After a hard-fought match that went down to the wire against San Diego Loyal in the second round of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup on April 6, Albion San Diego now faces NISA rival LA Force on Sunday afternoon in its regular-season home opener at Canyon Crest Academy Stadium.

“I thought we were fantastic on the night, especially in the second half, and felt we deserved more out of the game,” said Albion head coach Ziggy Korytoski on Wednesday night.

This will be the second time the team from San Diego and its northern rival face each other and the first since their match on July 21 during the 2021 NISA Independent Cup where Albion came out with the 1-0 home win.

LA Force will be desperate for a win after getting blown out 5-2 in its second-round U.S. Open Cup match against reigning USL Championship titleholder Orange County SC on Tuesday.

Among the interesting notes that the two Southern California teams share is that of that of Albion forward Eddie Benito who spent time with the team from Los Angeles in 2021. Benito joined 1904 FC, the team that merged with Albion at the end of last season, during the fall and was among the team’s leaders in goals and assists including a goal in the game against three-time defending NISA champion, Detroit City FC, on Oct. 16 that earned him a goal of the week nomination.

Both teams find themselves in Group B alongside Valley United FC, Bay Cities FC, and California United Strikers FC and will face each other four times this season. The game at Canyon Crest Academy Stadium kicks off at 3 p.m. on Sunday.