FC Davis Match Recap
I got my first taste of lower division soccer when I went to FC Davis’ inaugural home opener versus East Bay Stompers this weekend. FC Davis was announced last year to begin play in the semi-pro league, the NPSL. The NPSL has one of the biggest footprints in the Sacramento-Bay Area Region with 8 clubs in the Golden Gate Conference. The league was established in 2003 and the region has produced three national champions. (The now defunct Sacramento Knights won the title in 2006, Sonoma County Sol in 2009, and Sacramento Gold in 2010.) Davis is coming off of a season opening defeat to Club Deportivo Aguiluchos USA of Oakland, losing out by a score of 1-0.
I was very optimistic about how well the team would be received by the city of Davis since it is renowned as a hotbed for the sport. Eager with anticipation, I made the short 20 Minute drive to UC Davis from my home in Vacaville. The price of parking is a little steep at $9, but according to the team website the team is negotiating with the University to try and get parking covered for home games.
I arrived early to scope out Aggie Stadium. There were two tents set up, one for food and the other for merchandise. The first bit of criticism I have with my experience is that when I asked about prices for a shirt or beanie, the person running the tent said they didn’t know. After a bit of running around they gave me the prices, but was doubly let down to find out that they only took cash. Despite this, it is worth mentioning that admission to the match was only $5. That amount of money doesn’t buy you much these days, but spending that much for live football is one of the best deals I’ve seen in a long time.
About a half hour to kick off fans started to stream in and I had the pleasure of meeting team founder and president Adam Lewin. Despite having an unimaginably crazy day, Adam introduced himself to me and chatted for a few minutes. He introduced me to Evan Ream of the Davis Enterprise. I have known of Evan through Twitter since he has covered Sacramento Republic in the past, but it was great to finally of met him in person.
As kickoff loomed, I made my way to the field to shoot the game.
The match kicked off in the setting sun and the temperature started to drop. Despite the frigid conditions (for Californian Standards) the stadium filled nicely. The attendance was announced at 1,407, far exceeding the norm for NPSL matches in the area, or so I’m told.
The First half was a cagey scrap in the midfield, but Davis had the better of the opportunities. Most notably a chested effort that went just over the crossbar. The teams went into the half deadlock at nil-nil.
At half time, I met up with my high school science teacher, Aaron Stephens. Aaron is a huge Arsenal fan, but has never really followed an American side. This has appears to have changed since he is now the proud new owner of a FC Davis Season pass.
The second half of the match was much more open than the first. Davis finally found a break through in the 66th minute from a free-kick that was nodded home by Steven Guzman. The goal wasn’t given until the Assistant Referee judged that the ball complexly crossed the line after a goalmouth scramble. East Bay were incensed at the call and Gerardo Moya was booked for dissent. East Bay pushed for an equalizer but where almost punished on a counter attack, but East Bay goalkeeper Luis Castro came up big with a save to keep the game at 1-0. That save proved to be crucial as minutes later, East Bay earned a penalty. Easy Bay captain, Zanin Mahic made no mistake from the spot, spoiling Davis’ special night. Davis had a few more opportunities for a winner, but alas the match ended in a 1-1 draw.
Exiting the stadium, I heard a newly minted Davis supporter say “This is the future of soccer.” This couldn’t have made me happier to hear. Because this is what football is about, supporting your local club. This concept has not really resonated with most American sports fans yet. My experience on Saturday has left me still very optimistic for the Golden Lions Future. Despite having no organized support, there was still a very festive and engaged atmosphere. The Davis fans made their presence felt by jeering an East Bay players any time they showed dissent or made a mistake. The last, and possibly most important take away from the match was the number of kids in attendance. I remember when I first moved to Vacaville in the early 2000s the Solano Steelheads, and later the Solano Thunderbirds, played in a roughly equivalent baseball league. Seeing them play in my home town was integral to fostering my love of the game and it was clear that FC Davis made a similar impression on those kids. The Thunderbirds met an unfortunate fate of folding in 2007, but FC Davis has all of the right ingredients to truly be something special for the community and will hopefully be around for a very long time.
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