La Maquina

2018 US Open Cup Round 1: FC Tucson edges La Maquina to capture third straight USOC opener

May 14, 2018 by Roberto Payne

In a tightly contested, win or go home First Round matchup of the 2018 Lamar Hunt US Open Cup, it was FC Tucson who prevailed over La Maquina FC 2-1 on a 55th minute go-ahead goal from midfielder Alejandro Gonzalez.

The victory ensures FC Tucson advances to the second round of the US Open Cup for the third year in a row and will hit the road to face Las Vegas Lights FC on May 16.

After a rather sluggish first half in which the two teams battled to a 1-1 tie, the second half of play saw La Maquina FC open with possession and a different attitude, as the guests came out energized and hungry for a go-ahead goal.

However, it was FC Tucson that was able to drive in the game-winning goal in the 55th minute on a curling cross from midfielder Julian Gaona to Gonzalez.

“We had talked about getting the ball wide at halftime… and I thought Julian (Gaona) delivered a great ball,” FC Tucson coach David Cosgrove said. “Alejandro (Gonzalez) made about a 30 yard run to get to the back pole and he wasn’t too tired to get to the ball and knock it down.”

To start off play in the first half, it took less than two minutes for play to heat up in the first round matchup between FC Tucson and La Maquina FC at Kino North Complex in Tucson, Ariz. on Wednesday.

FC Tucson forward Jason Romero got in behind the La Maquina FC defensive backline and received a through pass from defender Gavino Carranza. From that point, Romero had only the keeper to beat and slotted in the opening goal through the legs of La Maquina FC goalkeeper Luis Sosa for the 1-0 lead just 80 seconds into play.

Two minutes later, midfielder Damian German had his own one-on-one with the goalkeeper and just missed the right post on a curved shot past the outstretched arms of Sosa.

“We thought there would might be a chance to get after them in the first five or 10 minutes and… I thought they would come out with more energy, and they didn’t,” FC Tucson coach David Cosgrove said. “So that gave us an opportunity to build and, of course, we got an opening goal…. but i wish we would’ve kept going. We got that goal and I felt like we could’ve had a couple more.”

Nearly everything went in favor of FC Tucson for the opening 30 minutes of play and it looked as if the home team would be well on its way to an easy first round victory over La Maquina.

However, the good favor ended in the 32nd minute of play when La Maquina FC forward Alejandro Velazquez received a through ball behind the FC Tucson backline and drove in the equalizer on a richotted shot off the top crossbar over FC Tucson goalkeeper Andreu Cases to tie up play at 1-1.

La Maquina nearly added in the go-ahead goal in the 41st minute when Velazquez saw a headed goal off a corner disallowed for a handball. Players and coaches alike rose in an uproar as referees conferred and confirmed the goal would be disallowed.

For a match that was played fairly clean for the opening 75 minutes of play, there sure was a lot of pushing, shoving and frustration over the final 15 minutes on Wednesday night.

La Maquina FC was shown four cards on the game (three yellows and one red), with the red card coming in stoppage time. Already playing on a yellow card, midfielder Jorge Pineda aggressively took down a FC Tucson player and was shown a straight red card.

It didn’t take long for controversy to strike again, with a hard foul coming from La Maquina as soon as play restarted, with FC Tucson players and coaches voicing their displeasure on the sideline.

2018 Meet the Underdogs: Goalscoring club director leads La Maquina to 3rd straight US Open Cup

May 3, 2018 by Thomas Hodul

Edwin Borboa of La Maquina celebrates a goal against the Los Angeles Galaxy during the Fourth Round of the 2016 US Open Cup. Photo: LA Galaxy

La Maquina of Southern California have slowly become less of an underdog, and more of a team filled with experience and expectations when it comes to the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup.

The 2014-15 United Premier Soccer League (UPSL) champions are making an impressive third straight appearance in the US Open Cup proper rounds, having qualified through the US Soccer Federation’s new open division qualifying tournament in every year since the format came into existence in 2015.

The club is now somewhat well known to American soccer enthusiasts after their impressive run in the 2016 tournament, when they famously went to extra time with MLS powerhouse LA Galaxy in the Fourth Round. The game winning goal that night for the Galaxy was a controversial one that left many soccer fans, who were looking for the Cinderella story, upset with the end result. The loss also left La Maquina eager for a rematch.

