Santa Ana Winds FC

Last updated
Santa Ana Winds.png
Full nameSanta Ana Winds FC
Nickname(s)Winds FC
Los Vendavales
Golden City FC
LA Winds
Founded2006
GroundLake Forest Sports Park
Championship Stadium
Santa Ana College
OwnerLeonel López
Head CoachMarco Paniagua
League United Premier Soccer League

Santa Ana Winds FC, also known as Winds FC, is a soccer team founded in Santa Ana, California, and a founding United Premier Soccer League club currently playing at the Lake Forest Sports Park, with occasional matches played at Championship Stadium at the Orange County Great Park. The club takes its name from a Southern California weather condition known as the Santa Ana winds. Santa Ana Winds FC, an elite amateur and professional development club, has played international development squads in the past, namely matches against a Club Atlas U-20 squad in March 2011, and a Chivas de Guadalajara U-20 squad in November 2011. [1] [2] On November 18, 2017, the club made history by qualifying to the 2018 U.S. Open Cup for the first time. On Tuesday, June 5, 2018, Winds FC winger Juan Arellano became the first player to transfer directly from Santa Ana Winds FC to an international professional club.

Contents

Santa Ana Winds FC was founded in 2006 by Leonel López and brothers.

History

SoCal Premier

Santa Ana Winds FC played in the SoCal Premier League from 2006 to 2011 before joining the National Premier Soccer League West Region-Flight Southwest Conference, also in 2011. [3] The club played in the 2006–07 Raúl Briones Cup, Group B, that they shared with Morelos, PSA and OC United. Winds FC finished third behind Morelos and PSA. [4]

2006–07 Raúl Briones Cup, Group B

PlaceTeamPld.WTLGFGAGDPoints
1Morelos3300103+79
2PSA320171+66
3Santa Ana Winds FC310278−13
4OC United3003517−120

NPSL

Winds FC finished second in the NPSL Southwest Conference during their sole NPSL season, made the playoffs and fell in the first round to Hollywood United Hitmen, a national finalist that year, by a score of 3–1.

The club left the NPSL after one season due to a split between owners. One faction of ownership left and kept the Santa Ana Winds FC name, while forming a startup development league called the United Premier Soccer League, which was also founded in Santa Ana. The other faction of ownership continued to operate in the NPSL with the borrowed name Fullerton Rangers, and later called themselves Orange County Spartans, and then OC Pateadores, before disappearing from the NPSL. [5] [6] [7] Winds FC shared the NPSL West – Flight Southwest conference with FC Hasental, Lancaster Rattlers (now FC Santa Clarita), San Diego Boca F.C. and the San Diego Flash.

2011 NPSL West Division – Flight Southwest, Final Standings

PlaceTeamPld.WTLGFGAGDPoints
1 San Diego Flash 1410133716+2131
2Santa Ana Winds FC148242519+626
3 FC Hasental 146352727021
4 San Diego Boca 146172932−319
5 Lancaster Rattlers 1430112652−269

UPSL

Santa Ana Winds FC was a founding club of the United Premier Soccer League, established in 2011. The club has been playing UPSL, Open Cup and State Cup matches since in Lake Forest, California or Irvine, California consistently in the last few years, while attempting to find a home field in the City of Santa Ana. Winds FC has one UPSL Championship title, from the 2012–13 season, a league cup title (later named Admiral Cup) from 2014, two Western Conference, SoCal Division Championship titles and one Western Conference Championship title from the Spring-Summer 2018 season. The club played all of their Spring 2016 league matches at the Lake Forest Sports Complex in Lake Forest, approximately 17 miles away from the City of Santa Ana, and began scheduling UPSL summer/fall season matches at Santa Ana College in July 2016. Other fields where the club has played UPSL matches include the Orange County Great Park and Las Lomas Park, both in Irvine.

The club began playing UPSL matches at the SAUSD Sports Complex Stadium, also known as Valley Falcons Stadium, in April 2017. On December 7, 2017 Santa Ana Winds FC played their first UPSL league match at the newly built Championship Stadium at the Orange County Great Park against the LA Wolves, a game Winds FC won 3–1. Winds FC returned to Championship Stadium on January 7, 2018 in a playoff match against Orange County FC, a game Winds FC won 6–5 in penalty kicks. On January 13, Winds FC defeated the East Bay Stompers Juniors in the UPSL National Semi-final at Championship Stadium.

Juan Arellano Transfer to Cartaginés

On Tuesday, June 5, 2018, Club Sport Cartaginés of Costa Rica, coached by Paulo Wanchope announced new player signings ahead of their 2018 season among which Winds FC winger Juan Arellano was included. Juan Arellano became the first player to transfer directly from Santa Ana Winds FC to a professional club. Juan Arellano spent a week-long trial with the club prior to being invited to preseason and subsequently presented with C.S. Cartaginés.

