Paul Caligiuri & Orange County FC Remain Undefeated
The NPSL is a unique league providing highly competitive soccer with enormous opportunities for players in a wonderful wide age range. Fans come to cheer for their community NPSL team and the Orange County FC is a favorite with U.S. Men’s National Team legend Paul Caligiuri at the helm.
NPSL Soccer News: Orange County FC (OCFC) continued their undefeated run during the opening weeks of the 2017 National Premier Soccer League (NPSL) campaign with a stellar 8-1 victory over SC Corinthians USA on Saturday, April 29th, at Portola High School in Irvine, CA.
Related Article: Paul Caligiuri & Orange County FC Remain Undefeated and How To Become a Dynamic Soccer Player With Paul Caligiuri
Paul Caligiuri, former U.S. Men’s National Team star, is OCFC’s head coach. Caligiuri’s leadership is clear — with positive, uplifting and clear incisive guidance, he has led his team to an undefeated record in the NPSL.
A head coach who is determined to make a difference and give players their opening — he rewards talent and hard work.
“The OCFC players all have high ambition to succeed and I invite the challenge to bring a diverse group together in a short period of time,” says Caligiuri.
“Our OCFC players come from different levels and backgrounds. Some players are working to revitalize their soccer careers while others are starting theirs,” says Caligiuri.
Caligiuri wants his OCFC team to win, but more than winning, he wants to help his players succeed.
The OCFC’s 8-1 win over the Corinthians shows the team’s depth of ability.
The OCFC vs Corinthians Scoring Summary:
OCFC Goals
- 5th minute – OCFC Staforde Palmer assisted by Connor Gordon
- 9th minute – OCFC Connor Gordon assisted by Alessandro Canale
- 25th minute – OCFC Connor Gordon assisted by Staforde Palmer
- 35th minute – OCFC Staforde Palmer – unassisted
- 45th minute – OCFC Jose Montes assisted by Brandon Gomez
- 77th minute – OCFC Alesandro Canale assisted by Alexander Ferreira
- 84th minute – OCFC Jose Montes assisted by Alessandro Canale
- 88th minute – OCFC Kevin Belmonte assisted by Jose Montes
Corinthians Goals
- 82nd minute – Corinthians Hugo Polanco
“Orange Country FC is a unique blend — I see this special blend of players throughout the NPSL –and it is fascinating,” says Caligiuri.
“The NPSL is giving a lot of players opportunity. It serves a great purpose in soccer and it is competitive.”
“Playing the Corinthians at home allowed us to have a high pressure game and it served us well, especially in the first half of the match when we scored 5 goals,” says Caligiuri.
Read: Paul Caligiuri and Orange County FC remain unbeaten with 8-1 thrashing of SC Corinthians USA
Entering this match there was that feeling where OCFC would have a tough task on their hands due to hosting a team that had yet to win a game this season but SC Corinthians never stood a chance and were dominated from start to finish by Orange County FC.
In the first half it was the Staforde Palmer & Connor Gordon show as both players each recorded two goals and one assist. READ MORE on OCFC
“In America, we need to find more opportunity for our young players to play soccer at a higher level — otherwise these talented youths will seek their shot elsewhere,” says Caligiuri. “For example, BVB player Christian Pulisic plays for the first team in the German Bundesliga — would he have been offered the chance to play in the MLS? Weston McKinnie plays for Schalke 04 and after a brilliant stint in the “Schalker Knappenschmeide, his future looks fabulous. Where would U.S. Under-20 Men’s National Team midfielder McKinnie be if he stayed in the USA?”
“Isn’t it riskier for a team in the Bundesliga to sign a young American on their first team roster than for an MLS team? Especially as the MLS does not have to contend with promotion and relegation,” says Caligiuri who wonders why the MLS isn’t signing more young talent.
OCFC is determined to create the trend of providing promising youth — like 16-year-old OCFC debutant Tristan Weber — with the circumstances to test their skills on American soil. “Weber is a phenomenal player and I will continue to look for those players who deserve these chances.
“At OCFC, we have apprentice players who train with the team, experience the locker room talks — these are players who we are helping develop — so they can be ready for their chance,” says Caligiuri.
What makes Caligiuri so supportive of developing youth players?
Perhaps it is his amazing soccer career and the fact that he was given the chance to prove his worth on the field at a young age. The man who U.S. Soccer considers to have scored the most significant goal in our country’s history was also a youth player looking for his chance — and when he got it, he scored the game-winning goal during the United States’ historic victory over Trinidad in a World Cup qualifier in 1989 — which got the USA back in the FIFA World Cup after a 40 year draught.
Additional Photo Credit: Diane Scavuzzo for images not credited to Joe Walsh