The 2016 US Open Cup run was something that the club can be quite proud of, despite the refereeing decision that led to what would prove to be the Galaxy’s game-winning goal. They comfortably dispatched one club from each of the top amateur leagues in the country to earn their spot in Round 4 against the Galaxy. They beat the Portland Timbers U-23s of the PDL 2-0 in the First Round. This was followed by a win over a former NPSL champion Sacramento Gold in Round 2 by the same score. La Maquina knocked off their UPSL rivals LA Wolves with another 2-0 victory in the Third Round. Former Chivas de Guadalajara and Pachuca player Edwin Borboa finished with five goals, having scored at least one in every round, to give him co-Golden Boot honors for the competition.

“Edwin Borboa came to La Maquina by chance, actually. He was brought to us by one of our players at the time, and the chemistry was instant,” said La Maquina assistant coach Jesee Magallon. “His role with the club has evolved a lot over the past few years.”

In his short time with the club, Borboa has laid the foundation for the club on a long-term basis when he was named club director last year.

“ has been running the youth club, Maquina FC, which consists of about 120 kids from Los Angeles and Orange County,” said Magallon. “The creation of this feeder program by Borboa has helped ensure the future of our club. The concept was Edwin’s idea, to have actual players who play for La Maquina teach the youth players our style and our approach to the game.”

While they qualified for the second year in a row, the 2017 version of the Open Cup did not yield quite the same run as 2016. La Maquina lost their opening round game to the PDL’s Fresno Fuego, 4-1. This meant the dream rematch against the Galaxy would have to wait for another season.

They qualified for the 2018 tournament with an impressive 5-0 win over Bell Gardens FC of the UPSL in Round 1 of qualifying. La Maquina was once again led by their star Borboa, who came up with two more Open Cup goals to add to his resume. Beto Godinez also contributed two goals that day, while the fifth goal was scored by Jose Montes de Oca.

La Maquina advanced on a forfeit in the next round, when the Las Vegas Mobsters failed to show up for the match. Then, they earned an impressive 4-1 win over Chula Vista FC in a “Win & You’re In” match to punch their ticket to the competition. Borboa notched another goal in the victory, while Rosendo Castro led the way for La Maquina with his two-goal effort.

“That game was tough, because we had to play it with 60% of our starting lineup,” said Magallon. “We ran into early issues. To start, we were only able to have 13 players present and that made making adjustments a bit tricky.”

La Maquina has no shortage of experienced players when it comes to UPSL and Open Cup play. Other than Borboa, who has six years of Liga MX experience and two Apertura titles to his name, the team is loaded with experienced players.

The club has multiple players back to appear in the Cup for a third consecutive year. Those players include Luis Sosa, Edgar Orozco, Ricky Ramirez, David Paniagua, Rosendo Castro, Jose Castro, Thales Serra, Jorge Pineda, and Rodolfo Godinez. Two of the new faces to look out for include José Montes de Oca, another former Mexican pro who scored in qualifying play, and Joel Palomares, one of the club’s top young talents.

“I’d say our experience in the Cup is our biggest advantage. It’s great to be able to have guys that have felt the pressures of what the Open Cup really means,” said Magallon. “There are teams out there that have wonderful squads, but have never been under that kind of pressure. We have played in front of big crowds, on the road, and we feel that’s been a great learning experience. The Cup has really humbled us. There’s not much left but to wish FC Tucson and all the other participating teams good luck.”

The club, whose name pays homage to Liga MX’s Cruz Azul, is currently in fourth place of the very competitive UPSL Western Conference Pro Premier. They are currently 3-1-2 with their biggest win coming against fellow Open Cup qualifier Santa Ana Winds by the score of 3-0. It’s a budding rivalry that some have started calling the Downtown OC Derby.

Just like last year, their opening round opponent is another strong team from the PDL on the road.

“Our hopes for this year’s Open Cup is to make it further than ever before. Last year was a bit of let down,” added Magallon. “We traveled unprepared to face a team we knew nothing about and had little preparation. This time, we are much more focused and we have been craving a rematch with the Galaxy for a while now. I think it’s time we get another shot at it.”

“We will not overlook FC Tucson because we know they are going to come to play.”

