2024 NPSL National Championship Preview: El Farolito Hopes to Claim First NPSL National Championship (npsl.com) – By Michael Lewis
NPSL National Championship – Watch Here! (npsl.com)
Quakes v Galaxy (Leagues Cup)
After emerging victorious in penalty kicks against Chivas at Levi’s Stadium last Saturday. The Quakes had a simple task: win against the LA Galaxy and get into the knockout round. However, that was not meant to be as the Quakes lose 2-1. Diego Fagúndez gave the Galaxy the lead with his strike in the 41st minute leaving the visitors with a halftime lead. Jeremy Ebobisse once again scored his second goal of the tournament with his equalizer in the 75th minute but it was Miguel Berry who crushed the hopes of a draw and maybe another win with his 89th minute goal in the box. The win gave the Galaxy a four game calendar sweep of the yearly series with three league wins plus the Leagues Cup group play victory.
The photo album is here.
As of now, the Quakes will need a regulation or penalty kick win from their bitter rival against Chivas on Sunday for any hope of advancement or once again face elimination in what has been a season of losses. Otherwise they resume play on August 24 at 6:30pm on the road against Real Salt Lake before their next home against Minnesota on August 31 at 7:30pm.
This Week 7-29-24
Our weekly highlights were Chelsea/Wrexham at Santa Clara (note: this page is ongoing), Bay FC/Angel City at San Jose for the Summer Cup, and the NPSL semifinal with El Farolito/Duluth FC in San Francisco.
Kevin at Soccer Bay Area has the highlights from the Quakes Leagues Cup win in penalties against Chivas at Levi’s Stadium. A win against the LA Galaxy will advance them to the next round.
Cade Cowell’s rise at Chivas interrupted by lackluster return to San Jose
Michael at Soccer Bay Area has the highlights from El Farolito’s match as well as the article from the league website.
El Farolito Tops Duluth FC, Moves on to National Championship
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Doug from SBA has the highlights from the Roots weekend match
Rodriguez helps Oakland Roots get back on track with win over Miami FC
As of this post there isn’t any takes from the match from the Roots Blog but Jonathan has news on a transfer
TRANSFER: Oakland Roots send Jeciel Cedeño to Detroit City; the timing, the impact on attack, more
While Bay FC will have their first international home match against Club America in the Summer Cup this Friday the Barcelona women’s team will visit the Bay Area at the end of the month. The ticket is not part of the season package but those holders get first access before the general sale.
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El Farolito v Duluth FC
The Burrito Boys finally get over the hump with their appearance in the semi-final against Duluth FC (Minnesota). The visitors were outplayed from the start save for a competitive attempt at drawing even with the hosts getting on the board early with a goal from Jonatan Valdivia 9 minutes into the game. Erik Arias and substitute Carlos Rodriguez added goals for Farolito in the second half and sealed a 3-0 win. The victory advanced the San Francisco club to the NPSL Championship against FC Motown (New Jersey) on the road on Saturday August 3.
Michael Koenig at Soccer Bay Area has an expanded and full report on the match. Update 7/30: Another report from Michael plus photos have been posted at the NPSL website.
El Farolito Tops Duluth FC, Moves on to National Championship
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Bay FC v Angel City FC (Summer Cup)
Bay FC lose to Angel City 2-0 in the NWSL x Liga MXF Summer Cup. The second loss along with San Diego defeating them 3-1 on July 20 in the first game eliminates them from the semifinal round. Dorian Bailey of Bay FC putting the ball into her own net in the 18th minute and Claire Emslie’s tally in the 54th minute accounted for the Angel City score.
Next up for Bay FC in the Summer Cup is a match against Club America on Friday August 2 at 7:30pm, while Angel City returns home to face San Diego Wave on Thursday August 1 at 7pm.
