SUFC Team News #9 – Long Beach, CA
By Dan Minkoff
In its home debut in the UPSL Premier, Shoreline United FC suffered a 3-0 defeat against LAFC Academy on Sunday night at Long Beach City College. Shoreline United is still in search of its first victory in the SoCal North division after earning promotion from Division 1 last spring.
The first 15 minutes of the match were cagey, with neither team creating clear chances. The only notable event during this period was when Shoreline United’s right back, Connor Borra, fell awkwardly on his right shoulder. Despite the injury, Borra continued for the rest of the first half but had to be replaced by Nick Sailer at halftime.
LAFC Academy Takes the Lead
Both teams had opportunities from corner kicks, but each resulted in headers that sailed over the crossbar. The breakthrough came in the 26th minute when Shoreline United’s third corner was cleared, leading to a counterattack by LAFC. Shane Howard capitalized on the 3-v-3, slotting home the opener. Shoreline United trailed 1-0 at halftime.
LAFC doubled its lead in the 53rd minute to go up, 2-0. With 21 minutes remaining, Shoreline United made tactical changes. Erick Quevedo replaced winger Jesus “Nene” Moreno and played center back next to Jeremiya Showe, while Aaron Minkoff shifted from the back line to join Jhoel Sarraude up front. This change aimed to play more direct and generated increased pressure and numerous shots. Minkoff had a header off a corner kick that hit the crossbar and Sarraude’s diving header from a Minkoff cross narrowly missed the goal.
Struggles with Limited Roster
Despite their efforts, Shoreline United was at a disadvantage with only four outfield players available on the bench. With three substitutions used by halftime, the team ran out of steam in the second half. Several players, including midfielder Chris Martinez, suffered from cramps, while midfielders Skylar Brooks and Diego Venegas gave every ounce of effort to match the fresher LAFC subs.
Shoreline United Assistant Coach Jimmy Obleda was proud of his players and felt the score did not reflect the team’s effort.
“Missing players was the biggest issue tonight,” Obleda said. “You play a team that trains every day that’s in the pro environment as they go 18-20 deep. And in the game, when you don’t have that, you don’t have the same resources, that makes it difficult. But the guys we had, the 14, 15 guys, worked hard. We created many, many chances. If we get one or two of those chances early in the second half to go in, it’s a different game. But I think the longer we didn’t score, and the more chances we created that we didn’t score, it just kind of took a little bit more wind out of us, and the game became more open, and they just kept on subbing, and then it became more difficult."
Final Moments and Looking Ahead
LAFC outshot Shoreline, 4-3, before the tactical switch. After the change, Shoreline United outshot LAFC, 13-4. Unfortunately, LAFC’s last shot came after Shoreline United experienced a defensive lapse, allowing LAFC to score their third goal in the 88th minute and seal the victory.
“The effort and the fight and the personality that we showed is what we’re about, and you can build on that,” Obleda said. “This is still early in the season, and we’ll get another chance to get the first win next week.”
Shoreline United heads on the road this weekend, facing Santa Ana Winds FC at 8 p.m. on Saturday at Lake Forest Sports Park, Field A. After that, Shoreline United is back home to face Inland Empire FC at 6:30 p.m. on Sept. 28 at the LBCC soccer fields.
There’s still time to get your ShorePass, which remains a great value for the remaining four home games.
Vamos Shoreline! #ForTheLBC
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