2018 US Open Cup qualifying: La Maquina continues qualifying dominance, clinches third straight Open Cup berth

November 22, 2017 by James Stroud

It was a beautiful Sunday in Chula Vista, just outside San Diego, as the home side Chula Vista FC prepared to host La Maquina – a juggernaut in their own right from up the road in Los Angeles. The beauty of the day would soon prove to be prophetic for La Maquina, but agonizingly taunting for Chula Vista FC, as the former rolled through the latter with ease in the final 2018 Lamar Hunt US Open Cup qualifying match, 4-1.

As the game kicked off, the crowd had trickled in and although there was only a small set of bleachers above a hill on the sideline, the atmosphere was lively for the Chula Vista faithful who expect a lot from their club that has qualified for the US Open Cup in two of the last three years.

Both clubs are known for their attacking flair and possession style of play, but it was clear from the beginning that La Maquina had manufactured the true threat, utilizing a high-pressure forward line that paid all the dividends.

Chula Vista wasted valuable energy chasing the game early as La Maquina owned much of the ball and it took less than 20 minutes for La Maquina to find their first goal. A misunderstanding between goalkeeper Sammy Quinones and defender Manuel Carrillo left Quinones out of position at the top of the box. As the pressure increased around Carrillo, he lost possession to former Chivas de Guadalajara forward Edwin Borboa who took full advantage and curved a shot from the corner of the box around the goalkeeper with his right foot. Borboa, who tied for the tournament lead with five goals in 2016 has been involved in a goal in nearly every qualifying and tournament game La Maquina has played in the last three years.

With that goal by Borboa, La Maquina never looked back.

In the 31st minute, La Maquina scored what would prove to be the winner by exploiting another defensive mistake by the CV back line, courtesy of Rosendo Castro.

Trailing 2-0 at the halftime, Chula Vista knew they were in trouble. After speaking with some players, it was clear that a drastic change would have to take place in the players’ mindsets to get back on track. As the second half began, it looked, for a moment, that they had accepted the mission as they opened the half at a full sprint, but La Maquina responded with cool heads and took advantage of the end to end confusion with an insurance goal, this time from the wing as a beautiful cross dropped right onto the head of Braulio Godinez.

All but out of reach for Chula Vista, the pushed on, finding a bit more breathing room as La Maquina fell back to close out the game. As they probed for a sniff of the goal, forward Alberto Diaz found himself on the receiving end of a slick give and go with one man to beat inside the box. As he took his touch, the defender brought him down with a hip check, and Chula Vista was awarded a lifeline. In the 59th minute, Francisco Ramirez slotted it home and wasted no time digging it out of the net, as Chula Vista suddenly seemed energized.

For the next ten minutes, Chula Vista streamed forward launching attacks straight down the middle of the pitch aiming to exploit a comfortable La Maquina back line. Ultimately, it wouldn’t be enough, as La Maquina took advantage of a quick break in the 72nd minute. As the ball was worked into the goal box, it was clear that Chula Vista had no fight left in them as Rosendo Castro walked his brace over the line. La Maquina continued to control the game and was awarded foul after foul around Chula Vista’s goal box for the remainder of the match, and just like they did in 2015, they eliminated Chula Vista in a Win & You’re In match.

La Maquina will attempt to outdo themselves in 2018’s US Open Cup that will feature no shortage of potential Cinerella stories. Chula Vista FC will not be granted any such opportunity, and with their elimination there will be zero San Diego representatives from amateur teams in next years competition, a massive disappointment to all in America’s Finest City.

For La Maquina, they continue their dominance over the qualifying tournament over the last three years. They have won all six of their qualifying matches and have outscored their opponents 22-3 and have never scored less than three goals in a game.

2017 US Open Cup Round 1: Fresno Fuego spoil La Maquina’s encore performance

May 12, 2017 by Adrian Luevano

After scoring a brace in the USL PDL opener against the Burlingame Dragons, Jose ‘Chiva’ Cuevas delivered another two-goal night against La Maquina FC in the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup on Wednesday. The Fuego pervailed with a 4-1 victory, denying La Maquina a chance to recreate the magic of last year’s run to the Fourth Round.

After back-and-forth chances for both clubs, Cuevas opened the scoring in the 19th minute with a right-footed curler to put the Fuego up 1-0.

