Founded in 2019, everything about the LA Force seemed brand new, but the club has been building up to this for a few years. With the NISA, NPSL, and USL League 2 seasons at a standstill, we wanted to reach out to the organization to learn more about where they came from and what the plan is going forward. Assistant Coach, Patryk Tenorio and VP/GM Alex Lujan were kind enough to get our questions answered and let us shed the spotlight on the expanding professional soccer program in the city of angels.

FC Golden State Force began play in 2016, then FC Golden State was added to the NPSL in 2018, most recently you've added a NISA squad too. What was the mission of the organization when you started and has it changed as you've grown and added squads?

The goal of the organization has always been to develop soccer players to their highest potential. Our youth and DA programs have an excellent history of preparing players for the next level…college or professional. We wanted to continue to provide players with developmental programs during and after college, thus USL League Two and the NPSL. The natural progression of this was to create and offer a professional team to sit at the top of our complete program. A lot of organizations use “Path to Pro” as a carrot or tagline, however we deliver on this promise, from the introduction to soccer to a professional contract to play soccer for a living, with full developmental support in between.

Tom Smart of FC Golden State Force, the organization’s USL squad, takes on the LA Galaxy in the US Open Cup (photo: FC Golden State Force Facebook)

In addition to the three men's teams in three different leagues, you also have a WPSL side, FC Golden State, when did they join the family? Do all four of your squads have separate coaching staff or is there a lot of sharing across the entire club?

Our women’s team joined the WPSL in 2019, were crowned the Coastal Conference Champions and advanced to the West Region Playoffs. The team has a separate Head Coach, who is also a FC Golden State club coach, however the front office uses their core resources to manage this team too.

The NISA, USL2, and NPSL teams foster a collaborative philosophy to allow our coaches to teach a specific style of play, evaluate players and move the talent to the appropriate team based on actual performance.

I expect that your NISA side probably draws some fans, do your other sides as well? What are the economics of that, do you rent the same pitch for all four squads or do you happen to own your own?

Yes, we have had strong crowds at all games. Recently our NISA team has moved to Cal State LA in 2020 (~4k Capacity); which is unique to that team. For the USL2, NPSL and WPSL teams we play at Rio Hondo College which is a more intimate venue with a capacity of ~1k.

Debray Hollimon and Dominic Oduro of the organization’s NPSL squad (Photo by: Ariana Grainey via Facebook)

Speaking of fans, some clubs are well-supported, and some have to slowly grow support over time. What has the reaction been to the addition of your NISA squad? With so much soccer to choose from in Southern California, are fans buying scarves and season tickets?

We are working on building support and fans over time - organically - which as you can imagine is challenging with the large number of professional sporting events in the Los Angeles area. However, we are fortunate not to have to start from zero. Our FC Golden State youth players and families have helped tremendously along with youth club affiliations across the 210 Corridor (Pasadena, Pomona, San Bernardino, etc.)

Some clubs have a built-in support base - their youth organization. Do you have a youth program and how connected to your grassroots soccer squads is it? Is its mission aligned?

We have a very large youth program which is well known for producing top talent with a strong focus on the players. We’ve held scrimmages with the academy teams and have youth players regularly come to USL2, NPSL or NISA trainings to gauge themselves at higher levels. Our Club President Bob Friedland started the club in 2007 with the mission of player focus and development. This vision has continued to be championed across the entire organization through Alex Lujan (VP/General Manager – NISA, USL2, NPSL & WPSL), Jimmy Nordberg (DA Coach and Academy Director) and Thales Peterson (LA Force Head Coach & FCGS Academy Director) all the way through to our awesome DOCs, Age Group Managers, Keeper Coaches, Fitness Coaches, and Registrar!

The NISA team, LA Force just before a match against San Diego 1904 FC (Photo: Facebook)

With no NWSL in California at all, do you have your eyes on carving out a spot in that market space or is a WPSL just fine for where you're at and what your mission is?

That is a distinct possibility, long term, and a great comment. Our club wholeheartedly believes in growing the women’s game in the US, at all levels. Our youth girls’ teams frequent our WPSL games and aspire to play at that level. Adding a professional level would be the next progression.

More info for FC Golden State Force: http://fcgoldenstateforce.com/

More info for LA Force: https://www.losangelesforce.com/home