Santa Ana Winds FC México

In 2017, a Mexican development club using the Santa Ana Winds FC name sprouted in Mexico City, in the Avante section of the Coyoacán borough. The team trained and played at the Jesús Clark Flores sporting park, between Santa Ana and Avenida Calzada de la Virgen streets. Winds FC founders Leonel López and Pedro Magallón granted use of the club name to Mexico-based trainer Roberto Vásquez.

Costa Rica and Central America

Winds FC named Costa Rican soccer personality José Luis Bustos Director of International Soccer Operations for Costa Rica and Central America in October 2018. Part of Bustos's tasks include forming a partnership with a professional Costa Rican club and organizing a tournament in Costa Rica where Winds FC along with Asociación Deportiva Carmelita are set to participate in. [8] [9]

Club Crest

The first Santa Ana Winds FC crest dates from 2006 to 2013 and features the Spurgeon Building's clock tower, located in the Downtown Santa Ana Historic District and named after city founder William H. Spurgeon. [10] [ better source needed ]

The second Santa Ana Winds FC crest (2014–17) was redesigned in 2014 by sports logo artist Slavo Kiss for Sigma Kappa Brands, based in the Slovak Republic. The crest featured the City of Santa Ana Water Tower, visible from the Santa Ana Freeway, also known as the Interstate 5 Freeway or Golden State Freeway, which connects the cities of Los Angeles and San Diego, and connects at the Mexico–United States border to the city of Tijuana.

The third and most-current Santa Ana Winds FC crest was redesigned in late 2017 again by Slavo Kiss looking to 2018 and the club's debut in the U.S. Open Cup.

Rivalries

Supporter Groups

The Aeolian Guard [11]
The Angeltown Post
The I-Fivers

2018 Open Cup Squad

The following players were called to the September 23 Open Cup qualifying match versus Outbreak Soccer.

Player Number, Name, Position:

1. Adrian Urquizo, GK

2. Ezequiel Estrada

3. Juan Fuentes, RB

4. Oscar Sandoval

5. Israel Espinoza

8. Kyle O'Brien, MF

9. Carlos Andrade

13. Khalil Zaid

14. Quinn M. Harter, CB

16. Derek Solano

17. Juan Arellano, LW

19. Ruben Ortiz

20. Osvaldo Hernandez

21. Kramer Runager, F

23. George Zuniga

Front Office

Head coaches

Team records

2018 Spring UPSL Playoffs

Western Conference, SoCal Division Champion

July 15, 2018Round 1 Santa Ana Winds FC 4–1 LA Galaxy OC Lake Forest, California
7:00 p.m41Stadium: Lake Forest Sports Park
July 22, 2018Round 2 LA Wolves FC 1–1 (4–5 pk) Santa Ana Winds FC Lake Forest, California
7:00 p.m45Stadium: Lake Forest Sports Park
July 28, 2018Round 3 Santa Ana Winds FC 3–3 (4–3 pk) Sporting San Fernando Lake Forest, California
7:00 p.m33Stadium: Lake Forest Sports Park
Attendance: 193
August 4, 2018Round 4 Nevada Coyotes FC 0–3 Santa Ana Winds FC Salinas, California
4:00 p.m03Stadium: Rabobank Stadium

Final Rounds

August 10, 2018Quarterfinal FC Boulder 1–1 (3–4 pk) Santa Ana Winds FC Arvada, Colorado
7:30 p.m. MDT11Stadium: NAAC Stadium
August 11, 2018Semifinal Sporting Arizona FC 2–1 Santa Ana Winds FC Arvada, Colorado
8:00 pm MDT21Stadium: NAAC Stadium

2017–18 Fall/Winter UPSL Playoffs

National Finalist, Runner-Up

January 6, 2018Round 1 Santa Ana Winds FC 4–1 LA Wolves FC Lake Forest, California
7:00 p.m41Stadium: Lake Forest Sports Park
January 7, 2018Round 2 Orange County FC 2 1–1 (5–6 aet) Santa Ana Winds FC Irvine, California
7:00 p.m11Stadium: Championship Stadium
January 13, 2018Quarterfinal Round Boise Cutthroats FC 1–3 Santa Ana Winds FC Lake Forest, California
10:30 a.m.13Stadium: Lake Forest Sports Park
January 13, 2018Semifinal Round Santa Ana Winds FC 2–0 East Bay FC Stompers Jrs Irvine, California
8:00 p.m20Stadium: Championship Stadium
January 14, 2018Final Round OC Invicta 3–2 Santa Ana Winds FC Norco, California
4:00 p.m32Stadium: SilverLakes Sports Complex

2016–17 Fall/Winter UPSL Playoffs

Winds FC defeated regional powerhouse and conference rival La Máquina FC on Tuesday, January 24, 2017 at Santa Ana Stadium by a score of 2–1.

