San Diego Wave will take on the Chicago Red Stars in the first round of the NWSL playoffs at Snapdragon Stadium on Sunday after the team, led by head coach Casey Stoney, finished as the third seed in the standings while Chicago made it in the sixth seed.
San Diego beat Chicago both times they played each other this season by 2-1 and 1-0 scores, respectively, to finish with 36 points compared to the 33 points for the Red Stars. San Diego was one of two expansion teams that joined the NWSL in 2022 alongside Angel City FC. The team from Los Angeles missed the playoffs after finishing in eighth place.
The winner between San Diego and Chicago will travel to Providence Park to take on the Portland Thorns on Sunday, Oct. 23. San Diego hopes to have the services of NWSL Golden Boot winner Alex Morgan, with her 15 goals, and midfielder Taylor Kornieck along with defender Abby Dahlkemper available for the game. Chicago will have the services of forward Mallory Pugh who finished tied for fourth place with Mexican national team player Diana Ordoñez, of the North Carolina Courage, with 11 goals.
Albion San Diego earned a first-round home playoff game after its 1-0 victory over California United Strikers on Saturday night at Canyon Crest Academy Stadium. Albion took the lead in the 14th minute after forward Mayele Malango recovered a turnover in the Cal United box skirting by the defenders and goalkeeper Steven Barrera to tap the ball into the back of the net. The goal came just a few minutes after the visitors almost drew first blood, but Albion San Diego goalkeeper Ryan Buckingham was able to block the shot from a short distance with the rebound attempt hitting the post and bouncing out of danger.
“I’m pleased for the club, the organization, the community, our supporters, our players, our staff,” said Albion San Diego head coach Ziggy Korytoski. “I think that over the course of this season there’s always a goal to go as deep as you can and be recognized. It’s a tribute to how hard these guys worked all season.”
The team that Albion will face in the first round is the Maryland Bobcats after it came out with a 1-1 draw versus LA Force and guaranteed itself the fifth seed in the standings. Albion and Maryland split their two regular season matches with Albion winning the first game 2-1 at home on Aug. 17 but falling 1-0 at Maryland SoccerPlex on Oct. 1. The first-round playoff game will be on Friday, Oct. 21 at Canyon Crest Academy Stadium.
San Diego Loyal came out with an exciting 3-3 draw against New Mexico United on Sunday afternoon at Torero Stadium with the team, led by head coach Landon Donovan, having already clinched the second seed in the western conference standings. New Mexico took the lead in the 2nd minute courtesy of midfielder Justin Jose Portillo but the Loyal responded quickly with two goals in the span of three minutes first by a penalty kick conversion from midfielder Charlie Adams in the 24th minute and another in the 27th minute from forward Alejandro Guido. The visitors were able to tie the game in the 40th minute courtesy of midfielder Amando Moreno. Moreno made his presence felt early in the second half by giving New Mexico the lead in the 47th minute. Still, San Diego Loyal once again responded quickly courtesy of forward Thomas Amang who tied the match in the 52nd minute. Goalkeeper Duran Ferree, 16, got his first start taking the place of Koke Vegas for the team, led by head coach Landon Donovan. A note of concern for San Diego happened in the first half when midfielder Jack Blake left the game due to an apparent ankle injury. San Diego plays its final game of the regular season on the road against Sacramento Republic on Saturday, Oct. 15.
ADG FC extended its winning streak to three games on Saturday after a dominant 5-2 victory over Atletico Elite FC at Merrill Douglas Stadium on the campus of San Diego Mesa College. ADG has outscored its opponents 12-3 over its last three games starting with a 4-0 shutout of White Tigers FC on September 25 followed by a 3-1 win over Murrieta Soccer Academy both on the road along with its most recent victory over Atletico Elite.
The five-goal outburst came thanks to a four-goal performance from forward Cesar Romero and one from teammate Marcos Cervantes. The team, led by head coach Ray Gutierrez and assistant coach Javier Salcedo, has won four of its first five games this season and sits in second place in the UPSL So Cal South Division with 12 points which is only one point behind leader Nomads SC.
ADG FC has five more regular season matches remaining with its next game coming against San Diego Internacional on Oct. 15 at Merrill Douglas Stadium.
San Diego Sockers: The Major Arena Soccer League (MASL) defending champion San Diego Sockers announced its 2022-2023 regular season schedule as they open against Empire Strykers, previously the Ontario Fury, at Toyota Arena on Saturday, Dec. 10. The Sockers play at home on Sunday, Dec. 11 against the Strykers at Pechanga Arena San Diego before going on the road to take on the Mesquite Outlaws on the road on Sunday, Dec. 18. There will be a total of 24 matches divided equally between home and away games, which will include a six-match road trip in the middle of the season with the Sockers closing out with back to back games at Pechanga Arena versus the Milwaukee Wave and Tacoma Stars.
“All of the core pieces to the puzzle are coming back and we have a legitimate opportunity to go for the three-peat,” said San Diego Sockers captain Kraig Chiles. “It’s a talented team with a ton of chemistry and we’re looking to add one more to the rafters for San Diego.”
This will be the final season for the back-to-back Ron Newman Cup-winning San Diego Sockers at Pechanga Arena as the team aims for its 17th championship before moving to Frontwave Arena in Oceanside, which will be ready for the start of the 2023-24 season.
Hector Trujillo has been covering soccer starting with the San Diego State University men’s soccer team in 2003 for The Daily Aztec. A graduate of SDSU where he received his B.A. and M.A. degrees, Trujillo has a lifelong passion for playing and writing about the beautiful game.
Photos courtesy of David Frerker, San Diego Loyal, ADG FC, and Eddie Trujillo
