So who are you and how did you get involved with Lobos FC?

My name is Eric Garcia, I am an interactive media associate and player for Lobos FC. I joined the program to help expand Lobos FC to Columbia, South Carolina. Lobos FC is a huge opportunity for players to take the next step in their futbol careers and being part of an exciting program.

The UPSL is highly competitive, particularly in California,who are some rivals for your club?

The UPSL is very competitive, not just in California but throughout the states, as Maryland Bobcats were able to defeat Santa Ana Winds, in the past final. California is a very big state with an even bigger population, which correlates to why UPSL was founded and formed in California. Though we believe that there is talent all throughout the United States just waiting to be giving an opportunity. We have recently expanded to the east coast and based a team in Columbia, SC, which will compete in the upcoming UPSL season in the Mid-Atlantic Conference.We are a new team thus, we do not have many rivals as of yet. There have been a few teams that we've faced and/or are anticipating on facing that have been great physical as well as technical games. Newhall Premier, Mesoamerica FC, Mafo FC, Santa Monica Surf SC, to name a few.

You play in Division 2 and had a rough finish to your last season, what approach has your club taken to make next season a better one?

We did play in Division 2 in the 2019 spring season. As stated, it was a rough first year. we faced multiple hardships throughout the season, whether it being financial, commitment from players, to learning how to run a futbol club as first time owners. This past fall season, Lobos FC played in SoCal Premier, which is another very competitive and very organized league here in Southern California. Matt Morse and his staff are very professional in the way they run the league.Some approaches we have taken for the upcoming season are increasing our squad size. We saw how important it is to have a bigger player pool to choose from due to players' commitment with work and family. We understand that at this level, it is still pay to play and other responsibilities may come before the club. We work with players in and off the field to help them find a balance of work, family, and playing.

With the league having things on hold, when do you think you'll be back on the field

?With the league being on hold, we are anxiously awaiting to be back on the field when it is safe to do so for the health and safety of our players , their family, and the entire Lobos FC community. We hope it's sooner rather than later as we all miss playing the game and all being out there together with the team.

How has your club kept in contact with players during the pandemic?

We have our group chats where we send out training, game day, and other information to the players. Due the pandemic, we sent out weekly workout programs for players to be able to stay fit and active. We also use Endalgo which helps us stay organized and set up training days and locations for our players to stay updated.

Who are some players we should know from your club?

We have a good about of talented players, a few that come to mind are: Joel Nolasco, our 18 year old holding midfielder. Benito Munoz, a key player in our back line playing CB. Luis Bonola, a rapid outside back and winger. Ryan Burgess, one of our quality keepers on the Columbia team, recently graduated from Greensboro College. Juan Peredo, another player on our Columbia team who brings a lot of experience having played with Lowcountry FC. Nicolas Colorado, a 17 year old playmaker from Irmo, SC.

Anything else we should know about your club?

Our club is more than just a club competing for championships. We look for players who are dedicated, passionate and motivated to compete and advance to the next level. we use our platform to provide players an opportunity to play at a very high level and allow them to be seen by scouts in hopes of getting signed to a professional club. We are also Affiliated with Pachuca CF in Mexico. We offer tours within United States, where we played Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC, Colorado Rapids's U-23. Lobos FC also offers tours to Mexico and play professional teams, the most recent being our tour to Celaya and Queretaro in February of this year. We have competed in several competitive invitational only tournaments such as, Issac E. Barron Cup Las Vegas, Copa California, and Copa Alianza. Lobos FC is also partners with South Hills Academy, a high quality private school, located in West Covina with a growing, diverse student base.

For more information on Lobos FC, check their website.