Pleasanton Rage Victorious in USLW Home Opener

I found myself at this match via a happy accident, or perhaps it was kismet? Dropping my child at his training at Stanford Medicine Sports Park, I was surprised by the density of cars in the parking lot. I wandered over to the “stadium” pitch. There, in the waning hours of a gorgeous afternoon, the field lit by a setting sun, I stumbled upon the Pleasanton Rage in their home opener against Marin FC Siren. Both teams play in the pre-professional USLW league.

Pleasanton Rage banner at the field. Photo by the author.

About the USLW

The USLW is affiliated with the same parent organization that runs a number of other soccer leagues such as the USL Championship, USL League 1, USL League 2 (all men’s) and the USL Super League (women’s). A pre-professional league, the USLW started in 2021 and is not affiliated with U.S. Soccer. Most players have local roots and come from college programs; the season runs during the collegiate off-season. In total, there are 98 teams in ten divisions. Within the Nor Cal division there are nine teams competed.

The First Half

Pleasanton, wearing their orange home kits, was playing their second game and using a 4-3-3 formation. For Marin FC, in white with navy shorts, this was their fourth and they adopted a 4-5-1. After the kickoff both sides played conservatively. Marin FC was clinical and confident in the backfield, passing back-and-forth to maintain the possession and build the attack. Once they crossed the midfield, however, those forays would crumble under Rage defensive pressure. Similarly, Rage’s offensive attempts lacked a real threat in the final third, and would frequently stall and result in a turnover.

Towards the 30th minute there was a clear shift in favor of the Rage. Striker Trini Quiroz finally got some service from her teammates and was able to mount a series of shots saved by Marin’s keeper Dahlia Scanlon. Marin looked porous defending corner kicks, but just managed to clear the ball out in the four attempts Rage had in the half. The best opportunity in the game came in the waning minutes after a period of sustained Marin pressure. From a corner, Rage keeper Sydney Head scuffed a punch back to the top of the box. Forward Reya Leikin looped the ball in a high arc on frame, but Head was able to scramble back to make the save right before the goalline.

Glancing at the benches, I noticed that Marin only had two substitutes while Rage sported eight. I wondered whether the fresh legs would play a part in the next half.

The Second Half

Turns out that they did, but not how I expected. Trini Quiroz continued to vex the Marin FC defense and her teammates did well to provide decent service into space where her pace could ensure possession. Ultimately, Rage would find the opening goal from a wayward corner in the 55th minute. The resulting bloop pass into the box would catch Marin off-guard and allowed Eileen Xu to slip behind the defensive line. Her initial shot was deflected by Scanlon, but her follow-up was an easy tap-in to give the home team the lead.

The remaining 35 minutes were almost entirely dominated by Rage, as Marin’s tired team found themselves retreating deeper into their half. There were some flashes of attack by the ladies in white, but most were handled easily by the Rage defenders. Every player save the backup keeper subbed onto the pitch for Rage, with a special mention to Kamryn Rosa who carved up the Marin lines on numerous occasions and took three shots in her 20 minutes, two saved by Scanlon.

In the end, it was Pleasanton Rage 1 – 0 Marin FC Siren. Though Eileen Xu gets the glory for the goal, the offensive player of the match was Trini Quiroz who had seven shots in the game and proved a major threat until subbing off in the 70th. Defensively, Marin’s Hanae Kambara-Coughlin made a number of critical stops but was hampered by what appeared to be a hamstring strain late in the game. For Rage, defender Elise Ziem was ferocious and made at least four interceptions, as well as sparking some dangerous counters. Both keepers were excellent, but Marin’s Dahlia Scanlon was by far the busier of the two making over a dozen saves on the night.

Parting Thoughts

This was amateur soccer at its finest. Teams comprised of players in it for the love of the beautiful game. The approx. 200 spectators in the stands were there simply to support friends and loved ones.