“I think that was a big time goal, because La Maquina were good,” Cuevas said. “They pressed us, while we were still trying to find our rhythm. After we got that goal, it calmed us down and allowed us to find our rhythm.”

La Maquina had a chance in the 34th minute to equalize on a free kick, just outside the box. However, it was blocked and the visitors could not regain possession.

Fuego goalkeeper Agustin Rey denied the UPSL side with back-to-back saves in the 52nd minute to keep the game at 1-0.

However, the visitors would strike 13 minutes later as Jose Montes de Oca buried Edwin Borboa’s pass to level the game at 1-1

Cuevas put the Fuego back in the lead at 2-1 with his second of the night.

“Sometimes you go through those phases where you’re hot and it’s just soccer,” Cuevas said. “I just want to keep scoring for the city, for the club, and for my family.”

Three minutes later, substitute Joey Chica’s touch toward goal, hit the post, and trickled into goal for a 3-1 Fuego lead.

“All I knew was I needed get a goal to calm things down for my team and that was a great ball by Eti,” Chica said. “I thought I missed it to be honest.”

After servicing Chica on the assist, Eti Tavares got a goal of his own in stoppage time, to put the game away at 4-1.

Head coach Brian Zwaschka felt that getting the victory was not only great for his team, but for the community as well.

“It’s massive. La Maquina is such a great team, who had an amazing run last year. Anything can happen in the Open Cup, and with a win, you play bigger and bigger teams. For us to be able to do that and get the win means a lot for the community.”

With the win, the Fuego will host USL side Phoenix Rising FC on Wednesday, May 17 at the Fresno State Soccer Field. The USL side features star players such as Omar Bravo, Shawn Wright-Phillips, and the biggest new signing, Didier Drogba.

Cuevas is excited to play the trio, but he is even more ecstatic to take on some familiar faces.

“I’m very excited, because that’s my old club,” Cuevas said. “I’ll definitely play with a little itch on my back, nothing against them, but it’s always good to play against your old club.”

2017 Meet the Underdogs: After last year’s US Open Cup run, La Maquina ready to go “toe-to-toe” with anyone

May 10, 2017 by Ian Foster

Edwin Borboa of La Maquina celebrates his goal against the LA Galaxy in the Fourth Round of the 2016 US Open Cup. Photo: LA Galaxy

In other sports, we often wonder aloud if the best college football team could beat the Cleveland Browns, or if the University of Kentucky could upset the NBA’s Philadelphia 76ers. In soccer, thanks to the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup, we get to openly ask and answer that question.

And for 90 minutes last June, we nearly answered in the affirmative as La Maquina, an amateur team out of Santa Ana, Calif., took the mighty Los Angeles Galaxy of Major League Soccer to the brink.

“Alex , our owner was encouraged,” said La Maquina coach Edson Martinez. “’You went toe-to-toe with the Galaxy,’ he said, ‘if you can do that you can go toe-to-toe with anyone.’”

Of course, the Galaxy infamously found the winning goal in extra time on a broken play where most players thought the referee had stopped play. The controversial goal opened the floodgate and the Galaxy prevailed 4-1. That goal led to an unsuccessful protest by La Maquina.

So how did that affect La Maquina as they approach their First Round US Open Cup match away to the PDL’s Fresno Fuego on Wednesday night?

“Everyone’s on the same page,” said Martinez about their approach to this season. “The main focus is to practice, play in the league that we play for, and play the US Open Cup.”

As a result, the ambitious Southern Californian club has passed up a local competition or two to stay healthy and rested for the Open Cup.

“There was just a big tournament here in South California that was big locally but we didn’t enter because we didn’t want our players to get hurt,” Martinez said.

La Maquina is currently near the top of the UPSL standings, but the Cup has had an impact on that too. They fielded a mostly reserve squad on Saturday against Sporting San Fernando and lost 4-1.

But the team is ready, and thanks to the year-round schedule of UPSL plus the various California cups, La Maquina comes into their first round match at mid-season form.

“Last year we weren’t really practicing until we started the US Open Cup. We’ve been practicing since November now,” said Martinez. “I think that’s going to be the big difference this year.”

