Head Coach: Carlos Padilla
Venue: Matt O. Hanhila Field
2023 Regular Season: N/A (Expansion Team)
2023 Season Recap:
N/A
Offseason Recap
Arizona Monsoon FC is a new expansion club to the NISA league for 2024. The league announced the club on June 15, 2023. However, Arizona Monsoon FC is technically a rebrand of former NISA side Valley United FC. Omar Bravo was originally the Head Coach but left the club in the offseason. The club had player tryouts and brought in a mix of young players and some NISA veterans. The club also brought in some players who were part of the team when they were known as Valley United FC. Hopefully, things will be different with the club this time, being more cautious with the same ownership but different management with Head Coach Carlos Padilla leading the way.
Key Departure
N/A
Key Returnee
N/A
Key Arrivals
Based on their roster last night for their first NISA match against LA Force, we have a mix of young amateurs and some familiar faces on this expansion squad.
Arizona Monsoon has some NISA veterans on this roster, including goalkeeper Brandon Barnes, who played with Gold Star FC Detroit last year. He also played for former NISA club Chicago House AC. Forward Alex Tejera didn’t play last night, but another NISA veteran who played with former NISA club Valley United FC in 2022. Tejera was with USL League One side Chattanooga Red Wolves SC last season and scored one goal in 18 appearances. Tejera did play in Monsoon FC’s U.S. Open Cup match last month against the Lubbock Matadors. Midfielder Giancarlo Canas-Jarquin played with Gold Star FC last season and was with Flower City Union during its inaugural season in 2022. Alex Vedamanikam played for the LA Force last year, scoring one goal and adding one assist in 11 matches. He also previously played with former NISA side Cal United Strikers FC. The club also has a good mix of young talent, including defender Jaden Gonzalez, forward Karl Bercy and midfielder Daisuke Otsuka.
Player to Watch
Well, I only have two matches to go off of here, but this team will still take a while to gel in the Western Conference. All the clubs know they must compete with the LA Force. With Arizona mixed in with fellow NISA expansion sides Capo FC and Irvine Zeta FC, it will be a race for the second playoff spot between those three. Alex Tejera up front will be someone I’m keeping my eye on to see if he can carry the attack for Monsoon FC with Giancarlo Canas-Jarquin in the midfield and having a player like Alex Vedamanikam who can play defense and on the wing that will be another area to watch on this team. You still have Brandon Barnes and Jose Cortez as goalkeepers, so despite the challenging start to their season, this team may surprise us down the stretch. Let’s see what happens.
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