United Premier Soccer League Announces Championship Match L.A. Wolves FC vs San Nicolas Pomona FC
True soccer passion coupled with grit and determination has brought two top Southern California men’s soccer teams to the UPSL Championship – who will be the victor after the final whistle? No one knows but both teams deserve to share the glory of making it to the final.
UPSL Soccer News: It started in April with 34 teams all vying for the same thing. Here we are, it’s almost January and only 2 teams remain. The culmination of 7 grueling months of league play will come to an end on Saturday, when the L.A. Wolves step onto the pitch against San Nicolas FC. The final will take place at the Toyota Sports Complex with kickoff set for 7:30 PM.
Though both teams undoubtedly deserve to be where they are, they traveled down different paths to get to the final. The Wolves were absolutely dominant from start to finish this year. Finishing with a record of 20-0-1, while posting an astounding goal differential of +63. It comes as no surprise to manager and owner Yan Skwara either, as he knew from the start of the year that he had a strong core.
Goalkeeper Kifi Kelani as well as defender Shannon Murphy and forward Miguel Sanchez have been vital to the club’s success. Skwara mentioned though that it is midfielder and former L.A. Galaxy player Paolo Cardozo who runs things on the field. It comes as no surprise either, as Cardozo shared the field with David Beckham, winning an MLS championship alongside the former England International.
The L.A. Wolves manager was quick to point out however that no one player is bigger than the team. He knows that the club’s success this season cannot and should not be accredited to one player. He understands that they’re going to have to go out and play as a unit if they want to have a chance at winning on Saturday.
“This is a big game for our organization,” said Skwara. “From top to bottom, we have worked hard this past year to assemble a team that can be a champion. We know that we will have our work cut out for us on Saturday night,” he added. “San Nicolas is a formidable opponent that cannot be taken lightly. Our guys have to play a solid game for ninety minutes if we plan on becoming champions. Our focus is training this week as we need to be 100% focused from now until the then. We look forward to a great match as fans should be treated to an entertaining match.”
Standing in the way of the Wolves completing an undefeated season stand San Nicolas FC – a team that took somewhat of a different path to earn the chance to play in the final. Putting together a strong campaign in which they went 10-3-1, San Nicolas had to grind their way into the final by winning a wild card game before making it into the playoffs.
This club however knows that it deserves to be where it is at, and expects to be a finalist in every competition that they compete in. This confidence isn’t coming out of thin air either – this team has been around for a long time, winning a handful of major tournaments over the years. This includes being crowned champion of the Silver Mug in Las Vegas for three straight years from 2011-2013. They’ve also won the Copa Jimador in March and the International Cup of Iran in October.
San Nicolas FC is a proud club with a strong sense of family and loyalty. Owner Gaime Perez as well as Samuel Martinez, Juan Hernandez and Daniel Collazo are all looked upon as father figures to the players. There is a strong bond between players and management, which leads to a never say die attitude on the field.
San Nicolas General Manager, Daniel Collazo recently stated, “Finals are where you show what you are and what you’ve learned over the course of the season. There’s a lot of pride in wearing our badge and we want to represent it the way it deserves to be represented. There’s a strong feeling of family within the club.” Adding, “We’re made for finals. We are a team that expects to be in the final. This isn’t something new for us. We expect to be here. We are a team that attacks and I know we’ll show up on Saturday.”
There is no doubt that Saturday will be an absolute thriller. On one side you have an undefeated team, full of confidence and talent. On the other, you have a side that knows what it means to be in a final. It should be an absolute cracker of a match. Be sure to get there early and grab your seat. This Saturday, 7:30 PM at the Toyota Sports Complex. It’s the UPSL Final.
United Premier Soccer League (UPSL)
The (UPSL) United Premier Soccer League was formed in 2011. The UPSL currently operates 40 plus teams all based in Southern California, Nevada, and Arizona with 50 plus teams targeted for 2016 Spring campaign. With the addition of new clubs, the United Premier Soccer League is Southern California’s fastest growing Pro Development League. Each UPSL team is individually owned and operated, and is responsible for maintaining UPSL minimum standards.
United Premier Soccer League (UPSL)
