force in the competition and Magia FC in the running for the region up to the last match, which they lost 3-2 in a shootout with Force. It was a fun and competitive region. This year brings a collection of new amateur sides to face off against returning NISA side, LA Force. All three amateur clubs play in the Southwest Premier League, a NISA-affiliated league. IE Republic FC, Olympiacos CA, and Peak XI FC all bring aspirations to escape group play and lock horns with LA Force for the Regional Championship.

IE Republic FC

Inland Empire Republic FC hails from one of the many soccer-rich regions of California. So soccer-rich that two Southwest Premier League clubs call it home. Formerly playing in the UPSL, IERFC has made a home for itself playing in the SWPL. The club currently sits second in the SoCal Premier League. The team has won every fixture on its schedule, cruising to the top of the table. The wins have been big ones, including a massive 10-0 win in its last match, against FC Colonia last weekend. It should be noted those wins have come against lower half of the table clubs.

IERFC won the SWPL SoCal Spring Season Championship.

When Gabriel Placentia was interviewed after his club’s Spring Championship win in May, he highlighted the importance of his club “keeping their heads up and accomplishing the small things.” So far it’s been a recipe for success for the Inland Empire club. Placentia also mentioned the challenges of Covid for his club, which was birthed during the pandemic. “The boys are young, but they overcome challenges, it’s a blessing.” The club IE Republic FC beat in the Final? None other than fellow West Region competitor, Olympiacos CA.

Olympiacos CA

Founded in 2012, Olympiacos CA is an extended youth program that plays in the Huntington Beach area. The club focuses on developing talent and teaching lessons in “sportsmanship, teamwork, ethical and moral behavior and good citizenship.” Those lessons are paying off as Olympiacos is highly competitive in the Southwest Premier League. In the Spring Season (as mentioned above), OCA played in the season Championship against IE Republic FC. Though OCA scored first, the club was unable to withstand the counter attack and lost 5-3. This team is plenty talented and should be a fun addition to the West Regional, which presents a great chance for revenge!

Peak XI FC

“There are many ways to play the game, none wrong, but we believe that scoring 1 more than the opposition is what it’s all about. We try to dominate the ball, find dangerous forward passes and take our chances. All 11 players are vital to our model and we will always try to pick the right pass, whether that’s 5 yards backwards or a 50 yard switch.” Assistant Coach Don Harmon highlights that Peak XI is really about the ELEVEN players on the pitch. His club, Peak XI is clicking right now in the Mountain Premier League section of the SWPL. The team currently sits at 5-0-2, the second highest goal scoring club in the league with a +32GD. This is a team with some firepower!

Players to focus on from Peak XI include Colorado College freshmen Oliver Ramirez, he’s a Fort Collins native who was an ECNL All-America team selection playing for Arsenal Colorado. Midfielders Malcolm Jeffris and Taylor Smyser are veteran players for Peak XI and should also draw some attention. As mentioned earlier, Peak XI knows how to score goals and Moutaz Badawi and veteran Kevin Schulte are standouts in attack.

Interest aspect about this club from Harmon, “Peak Eleven FC is directly affiliated with SG Guldenbachtal in Guldental Germany. Prior to signing up for the NISA Independent cup we had begun the planing to take the team over to play 4 games hosted by SGG for the German Verbandesliga and Oberliga preseason.” Big things afoot in the SWPL!

LA Force

It’s been an interesting 2022 in NISA for LA Force. After the departure of many of the club’s key preformers in the offseason, including golden boot winner Christian Chaney, the team got off to a slow start. Ok, slow isn’t even the right word. Maybe sloth-like? It was rough going for a bit, with the club going matches without scoring and struggling to get points in a much-improved Western Conference. But not all hope is lost! The club is on a 2 game win streak and maybe this is the beginning of something new! It should be noted those two wins came against the bottom two clubs in the East. We shall see if the team can stretch this streak farther.

Regional Preview

Some strong amateur sides and a pro side that has struggled all season to score goals, we have all the makings of an upset region! The question is can one of these clubs surprise the NISA side after emerging from a good amateur battle? That’s almost certainly not going to happen and is one of the key reasons that change was implemented: limit the chance of an upset.

- Dan Vaughn