While the roster is mostly composed of players just coming out of college, like identical twin midfielders Jose and Orlando Casteo, they’ve sprinkled in a few former Liga MX veterans. Most notably Edwin Borboa, the striker who’s played for Chivas, Pachuca, and Leon in his career. Borboa had a breakout Open Cup last year as he tied for the tournament lead in goals with five. In fact, in one tournament, Borboa is now tied for the Modern Era lead for most goals by a player from any USASA amateur club.

“We’ve played nine games, Borboa’s already scored 19 or 20 goals,” Martinez said. “And I know for a fact he’s in better shape this year than last year, he’s been working hard.”

La Maquina (left) vs. LA Wolves in the Third Round of 2016 US Open Cup. Photo: Joe Walsh

It would be difficult for Borboa to surpass his 2016 Open Cup, where he scored at least one goal in every game, tying the Modern Era record by scoring in four consecutive games. If he scores on Wednesday night, he will break that record.

Not that Borboa or the rest of La Maquina gets fazed by the notion of playing someone like the Galaxy.

“You always need those players that have actually been there at a professional level playing against famous teams,” Martinez said.

At the heart of almost every major “Cupset” is a past or future pro like Borboa or Jose Montes de Oca, a young player from Leon in Liga MX. The Open Cup is a prime opportunity for him to be seen by USL and MLS teams.

But La Maquina don’t want to be stepping stones to the pros forever. Someday, Martinez mentioned, La Maquina, perhaps alongside their competitive league-mates LA Wolves, would like to ply their trade in the USL. With the new Division 3 league in the works, that could be a realstic next step with the club’s local fan support.

And what better way to make their case than another deep Open Cup run?

“We’re usually the underdog,” Martinez said, “but we know for a fact that we have a really good team and a really good system. We have players that play with their hearts.”

2017 US Open Cup Qualifying: Edwin Borboa keeps scoring as La Maquina earns another shutout win

November 1, 2016 by Omar Avalos

Sunday’s 2017 US Open Cup qualifying match between Santa Ana clubs La Máquina and Santa Ana Winds FC came down to capitalizing on scoring opportunities, of which both sides had plenty. La Máquina took advantage of three “soft goal” opportunities given by Winds FC, with a final score of 3-0.

The 2016 US Open Cup co-golden boot winner Edwin Borboa scored and Jose “Chila” Montes de Oca scored two more for La Maquina as the defense earned its second straight shutout to advance to Round 3. However, they dodged a few bullets as the Winds FC attack failed to convert four clear scoring opportunities.

The difference was set in the first half with La Máquina scoring off of two failed clearances by the Winds defense, first in the 8th minute on a goal by Borboa and then 10 minutes later on a shot from distance by Montes de Oca.

The Winds game plan was to attack up the flanks, which created some dangerous chances but ultimately no goal. Outside of the two goals, it did help to slow down the La Máquina midfield commandeered by the Castro Pérez brothers (José and Rosendo), both with Liga de Ascenso experience with Club Dorados de Sinaloa.

The third goal put the game away in the 86th minute, Chila’s second of the night, with Winds FC playing with 10 men after a hamstring injury to a midfielder. La Máquina scored when Winds FC made it easiest for them to do so, something good teams like La Máquina take advantage of. Overall, La Máquina created more dangerous shots on goal and crosses, and hit the post twice and came away with the victory.

With the win, La Maquina earned their second straight clean sheet of the 2017 tournament, and including the last US Open Cup, they have shut out five of their last six opponents. They defeated Orange County FC, 3-0 in the opening round. Their next opponent will be announced in January and the third round will take place in March.

Match report courtesy of The Saint City Post

2016 US Open Cup: La Maquina files protest, calls LA Galaxy goal “against the good of the game”

June 16, 2016 by Kristen Gehrke

Dave Romney of the LA Galaxy celebrates his goal against La Maquina in the 2016 US Open Cup. Teammate Jose Villarreal is shown injured in the background. Photo: LA Galaxy

UPDATE (June 28, 2016): TheCup.us has learned the protest by La Maquina has been denied. The club appealed the decision but it was unsuccessful.

The United Premier Soccer League (UPSL), on behalf of one of its member clubs La Maquina, has filed an appeal with the US Soccer Federation, requesting a replay of its Fourth Round Lamar Hunt US Open Cup match against the Los Angeles Galaxy.

