Orange County FC Joins NPSL Southwest Conference
The NPSL welcomes latest expansion side Orange County FC for the upcoming 2017 season that kicks off in spring. OCFC will compete in the Southwest Conference with Bryan Wallace serving as head coach and Director of Soccer for the club.
NPSL Soccer News: The National Premier Soccer League (NPSL) has announced Orange County FC as its latest expansion side that will compete in the West Region’s Southwest Conference.
“We are thrilled to welcome Orange County Football Club to the National Premier Soccer League,” NPSL Chairman Joe Barone commented. “We continue to attract strong interest from teams in Southern California that share the NPSL’s vision and appreciate our cooperative membership structure as a foundation for their success.”
Orange County FC is led by the ownership group of Nader Dejbakhsh, Carmel Dejbakhsh, and Dara Dejbakhsh.
Nader is the President and Co-Founder of DND Groups, Inc., which owns and operates 20 fast-food restaurants across four states. Prior to DND Groups, Inc., he had an accounting firm for over 12 years before working in the restaurant business. He holds a national “D” coaching license and has coached from high school to the club soccer level. He also played NCAA Division I soccer for four years and served as a referee at the collegiate level.
Carmel is the Vice President of Public Relations for OCFC. She has managed the back office of the club, including public relations and social media since 2008.
Dara is the CEO and Co-Founder of DND Groups Inc. Prior to his work at DND, he was the COO & Executive Vice President of Mrs. Field Famous Brands and Vice President of Operations of Allied Domecq. He has also served as a board member of various publicly traded companies.
Bryan Wallace will serve as head coach and Director of Soccer for the expansion club. With over 20 years of coaching experience, Wallace received the 2012 Cal South Coach of the Year and has won five Cal South National Cup titles.
Wallace currently holds a USSF “B” coaching licenses and represented Jamaica at the U17 and U20 levels during his days as a youth soccer player.
“We bring an attractive brand of combination soccer and an organized attacking and defending style that’s unique,” OCFC CEO and Founder Nader Dejbakhsh added. “At this point we feel that NPSL offers us the best competition and platform for the future of our club.”
OCFC are the current SoCal Premier U23 champions after finishing its season undefeated, scoring 59 goals and allowing only eight in all competitions.
Notable players for OCFC include Patrick Ianni, former Seattle Sounders and U.S. Olympic standout, and Tomas Canali, a current member of the U.S. National Beach Soccer Team and veteran of two Beach Soccer World Cups.
Photo Credit: Orange County FC
