The Los Angeles Force defeated their local SoCal rivals Capo FC 4-1 after extra time to win the 2025 NISA Pro Cup Championship trophy at the Michigan Stars Sports Center in Washington, MI, yesterday. Going into the match, both Capo FC and the Los Angeles Force had two 1-1 draws this year in their previous matches in NISA Nation during the fall season. After a scoreless first half, we had to wait until the 73rd minute before Michael Salazar scored the first goal of the match to put LA ahead 1-0. Shortly after the goal, Capo FC’s Manuell Kariuki received a second yellow card and was sent off with a red card. Capo FC had to play the rest of the match with 10 men. Despite being a man down, Capo FC bounced back, getting an equalizer late in the second half as Daniel Moreno buries it past LA Force goalkeeper Mark Gamez to level the match. After 90 minutes of play, we went to extra time, where the Force dominated Capo FC, scoring two goals from Joel Quist and one from Bryan Ortega to seal the championship match with a 4-1 victory and secure the NISA Pro Cup championship trophy.
Capo FC finished runners-up in the tournament, giving it their all on the pitch. Despite coming up short in the NISA Pro Cup championship, those players should hold their heads high. One thing I do know is that this SoCal rivalry isn’t over and will continue one way or another.
LA Force forward Joel Quist was named the Man of the Match presented by Salt Athletic. Quist was also named the Golden Boot Winner with five goals in the NISA Pro Cup and named winner of the Golden Ball Award (MVP of the tournament). LA Force goalkeeper Mark Gamez won the Golden Glove for the tournament. Now that the tournament is over, here is a breakdown of how the groups finished and the Golden Boot Race.
Group A
- Los Angeles Force 2W-1D-0L, 8pts
- Peak XI FC 1W-1D-1L, 4pts
- Arkansas Wolves 1W-0D-2L, 3pts
- DC Hyper 1W-0D-2L, 3pts
Group B
- Capo FC 2W-1D-0L, 8pts
- NOCO Hailstorm 2W-0D-1L, 6pts
- Sin City FC 1W-1D-1L, 4pts
- Modesto City FC 0W-0D-3L, 0pts
Golden Boot Race – NISA Pro Cup
- LA Force Joel Quist – 5 goals
- Sin City FC Miguel Higareda – 4 goals
- Arkansas Wolves George Almeida – 3 goals
Well, that’s a wrap on the 2025 NISA Pro Cup tournament. Now we get at least four to five months of the offseason. What happens between now and next March remains to be seen, but after being on-site in Michigan for the past week, I’ve heard plenty of positive feedback from players, coaches, and fans on the tournament. During the offseason break, I’ll still create podcast episodes for NISA Today FC. I will do my best to keep you posted on any transfer moves, coaching updates, NISA offseason news, and expansion updates throughout the coming months. We still have NISA Nation action happening with the fall season in the Southwest Region. Stay tuned! I’ll have a podcast episode out later this week to recap the NISA Pro Cup championship and more. What are your thoughts on the 2025 NISA Pro Cup tournament? Let me know in the comments section below.
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