NPSL Top Teams: Undefeated Albion Pros
Top NPSL Teams Spotlight: Albion SC Pros — one of National Premier Soccer League (NPSL) expansion teams for the season — hit the scene with fortitude and depth and are in the NPSL West Region Final: Albion Pros vs Sonoma Sol this Saturday at Mission Bay High School – 2475 Grand Ave, San Diego, CA 92109
Saturday, July 23 at 7:00 PM
Playoff Game 2: ALBION PROS v SONOMA COUNTY SOL
At: 2475 Grand Ave, San Diego, CA 92109, USA
With the sheer professionalism rarely seen outside of the MLS, Albion PROS are undefeated this NPSL season and hold the #8 spot in the NPSL Power Rankings. The brain child of Noah Gins, and with the expert coaching of Ziggy Korytoski, the NPSL Albion PROS have thrilled fans with 7 shutouts. #WeAreAlbion and #WePlayforSD are hashtags of pride, success and, most of all vision.
Soccer News: Albion SC PROS hit the scene this year on the NPSL Men’s Amateur soccer circuit — and, there was nothing amateur about their program – rising to the top of the charts with a high level of professionalism and dedication.
The Numbers: The undefeated expansion team, Albion PROS record is 10 wins, 4 draws, 0 losses – 28 points, earning 7 shutouts so far with a total of 32 goals scored. The team ranks #8 on the NPSL Power Rankings out of all eighty NPSL teams competing this season.
Last Match: 2016 NPSL Playoffs West Region Semi-Finals on July 16 update: Albion SC Pros (#1) defeated OSA FC (#6) 2-1 in an action packed match.
Albion PROS Head Coach Ziggy Korytoski said after winning the NPSL West Region Semifinal, “I’m extremely proud of this group. Their commitment to each other, their commitment to this creating our culture, and their commitment to the San Diego community all year long has been tremendous.”
“To be as successful as we have been in our inaugural season pays tribute to the vision and professionalism that Noah has implemented from day one and we hope we can continue our run a little longer,” said Korytoski.
Albion PROS won 2-1 vs OSA FC in the last five minutes as Midfielder Raymundo Reza — also member of San Diego Sockers — fired a thunderous volley from 40 yards out from goal to score the game winner. Matt Clare — who also plays for the SD Sockers — opened up the scoring the fifth minute by confidently shooting his breakaway shot past the diving goalkeeper. OSA FC (Seattle, WA) claimed a temporary equalizer when David Coly (University of Washington) scored a penalty early in the second half. Reza claimed Man of the Match awards for his performance in the midfield and game winning beauty of a goal.
Now its time for MORE History in the Making!
Albion PROS host the West Region Finals vs Sonoma County Sol FC in the Quest for the NPSL National Championship! You won’t want to miss the action, the passion, the opportunity to witness history in the making!
“Since day one, we set out to be the team leader in the NPSL — both on and off the field,” said Noah Gins, Executive Director. “We have, so far, accomplished everything we set out to do on the field, in the locker room, in the board room and in our community. We are very proud of everyone involved with this progressive year and we have built a strong foundation for the years ahead.”
As reported earlier, Albion PROS started off evaluating 320 players since the beginning of the season — and, according Korytoski, approximately fifty players have contributed to their NPSL success this year.
SoccerToday asked Albion PROS’ Ziggy Korytoski why his team is performing so well – here are the Head Coach’s insights:
Diane Scavuzzo: What has made your team so successful?
Ziggy Korytoski: The culture – accountability, execution and consistency.
Diane Scavuzzo: What are your goals for this first NPSL season?
Ziggy Korytoski: The first goal was to win the conference. Now, we look to make a deep run in the NPSL Playoffs.
Diane Scavuzzo: Who is your top performing Goalkeeper and what are his strengths?
Ziggy Korytoski: Jean Antoine is the top goalie for the Albion Pros and – He is extremely athletic, has very quick reactions, and is brave.
Diane Scavuzzo: What is the Albion PROS’s training schedule?
Ziggy Korytoski: We train four to six day’s a week, from 7 am – 9 am.
Diane Scavuzzo Do you monitor your players nutrition, fitness?
Ziggy Korytoski: While we don’t monitor aside from pre-game and post-game meals, we try to educate our players the best we can.
While we don’t test players fitness levels, our culture and way of training prepares them and we feel we are the fittest team in the league.
Diane Scavuzzo: Do you believe your team could beat a MLS team?
Ziggy Korytoski: Yes, on any given day … but the difference is consistency, and for me this is why players in the MLS are playing at the top of the pyramid in our country – every day.
Diane Scavuzzo: What is special about your training, approach, philosophy?
Ziggy Korytoski: We have created a culture around accountability, execution and consistency. The key is to create a culture of clarity where players are getting better everyday and not worse.
Diane Scavuzzo: How important are the fans to your players?
Ziggy Korytoski: Our fans are extremely important — they are the community. This is who we play for.
Diane Scavuzzo: Who is your biggest rival?
Ziggy Korytoski: I would have to say the NC Battalion is our biggest rival being a conference matchup and knowing it is for bragging rights in for the City of San Diego. Our NPSL rivalry is good for the community.
I believe the two games the guys were most excited to play were the Xolos Reserves and Los Dos. It was great to win the clash at the border against Club Tijuana Xolos.
The Albion Pros NPSL roster includes: Gerardo “Yayo” Olivera, Jean Antoine, Jakub “Kuba” Waligórski, Luke Staats, Jeffrey Hughes, Jose Merlo, Luis Cardona, Oscar Ortega, Guillermo Chinchilla, Matthew Clare, Felipe Liberia, Renato Sanchez, Lester “Tre” Hayes, Ricky Marlon Mckenzie Marly, Kainoa Owens, James Yaman, Mohammed al Jaber, Kevin Jackson, Richard Cervantes, Edgar Garcia, Robert Gogatz, Townsend Meyer, and Raymundo Reza.
Korytoski has been coaching for over two decades and currently also coaches at San Diego State University. Korytoski has also coached Antigua GFC, the professional soccer club in Guatemala as well as at Deportivo Coatepeque, Cal Poly and CS United Soccer Club.
Average attendance at their NPSL matches is 1400+
Related Article: Albion Pros Defeat Xolos
Photo Credit: Albion SC Pros and Diane Scavuzzo