Chelsea v Wrexham
Before a crowd of about 33,000 one of the storied London clubs in Chelsea returned to the Bay Area for the first time in 17 years to play against another historic club from Wrexham, Wales that has grand ambitions to play against the likes of the Premiership elites thanks to two Hollywood actors Ryan Reynolds and Rob MeElhenney buying the team and creating a reality show. While they can possibly make it to the top flight within the next two years the match was a test to see how the upstarts can compete against the juggernauts of football. Both clubs brought most of their roster to provide entertainment to the fans and while the result didn’t count in the standings with the result being a 2-2 draw, the game was a showcase and warmup both their respective upcoming season with Chelsea in the Premiership and Wrexham recently promoted to League One.
Christopher Nkunku of Chelsea opened up the scoring with his strike in the 35th minute with Luke Bolton of Wrexham drawing the game even in the 59th minute with his tally inside the box. Jack Marriott gave the Red Dragons the lead in the 71st minute with the hope that the little team could get an upset but it wasn’t to be as Lesley Ugochuckwu got the Blues even in the 81st to salvage the tie.
The photo album is here, including the Instagram posts.
Our select highlights are here. More can be found at the photo album including the fan shots.
The match was the first in a pair at Levi’s Stadium with another upcoming event featuring the Quakes and Chivas of Guadalajara on Saturday July 27 at 7pm. Chelsea continues their tour with friendlies against Celtic (Scotland), Club America (Mexico), Manchester City, Real Madrid (Spain), and Inter (Italy) before opening up Premiership (Tier 1) play against Manchester City on August 18. Wrexham also continues their tour with a match against the Vancouver Whitecaps before starting League One (Tier 3) play against Fleetwood Town on August 3.
This Week 7-22-24
This past week we were in San Jose and Moraga for a pair of matches.
The usual people at Soccer Bay Area and The Roots Blog have their takes on the I-80 derby and with both teams at the top of the table with Sacramento having more points over Oakland it was the Capital that won over the Bay Area. Unfortunately the game was not broadcast to a national audience due to breaking news but the stories will best explain what transpired.
Oakland Roots 2-5 Sacramento Republic: Sending the Wrong Message
Live Blog: Oakland Roots vs. Sacramento Republic (July 21, 2024)
Also, El Farolito wins over FC Arizona in a rematch of last year’s regular season tilt. Michael at Soccer Bay Area has the highlights.
El Farolito Claims West Region Championship and Spot in the Final Four
The Town FC v Real Monarchs
The Town FC and Real Monarchs draw 1-1 at the end of regulation but the home team continued their unbeaten streak winning the penalty kick shootout 4-3. Alejandro Cano gave The Town the lead with his goal in the 49th minute but Owen Anderson drew the game even in the 70th minute.
Next up for The Town FC is a road match to Ventura County on Sunday July 28 at 7pm while Real Monarchs return home to face Whitecaps FC 2 on the same day at 4pm.
Quakes v Dynamo
The Quakes lose their second straight match with a 1-0 defeat against Houston. Daniel Steres accounted for the only goal with his late tally in the 86th minute.
The photo album is here.
The Quakes resume play this Saturday July 18 at Minnesota before pausing MLS play for the Leagues Cup against Chivas and the LA Galaxy. Houston continue their road trip at Vancouver on the same day at 7:30 pm before playing Atlas and Real Salt Lake.
This Week 7-15-24
Our coverage spanned two matches plus one unplanned/last minute spot: Saturday in San Jose for the Quakes, Sunday in San Francisco for the USL 2 Derby, and a trip to Moraga in the East Bay to see the Quakes reserves now known as The Town FC.
El Farolito are the champions of the Golden Gate once again. Michael Koenig at Soccer Bay Area has the story on the game.
El Farolito Wins Golden Gate Crown
The Roots coverage are courtesy of Doug at Soccer Bay Area and the Blog. Thank you Jack and Jonathan.
Oakland Roots hit road bump in Pittsburgh, lose 5-0
Oakland Roots hit road bump in Pittsburgh, lose 5-0
Live Blog: Oakland Roots vs. Pittsburgh Riverhounds (July 13, 2024)
Stay tuned to 3pointsport.com for some more matches in the coming days and weeks.