January 24, 2017Match 1 Santa Ana Winds FC 2–1 La Máquina Santa Ana, California
8:00 p.mStadium: Santa Ana Stadium

U.S. Open Cup record

2018 Open Cup

May 9, 2017Round 1 Orange County FC 3–0 Santa Ana Winds FC Irvine, California
7:00 p.m30Stadium: Championship Stadium

2018 Open Cup Qualifying

September 23, 2017Qualifying Round 1 Santa Ana Winds FC 5–2 Outbreak Soccer Lake Forest, California
7:00 p.m5 Report 2Stadium: Lake Forest Sports Park
October 21, 2017Qualifying Round 2 Santa Ana Winds FC 6–0 Newcastle United FC Lake Forest, California
7:00 p.m6 Report 0Stadium: Lake Forest Sports Park
November 18, 2017Qualifying Round 3 Santa Ana Winds FC 4–1 San Pedro Monsters FC Lake Forest, California
7:00 p.m4 Report 1Stadium: Lake Forest Sports Park

2017 Open Cup Qualifying

Santa Ana Winds FC were scheduled to host fellow UPSL club La Habra City FC at Lake Forest Sports Park on Sunday, September 18 in a qualifying match to the first round of the 2017 U.S. Open Cup, but had the match moved to Colton High School in Colton, California. Santa Ana defeated La Habra City FC by a score of 5–0 in the first-ever U.S. Open Cup qualifying match for either team.

The October 23 Open Cup qualifier vs La Máquina was cancelled due to a thunderstorm in Irvine, and was rescheduled for October 30 at 6 pm at Orange County Great Park.

September 18, 2016Qualifying Round 1 Santa Ana Winds FC (UPSL) 5–0 La Habra City FC (UPSL) Colton, CA
6:30 pm5 Report 0Stadium: Colton High School Stadium
October 30, 2016Qualifying Round 2 La Maquina FC (UPSL) 3–0 Santa Ana Winds FC (UPSL) Irvine, California
6:00 pm3 Report 0Stadium: Orange County Great Park

Honors

Titles

Individual Honors

Tournament Finishing

Home fields (All time: SoCal Premier, NPSL, UPSL)

Sponsors and partners

Season-by-season

YearDivisionLeagueCombined SeasonPlayoffsOpen Cup
2006 USASA SoCal Premier7th, Premier Division
2007 USASA SoCal Premier7th, Premier Division
2008 USASA SoCal Premier8th, Premier Division
2009 USASA SoCal Premier7th, Premier Division
2010 USASA SoCal Premier7th, Premier Division
2011 USASA SoCal Premier7th, Premier Division
2011 USASA NPSL 2nd, West – Southwest ConferenceFirst Round
2012 USASA UPSL
2013 USASA UPSL 1st, SoutheastChampions
2014 USASA UPSL Admiral Cup Champions
2015On Hiatus
2016–2017 USASA UPSL Fall/Winter 7th, Southeastdid not qualifySecond Round
2017 USASA UPSL Spring/Summer 8th, Western Pro Premier Conferencedid not qualify
2017–2018 USASA UPSL Fall/Winter 3rd, Western Pro Premier ConferenceSoCal Division ChampionsFirst Round
2018 USASA UPSL Spring/Summer 3rd, Western Conference, SoCal DivisionWestern Conference Champion
SoCal Division Champion

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References

  1. ↑ Celestino Orozco (2011). "Se le escapa la victoria al Santa Ana Winds". OCExcelsior.com (Now UnidosSC.com). Excelsior de Orange County / Freedom Communications. Retrieved 2015-11-05.
  2. ↑ Omar Ávalos Gallegos (2011). "Chivas Comes to Santa Ana". Santaniego. Retrieved 2015-11-02.
  3. ↑ "So Cal Premier 2007 Final Standings". SoCalPremier.org. So Cal Premier League. 2007. Retrieved 2016-08-18.
  4. ↑ SoCal Premier (2007). "Raul Briones Cup 2006–07". SoCalPremier.org. So Cal Premier League. Retrieved 2017-11-22.
  5. ↑ Omar Ávalos Gallegos (2013). "Santa Ana Winds FC Rebrands and Moves to Fullerton, Sort of". The Santa Ana Sentinel. Omar Ávalos Gallegos. Retrieved 2016-08-18.
  6. ↑ Omar Ávalos Gallegos (2013). "Fullerton Rangers Become OC Spartans FC". The Santa Ana Sentinel. Omar Ávalos Gallegos. Retrieved 2016-08-18.
  7. ↑ "OC Spartans Merge with Pateadores". Parlor City Football. 2013. Retrieved 2016-08-18.
  8. ↑ "WINDS FC NAMES INTERNATIONAL DIRECTOR" . Retrieved 2018-11-02.
  9. ↑ Ticavisión (2018-10-27), EL PROFE BUSTOS: CARMELITA , retrieved 2018-11-02
  10. ↑ "Original Santa Ana Winds FC Crest". Twitter.com. Santa Ana Winds FC. 2011. Retrieved 2016-03-01.
  11. ↑ "Aeolian Guard (@TheAeolianGuard) | Twitter". twitter.com. Retrieved 2019-03-08.
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