Bay Cities FC did not need to win the match to win the moment in the third round of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup last week.
The brand new, third division football club based in Redwood City had already done much to make its presence felt with a stunning, 2-1 victory over second-division team Monterey Bay FC in the second round of the Cup. To have earned the right to return to PayPal Park on Tuesday, April 19, this time to face the top-division Earthquakes in a game aired on ESPN+, was a victory in and of itself. And so, despite the 5-0 loss to the Quakes, Bay Cities players managed once again to showcase a fight and desire that impressed the over 8,000 attendees at the game and thousands more who watched from home.
“Having a new team in the Bay is amazing,” said local fan and spectator Joshua Van Dosen.
Dosen said he and his girlfriend are new to soccer and are “excited to be part of a new team’s fan base.”
“It was her first professional soccer game and we can’t wait for more,” Dosen said. “Everybody we talked to from the team is super nice and welcoming.”
Bay Cities kept things interesting for its fans against the Earthquakes, particularly in the tense opening 25 minutes where the teams played cat and mouse. The Quakes would go on to score twice in the first half en route to victory. Even with the fifth goal in the 88th minute, Bay Cities fans never let up their support of their grass-roots local team. Post-game, Bay Cities players were greeted with applause and requests for photos and autographs.
“I told them after the game that I am proud of them,” Club Co-Founder and Head Coach Anders Perez said. “This was only our fifth game together and we were playing an MLS side. We are showing by the way we play that we have talent. Now we need to put it together so that we can win our league.”
Bay Cities will host Albion San Diego at Sequoia High School on Saturday, April 30. Tickets for the game can be purchased here.
Photo credit: Rocha Multimedia for Bay Cities Football Club
