San Diego Boca FC Gears Up for 2010 Season Opener Against Real San Jose

SD Boca FC battles Real San Jose at Helix High Soccer Stadium for Home Opener Saturday Night

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Apr 02, 2010, 12:46 ET

SAN DIEGO, April 2 /PRNewswire/ -- San Diego Boca FC is set to start the National Premier Soccer League (NPSL) this weekend as they play host to Western Division rivals Real San Jose at Helix High Soccer Stadium on Saturday night with kickoff at 7:00 pm. Head Coach Elisio "Papo" Santos and his coaching staff have assembled a strong and talented group of players that are comprised mainly of San Diego area natives.

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President and General Manager Yan Skwara stated, "We are very excited to finally get out of the gate and begin the march to start our very first NPSL season, and to see what we can accomplish on the field from a winning perspective. We have assembled a very competitive and talented squad that should be fully capable of achieving a playoff status. Anything less would be a disappointment. Setting the tone by starting the season strong is where our focus is today, and thus, our first match against San Jose is a key matchup for us." Skwara continued, "Winning is certainly an important part of the formula for success, but playing an attractive brand of soccer is the perfect complement to winning."

The players of San Diego Boca FC have completed a solid pre-season, and are ready to get their inaugural NPSL season underway. San Diego Boca team workouts began last December when President and General Manager Yan Skwara and Head Coach Papo Santos assembled a closely-knit group of 25 players to form the starting core of the team. On February 2nd, 2010 Boca faced Mexican Second Division club Veracruz, featuring Mexican National team star Cuauhtemoc Blanco, giving the club its first opportunity to play together as a team in front of a crowd of over 3,100 Boca fans at Helix High Soccer Stadium. Boca then matched up with MLS side Chivas USA in a friendly doubleheader closed scrimmage on February 20, 2010 at the Home Depot Center in Carson, CA. The pre-season scrimmages against Chivas USA served as an excellent opportunity to continue to mold the club as it prepared for its inaugural 2010 NPSL season.

The club held open tryouts in San Diego during late February, attracting well over 200 players from throughout Southern California to be evaluated by the Boca coaching staff. From these tryouts, 25 players were hand selected by the Boca coaching staff to join the existing 25-man Boca player roster to begin training camp.

SD Boca team has trained 3-4 times per week since camp opened in order to develop unity, teamwork, and a sense of identity. The training and hard work has paid off for the SD Boca organization. In the team's most recent exhibition match, they faced the Mexican All-Stars, which included World Cup veteran Luis Hernandez. Boca dominated the pace and the flow of the game, and this was ultimately reflected by a 6-2 trouncing of the visiting Mexican All-Stars giving the club an overall 1-2 pre season record.

SD Boca FC Players to Look For:

San Diego Boca's defense is anchored by starting goalie Steve Gonzalez. The 6'4" 230 pound keeper has played extensively with several teams of the Mexican First and Second Divisions. Gonzalez most recently served as goalie for the L.A. Galaxy reserve squad. On the attacking side of the picture, SD Boca is relying upon forward Amir Vafaee to put the ball in the net. Vafaee spent his collegiate career at the University at Albany-SUNY before heading west to join the San Diego Boca.

San Diego Boca FC also support a Boca reserve team, as well as a Boca Under-20 side. Both of these teams serve as a player feeder platform for the first team squad.

The National Premier Soccer League is beginning its ninth year of operations. It has expanded each year, and currently sits at 34 teams spread across the country into five divisions. MLS clubs Chicago Fire and New York Red Bulls have each established reserve teams that belong to the NPSL. For further information about the NPSL, visit www.npsl.info

San Diego Boca FC was founded in 2009 to promote and develop professional and youth soccer in the San Diego Community and across the United States. The team was named after the storied soccer club Boca Juniors out of Argentina, and will carry the tradition of promoting and developing its club through a grass roots level, and developing the young stars of tomorrow.

For additional team and ticket information visit www.sdboca.com or contact the SD Boca offices directly at (619) 221-8023.

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SOURCE San Diego Boca FC