CRL, California Regional League, 2016-2017 (04s) - Tech Specs

CRL, an opportunity for teams from different leagues across SoCal to compete against one another during 2016-2017 and test themselves in a league format that is essentially winner take all. This year the 12 teams slated to compete are of the highest to above average level, making for some interesting match ups, that will give us insight to competition and progression throughout the season. This thread will serve as the place holder for all things CRL and I will post the highlighted match ups for the scheduled weekends and we can all post scores / highlights / thoughts / comments. Let’s take a look at an overview of this season of CRL for the 04s.

Teams
  • Legends FC
  • Beach FC – Long Beach
  • Surf - EGSL
  • IE Surf – West
  • LA Galaxy – South Bay
  • Arsenal FC – San Diego
  • Arsenal FC
  • IE Surf
  • SC Blues - Dido
  • SC Blues - Kale
  • LA Galaxy – San Diego
  • Real So Cal – EGSL



Leagues Represented
SCDSL: 9 Teams
CSL: 3 Teams



Team Breakdowns
  • Legends FC
Coach: Wendi Whitman

League: SCDSL

Qualified for CRL: 1st in Group E (W 1-0 Oceanside, W 2-1 IE Surf – West, W 1-0 Pats Irvine)

Notes: Legends has one of the best “olders” program in the Inland Empire and because of it they’ve started churning out exceptional youngers, drawing in all the talent in the area. But there exists a gap between the 03 to 05 age groups and the 04s seem to be the exception to the rule at Legends. However Wendi Whitman has put together a competitive squad that is looking to surprise some folks.



  • Beach FC – Long Beach
Coach: Antonio Arrache

League: SCDSL

Qualified for CRL: 2nd in Group C (D 1-1 Legends – Riverside, D 1-1 Fullerton Rangers, W 2-0 Arsenal SD)

Notes: Beach took some of their best players from both the LB and SB squads and has put together a resilient bunch that is defensively strong. They’ll be one of the toughest teams to score on this year, and will earned points on defense alone but if they put it together in the offensive third, it’ll be fun to watch.



  • Surf – EGSL
Coach: Paul Dolinsky

League: SCDSL

Qualified for CRL: 2nd in Group A (W 4-0 SDSC – Navy, W 7-0 RSC – SCV, L 0-1 SC Blues – Kale)

Notes: There is no doubt that Surf is a perennial favorite in every age group and this team fits the bill. They differ slightly from other Surf teams in the way they were constructed. Traditionally Surf balances home grown players and adds pieces here and there to round things out. This squad benefit from “transfers” because of the age group shift and it has been a talking point in terms of impact it may have on the chemistry of this team. Dolinksy is a solid coach and he should have no problem teaching these girls to play as unit. How good can this team be, and can they reach that potential?



  • IE Surf – West
Coach: Matt Bradbury / Steven Butler

League: CSL – Silver Elite South

Qualified for CRL: 2nd in Group E (W 2-1 Pats – Irvine, L 1-2 Legends, W 3-0 Oceanside)

Notes: Matt Bradbury and company have put together a nice little upstart faction of IE Surf in the foothills and this team has earned their ticket to the CRL dance to play with the big girls. Not much is expected from this rag tag team, but they have everything to win and nothing to lose.



  • LA Galaxy – South Bay
Coach: Salvador Diaz

League: SCDSL

Qualified for CRL: 2nd in Group D (L 1-3 LA Galaxy – SD, W 2-1 DMCV Sharks, D 0-0 Beach FC – SB)

Notes: LA Galaxy was one of the teams one could expect to always play above their head last year, but this squad has gone through some changes because of the age shift and now they have to lean on Sal Diaz and his style of play to spread teams out with vision and touch, they won’t be able to outmuscle some of the bigger teams in this age groups.



  • Arsenal FC – San Diego
Coach: Erik Ocampo

League: SCDSL

Qualified for CRL: 1st in Group C (W 2-0 Fullerton Rangers, W 1-0 Legends – Riverside, L 0-2 Beach FC – LB)

Notes: The Arsenal SD 04s were an impressive squad last season but didn’t upgrade as much as other teams looking for older 04s dropping down. However they still knock the ball around with a little help from Coach O. The squad tends to rely a bit on the joy sticking but they’re fast to take in instructions and deliver results.



  • Arsenal FC
Coach: Randy Brown

League: SCDSL

Qualified for CRL: 1st in Group F (D 0-0 SC Blues – Dido, W 7-0 Albion, W 5-0 Murrieta Surf)

Notes: Arsenals big secret hasn’t been that well-kept. They brought down their best 04s for CRL Play In and ran it up in group round and had Blues hanging on for dear life. CRL carries with it a big opportunity for the league winner and RB always comes to win. This weekend will be very telling in terms of what squad he sends.



