NPSL Team Spotlight: North County Battalion
Top NPSL Teams Spotlight: North County Battalion — one of NPSL expansion teams for the season — came on strong this year and are in the National Premier Soccer League regional playoffs. NC Battalion enjoyed a successful first year in the NPSL as they look for a victory this weekend when they take on Sonoma County Sol.
NC Battalion reach the semifinals after blowing past Deportivo Riverside Coras last Saturday in a 5-3 victory. That victory continued the Battalion’s undefeated streak to nine games, ten straight if you count non-league matches — according to their website. Their last loss came on May 1st and since then they have rattled off seven league wins and two ties. Follow the live action of the game 7:30pm tonight on ncbattalion.com/live.
SoccerToday spoke with NC Battalion’s Ryan Guy about the success of the club over the past season and what the preparation was like.
Soccer News: North County Battalion aim to continue its successful first season in the National Premier Soccer League (NPSL) as they prepare for the 2016 Playoffs at Santa Rosa High School.
NC Battalion is led by Head Coach Ryan Guy who still plays professionally and is on the Guam National Team. Guy also coaches youth soccer coach for San Diego Surf.
Battalion defeated Deportivo Riverside Coras last weekend in a 5-3 victory to secure a spot in the NPSL Western Semifinals.
The Numbers: North County Battalion’s NPSL season record is 7 wins, 2 loss and 3 ties – with a total of 42 goals scored.
The team ranks #12 on the NPSL Power Rankings out of all eighty NPSL teams competing this season. NC Battalion scored a record 37 goals in the regular season – a conference high. Now, include the playoffs, NC Battalion has a record of 8-2-3.
Next Match: 2016 NPSL Playoffs West Region Semi-Finals will be played on July 16 when Sonoma County Sol (#4) take on North County Battalion (#2).
Related Coverage: NPSL UNDEFEATED ALBION PROS
SoccerToday asked NC Battalion’s Ryan Guy why his team is performing so well – here are the Head Coach’s insights:
Diane Scavuzzo: What has made your team so successful?
Ryan Guy: The commitment level of the players and staff has been tremendous. There is also a very good mixture of youthful potential and experienced professionals which has created a great chemistry and dynamics.
Diane Scavuzzo: How many goals has your team scored?
Ryan Guy: We’ve scored a total of 42 goals.
Diane Scavuzzo: That’s a very high number of goals. A conference high – congratulations. Who are your top three goal scorers?
Ryan Guy: Eric Lopez, Nelson Pizarro and Esteban Reyes are NC Battalion’s top performing goal scorers.
Diane Scavuzzo: Who is your top performing Goalkeeper and what are his strengths?
Ryan Guy: James Stroud is the top goalie for the NC Battalion and he has fantastic reactions and is good with his feet. Stroud is comfortable coming off his line and his communication is also top notch.
Diane Scavuzzo: What are your goals for this season?
Ryan Guy: Our goals for this season have been to make playoffs – Completed! And, to win a national title.
Diane Scavuzzo: What is your team’s training schedule?
Ryan Guy: We train 4 days a week. We practice twice on the field and twice in Fitness/Speed/Mobility sessions.
Diane Scavuzzo: How many players were dropped/picked up from the beginning of the season?
Ryan Guy: We added about 4 or 5 players and dropped about the same number.
Diane Scavuzzo: Do you monitor your players fitness?
Ryan Guy: Yes, through fitness tests and our regular fitness sessions.
Diane Scavuzzo: Do you believe your team could beat a MLS team? A team you select.
Ryan Guy: On our best day anything is possible, but in general, no. There is a still a major difference between training every day of the week and playing a sport as your career — as the professional soccer players in the MLS do, and a league like the NPSL, where the vast majority of players are either students, or men with other careers.
Diane Scavuzzo: What is special about your coach’s training, approach, philosophy?
Ryan Guy: In many ways, I am still a player.
To the best of my ability, I try and bring my playing experience in to my coaching through the types of sessions that I run, the way that I treat my players, and the way that I deal with gameday decision making.
Diane Scavuzzo: What is your average attendance?
Ryan Guy: We have approximately 600 fans at our games.
Diane Scavuzzo: How important are the fans to your players?
Ryan Guy: They are what makes the NPSL relevant on the US Soccer pyramid.
Diane Scavuzzo: How have you used social media this season?
Ryan Guy: The club has been incredibly active on social media and has done a fantastic job of marketing the team and disseminating information about the team and league.
Diane Scavuzzo: Who is your biggest rival/or what game are you most looking forward to?
Ryan Guy: Matches against our cross town rival, Albion Pros, are the ones we most look forward to.
Related Article: Ryan Guy: What I Know Now
Editorial Note: Stats/Rankings were corrected on 7.16.16 at 11 am.