A copy of the appeal, acquired by TheCup.us, shows that the letter of protest is signed by league commissioner Yan Skwara, alleges the “referee’s conduct was so outstandingly inappropriate that it is obviously against the good of the game.” La Maquina lost 4-1 to a 10-man Galaxy side Tuesday night in Carson, Calif.

“The behavior and performance of the referee were egregious and alarming and there are 2 incidents of note that were critical to the outcome of the match and that unfairly determined the result,” the complaint continues. “His actions and conduct were contrary to the good of the game and we respectfully request a replay of this game.”

The main incident in question took place in the opening minutes of extra time. The Galaxy earned a free kick just outside the penalty area when Jose Villarreal was fouled. The collision carried him into the box and he appeared to need medical attention based on the apparent pain he was in, laying on his back with teammate Jack McBean helping him stretch out his leg.

While La Maquina and other Galaxy players stood around catching their breath and waiting for Villarreal to be tended to, Baggio Husidic stood over the free kick. Since the Galaxy did not ask center referee Ramon Hernandez to move their opponents the minimum 10 yards away from the ball, Husidic was, by rule, allowed to play a quick restart. He noticed Dave Romney standing unmarked on the left side of the penalty area and sent the ball to him and Romney struck it past a helpless Luis Sosa in goal to give the MLS side a 2-1 lead. The confused players for La Maquina were almost all standing around the injured Villarreal and scrambled to defend Romney’s shot but they were far too late.

la-galaxy-la-maquina-controversial-goal-by-romney-celebration-2016-big — Photo: LA Galaxy

“ goes … so I kicked out, passed to the left,” Husidic said. “I didn’t ask for a whistle, told the ref I wasn’t going to ask for a whistle, and he said ‘OK.’”

Even the goalscorer was confused by what happened.

“Am I allowed to shoot this? Is this really real?,” Romney said after the match. “I just got it on my right foot and tucked it away.”

Here is the description of the incident from La Maquina’s complaint:

“There was a huddle of players from both sets of teams, and both Galaxy and La Maquina players went to the fallen player’s aid as he was clearly injured. At this time, the referee told the players to resume play on his whistle. As the players milled about, and the Galaxy player received treatment on the ground from fellow players, a Galaxy player moved the ball behind the referee (who was still standing behind the spot of the foul that he ran to and designated himself) and passed to his teammate across the box who then proceeded to score a goal as the La Maquina keeper made a late and half-hearted attempt to save the shot as he was in shock that play was happening and fully expected that play would be called back; AS DID EVERYONE ELSE IN THE STADIUM.”

WATCH THE ENTIRE PLAY (Beginning at 2:32:40)

The story has received a lot of attention in the days following the incident. It was posted by Deadspin and then was even featured in a brief segment on ESPN’s Pardon the Interruption.”

That was not the only incident that was included in the protest.

“Obviously, there was a lot of bad by the ref. We kind of knew it was going to go south by about the 80th minute,” Edson Martinez, La Maquina’s assistant coach told TheCup.us. “One of our players got elbowed from behind and the fourth official saw it and he called over the referee. told us it was a straight red.”

However, the red card was not given by Hernandez, who instead issued yellows to both La Maquina and Galaxy players involved.

“It killed the team’s spirit,” Martinez added. “Honestly? We would have won that game. We were tired, but we had the momentum.”

According to the written protest, they are further convinced that an error was made because, as they claim, the fourth official and the match commissioner were “verbally and visibly apologetic to La Maquina for the referee’s performance.”

According to Skwara, the controversy on the goal comes down to player safety (Villarreal was ignored and could have been seriously injured — the center official did not get a closer look to determine this) and if Hernandez told the players from La Maquina that play would start “on my whistle,” as is stated in the protest.

“La Maquina was toe to toe until this occurred and obviously it shook them to have a goal of this nature handed to the Galaxy .. in overtime,” Skwara said. “I think any opposing team in this scenario would be livid and that’s an understatement.

“We will see what US Soccer has to say,” he added. “It’s not a good example of sportsmanship and certainly beyond poor officiating.”

The team expects to have an answer from the federation in the next 24-48 hours. US Soccer spokesperson Neil Buethe says the incident “will be reviewed very soon.”

According to TheCup.us records, the US Open Cup has never had a replay ordered in the Modern Era (1995-present) as a result of a referee’s error or poor performance.