  • IE Surf
Coach: Randle Bowling

League: CSL – Gold

Qualified for CRL: 2nd in Group B (L 1-3 RSC – EGSL, W 2-1 Surf Academy, W 3-0 Legends – South)

Notes: A top 04 team last year under the direction of Coach Bowling, this squad has been working out the kinks. Their Play In performance has been carried forward in recent times. Some good performances, while others not as much. CRL will be a good measuring stick for this team looking to join the top team talk.



  • SC Blues – Dido
Coach: Dido Tshimanga

League: SCDSL

Qualified for CRL: 2nd in Group F (D 0-0 Arsenal FC, W 3-0 Murrieta Surf, W 1-0 Albion)

Notes: Blues Dido will look to squash any talks about up and coming Blues Kale as the top Blues team. CRL will give them the chance to silence all the critics or if all else fails it could be a long and interesting season.



  • SC Blues – Kale
Coach: Chris Kale

League: SCDSL

Qualified for CRL: 1st in Group A (D 3-3 RSC – SCV, W 1-0 SDSC – Navy, W 1-0 Surf – EGSL)

Notes: Kale is one of the main reasons why “B” teams at Blues are seen in a good light in terms of results. But off the field antics at Man City have the SoCal soccer scene talking about what may or may not have happened.



  • LA Galaxy – San Diego
Coach: Michael Duggan

League: CSL – Gold

Qualified for CRL: 1st in Group D (W 3-1 LA Galaxy – SB, W 1-0 Beach FC – SB, W 2-0 DMCV Sharks)

Notes: Galaxy SD is amongst the favorites to win CRL, they’ve hit the ground running and out of the gate they have been a cohesive unit. Both athletic and working with a gameplan they will be the team to topple.



  • Real So Cal – EGSL
Coach:

League: SCDSL

Qualified for CRL: 1st in Group B (W 3-1 IE Surf, W 2-0 Legends – South, W 2-0 Surf Academy)

Notes: Real So Cal is in the same boat as Galaxy SD, benefited heavy from the age group shift and has played good team soccer right away. They have strength in the middle and along the backline, while speed for days on the wings and up top.
 
Games 1 & 2 - July 9-10


Saturday, July 9th

  • Arsenal FC - Pre-ECNL vs. Legends FC
  • LA Galaxy - SD vs. Surf - EGSL
  • RSC - EGSL vs. Beach FC - LB
  • IE Surf vs. Arsenal - SD
  • SC Blues - Dido vs. LA Galaxy - SB
  • SC Blues - Kale vs. IE Surf - West


Sunday, July 10th
  • Legends FC vs. Arsenal - SD
  • SC Blues - Dido vs. Surf - EGSL
  • SC Blues - Kale vs. Beach FC - LB
  • LA Galaxy - SD vs. RSC - EGSL
  • Arsenal FC - Pre-ECNL vs. LA Galaxy - SB
  • IE Surf vs. IE Surf - West
 
Headlines for this weekend:

Saturday
Arsenal vs Legends - "The Battle of the I.E."
Galaxy - SD vs. Surf - EGSL - "Is It Time?"
RSC vs Beach FC "I Need An Ice Pack"

Sunday
SC Blues - Dido vs. Surf - EGSL - "Hey, You Look Familiar"
Galaxy - SD vs. RSC - "No Rest for the Weary"
 
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Notes: Kale is one of the main reasons why “B” teams at Blues are seen in a good light in terms of results. But off the field antics at Man City have the SoCal soccer scene talking about what may or may not have happened


What happened? I'm not a fan of Kale, so love to hear bad stuff about him.
 
Beach 2, RSC 0

Very competitive match-up. Both teams had multiple scoring chances that didn't get converted.

Beach had two corner kicks in the second half and scored on both.

Pretty hot at game time. Referee didn't give a water break in the first half, but he decided to give one in the second half.

Nice to see the girls back in action after a bit of a break!
 
Final 5 minutes Galaxy SD had one half over the line as both teams scrambled to get the ball in or out of the goal. Closest you can get to a ball going in without scoring.
Crazy play where the ball was pinging around inside the six off a corner and the ball was on line, bodies flying and you saw the back of the net move and we thought we scored but then the ball was cleared and it was just a player had toppled into the net. When the dust cleared there were probably 4 to 6 players in the goal. It was a good game that was probably overall even with both teams having chances that were not converted.
 
Arsenal vs. Legends was a thriller. Legends went up early, Arsenal came back and in the end both teams competed hard for the draw.

Arsenal was the EGSL team with some additions, but not all as some 04s are playing up at the Crossfire tournament in Washington.
 
Beach putting up 4 goals vs Blues Kale is impressive, Blues Kale plays some tough defense. As the new age group starts to settle in Beach is putting teams on notice after this weekends two impressive wins.
 
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