Tijuana Xolos U20 Fall to Albion SC Pros
Albion SC Pros came from behind to defeat Tijuana Xolos U20 on Tuesday night in a friendly matchup at Mission Bay High School. The Xolos took a 2-0 lead in the first half of play, but Albion were able to rally behind Matt Clare who tallied a hat-trick as the expansion club heads into the playoffs following an unbeaten streak of 10 matches.
Soccer News: Club Tijuana Xoloitzcuintles Under-20 squad crossed the border Tuesday night and played to a 3-2 loss against host Albion SC Pros in a friendly match at Mission Bay High.
The young Xoloitzcuintles took a 2-0 lead in the first half before Albion scored three unanswered goals to win the international exhibition match.
Albion SC Pro’s striker Matt Clare scored all three goals for the home team, including the game-winner in the 73rd minute. He entered the Xoloitzcuintles penalty area after beating his defender and fired his shot into the net. It completed a comeback after Club Tijuana took the early lead thanks to a pair of goals by Vladimir Moragrega.
The Club Tijuana Forward scored his first goal three minutes into the match. He added his second in the 40th minute when he headed in a pass by Ramon Ceja.
Albion SC then answered with two goals via penalty kicks. The first came in the 44th minute. Clare converted to the right of Club Tijuana goalkeeper Daniel Estrada. Clare converted his second PK in the 55th minute prior to sending in the winning goal later in the match.
Club Tijuana pressured to the end of the game but could not find the equalizer. Coach Raul Chabrand’s team did not back down until the final whistle. Club Tijuana’s Under-20 is in its preseason, preparing for the upcoming LIGA MX 2016 Apertura Calendar.
“These games are very important for us since we are in the preseason,” Chabrand said. “We need to keep getting better physically and tactically. This type of game helps us to keep growing and helps us start the tournament well. We had good ball possession in the first half. They came out pressuring in the second half and it was difficult to determine how they pressured. There were a couple of PKs but those are part of the game. Those serve as lessons so that they don’t happen again in the tournament.”
Albion SC is in its first ever season in the NPSL, a league with more than 40 regional semipro teams. It is an extension of the nationally recognized youth soccer club based in San Diego and it will serve as the organization’s first team. Albion SC Pros is an expansion team in the West Region’s Southwest Conference and it is unbeaten in 10 matches, heading into the playoffs.
The friendly match between Club Tijuana’s Under-20 and Albion SC was the first between these clubs. The Xoloitzcuintles youth team had previously crossed the border to play other San Diego based teams, including San Diego State University.
Chabrand expects to have similar matches against cross border teams in the future.
“You could tell that they really wanted to beat us,” Chabrand said about Albion SC. “This was almost as a Clasico and we take it with great respect so that it can help us in the future.”
Source/Photo Credit: Club Tijuana Xoloitzcuintles
