Wynalda's Cal FC pulls another upset
- by Paul Kennedy @pkedit, May 22, 2012
[U.S. OPEN CUP] Eric Wynalda didn't get the MLS head coaching he coveted when he was turned down at Chicago and Chivas
USA, but he is certainly proving himself to be quite capable as the boss of upstart Cal FC. The USASA team pulled another upset, disposing of USL PRO's Wilmington Hammerheads, 4-0, on the road in the
second round of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup. Veteran Wilmington coach David Irving was so embarrassed he apologized to Hammerheads fans who showed up ...
Wynalda has used his name and connections in Southern California soccer -- he works for a Mexican minor league club in addition to his day job as a Fox Soccer analyst -- to help attract players
for the Thousand Oaks-based Cal FC, which plays in the Major Division of the Gran Liga, where it currently sits in seventh place in the 12-team league.
But it has been a giant killer in
the Open Cup, having also beaten the 2011 PDL champion Kitsap Pumas, 3-1, in the first round after upsetting Doxa Italia, 4-3, in USASA Region IV qualifying.
Brothers Danny Barrera and Diego Barrera teamed for two goals to highlight the win.
The Barreras played together for
the former PDL champion Ventura County Fusion, another surprise winner on Tuesday,
Danny Barrera, who had both goals on Tuesday, recently came back from Serbia, where he played in the top
division for FK Spartak Zlatibor Voda last fall.
Armenian Arthur Aghasyan, another Fusion product who played four games last fall for MLS's Real
Salt Lake, and Pedro Ferreira-Mendez also scored for Cal FC.
David Irving, the longtime Hammerheads coach,
was livid with his team's performance.
"We never showed up," Irving told the Wilmington Star News. "I need to apologize to the people who did show
up to watch this game. That's probably the worst performance of any Hammerhead team that I've ever been involved with."
Next up for Cal FC: a much shorter trip to play at MLS's Portland
Timbers next Wednesday.
Way to go, giant killer!! Happy for my friend Eric and his team CFC!! Good luck!!
Giants?? Really, Soccer America? I know you are really looking to make this dramatic but come on. Wynalda's group has some very good S. California players which in no way makes them underdogs to PDL and USL 2 teams.
I agree, clearly Cal FC's team is much better than than the Hammerheads. I think Cal FC are the real giants.
What will they be saying when Wynalda's team makes the MLS Timbers go Timberrrr?