LA Force

The LA Force stock has risen quite a bit after the championship weekend. They competed against an unstoppable Detroit City side and lost the match to an own goal. Expect the Force to test out the organization's depth while they prepare players for the next NISA season.

The Force/ FC Golden State organization is a titan in Southern California. The club has its reach within every adult league and the most competitive of youth leagues in Southern California. Owner Bob Friedland has created a soccer empire that is developing players for college, MLS, and its professional side in NISA. The club is also the first announced club for the Women's Independent Soccer League (WISL).

LA Force is the perfect fit for this group, not only for regional proximity, but in club ethos. The Force organization is a standard bearer for grassroots teams that want to evolve into multi-tier professional organizations. All of LA’s competition are clubs who have expanded into other realms of soccer, whether that's Women’s and/or the youth.

ASC San Diego

Albion Soccer Club have been a constant competitor in the NPSL since 2016. During those 4 seasons the club went on to play in a national semi-final as well as compete in the Lamar Hunt U.S Open Cup.

There is also more to this club than just its first team. ASC San Diego has a large academy that expands multiple age groups and within multiple counties of Southern California. They are truly creating a brand around competition and player development. The club academy is home to multiple professionals and develops players for both its men’s and women’s teams.

ASC San Diego in action in the NPSL. Photo credit: David Frerker

ASC San Diego are one of the few sides in the Independent cup that aren’t playing in a NISA affiliated league, but are the quality of club that NISA is trying to attract. They are a club in the sense that they have multiple teams on both the men’s and women’s side. They have a proven method for developing players in their academy and they continue to develop pro players like Dallin Cutler, Felipe Liborio Jr. and more.

Chula Vista FC

Chula Vista FC is a representative of the new affiliation league Southwest Premier League. They play out of the San Diego region and have been a top contender out of Southern California for many years. The first team has seen success in both the SoCal Premier and in U.S Open Cup qualifying and the Open Cup proper.

CVFC has existed since 1982 and has continued to grow and evolve its academy system. This pipeline they have created for their athletes will only be amplified in the NISA system, due to the relationships of all the clubs involved and the incentive of solidarity payments and training compensation.

While this club is more of an unknown for the national soccer community, expect a highly competitive club with talented players and a skilled coaching staff. Chula Vista will be hosting its matches at Spring Valley Soccer Complex.

Magia FA

The new kids on the block, Magia Futbol Academy have taken the Southwest Premier League by storm. Currently the club is in first place in the SoCal Premier division with a perfect record and a goal differential of plus 22 goals. This high flying offense is averaging just under 3 goals a match and will need to continue their scoring ways if they want to be crowned champions of the West region.

Magia and founder Shawn Alvari are taking a more innovative approach to training and player development. The club uses training camps and individual/group training sessions to help not only the clubs first team, but to develop soccer players all throughout Orange County in a way that caters to the individual's needs. In the lower leagues of US Soccer it takes innovation to not just survive, but to thrive and we all should continue to watch how this new club develops in the next few years.

- Steven Ramirez