Josh Hakala also contributed to this report

HIGHLIGHTS: LA MAQUINA AT LA GALAXY

Controversial goal fuels shorthanded LA Galaxy to 4-1 extra time win over La Maquina

June 15, 2016 by Dennis Pope

An early red card, a controversial goal in overtime, and a whole lot of questions after Tuesday night’s game at StubHub Center.

Chaos reigned but Dave Romney scored what proved to be the game-winner in the first overtime as Los Angeles Galaxy (MLS) defeated Santa Ana (Calif.)-based La Maquina (UPSL), 4-1, in a 4th Round game.

“I had no idea what was going on,” Galaxy coach Bruce Arena said afterward.

Arena definitely was not happy that his team had to play more than 100 minutes with 10 men after midfielder Rafael Garcia was sent off for a horror tackle in the 17th minute.

“We shot ourselves in the foot there,” Arena said. “Not a smart way to play. I thought (the red card) was warranted.”

But the victory advances L.A. into the Round of 16 for the … Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup tournament, which Galaxy won previously in 2001 and 2005.

“I think in games like this you are in for a surprise,” said Sebastian Lletget, who scored twice in overtime to seal the win.

Galaxy applied early pressure and earned three corner kicks in the first five minutes, as La Maquina’s defense survived on wits and luck for 15 minutes.

Alan Gordon missed out on a sure goal in the 10th minute, when a cross from Jose Villareal went unfinished at the far post, trickling across the goal line as Gordon’s sliding attempt was inches short.

Five minutes later Villareal was the recipient of a long cross from Raul Mendiola, chesting down the ball across the line past La Maquina keeper Luis Sosa.
“Clearly, we were going to get a goal,” Arena said.

Former Chivas Guadalajara striker Edwin Borboa had a solid shot on goal in the 26th minute, forcing a jump save from Galaxy keeper Clement Diop, and La Maquina found a groove with a pair of opportunities leading to its goal in the 28th minute.

Forcing the ball back, center half A.J. DeLaGarza misplayed a ball to Diop, and Borboa pounced, supplying an easy finish for an equalizer.

“They got that goal on my mistake,” DeLaGarza said.
Borboa is the first amateur player to score in the first four rounds in the modern era of the tournament.

“(La Maquina) did a solid job. You could see some of their guys have experience,” Arena said.
La Maquina, or “The Machine”, came out firing early in the second half, but Galaxy absorbed the amateur club’s heat without giving up playing two forwards and went to overtime drawn at a goal apiece.

“They made a couple of plays, their goalkeeper made a few saves and they worked hard,” Arena said.

Early in overtime, Villareal was fouled on the edge of the penalty area and stayed on his back. Second-half substitute Jack McBean stood over Villareal, stretching his leg, as players caught their breath.

Baggio Husidic, another Galaxy second-half sub, stood over the ball and looked at referee Ramon Hernandez.

“He goes (shrugs) so I kicked out, passed to the left,” Husidic said. “I didn’t ask for a whistle, told the ref I wasn’t going to ask for a whistle, and he said ‘OK.’”
Husidic’s pass connected with Romney, who placed a shot past La Maquina’s Sosa as the stout keeper scrambled to defend his line.

“Am I allowed to shoot this? Is this really real?” Romney rhetorically asked. “I just got it on my right foot and tucked it away.”

Lletget scored on a penalty in the 105th minute and added a second on a breakaway in the 115th.

HIGHLIGHTS

FULL MATCH REPLAY
(NOTE: The controversial goal begins at 2:32:40)

2016 US Open Cup Round 3: Former Chivas forward, record-setting defense earn La Maquina date with LA Galaxy

June 5, 2016 by Dennis Pope

With its play on the field, La Maquina has proved its maturity.

Former Chivas de Guadalajara forward Edwin Borboa scored twice as La Maquina continued its run in the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup with a 2-0 victory over fellow United Premier Soccer League (UPSL) team Los Angeles Wolves FC. The match was played on June 1 in a Third Round game at Boswell Field on the campus of Westminster High School.

With the win, La Maquina becomes just the 12th amateur team since 1996 to reach the Fourth Round.

“As I’m getting older and towards the end of his career, primarily the focus is the team and helping the team through my experience and realizing that means putting some goals in the back of the net,” said Borboa through an interpreter.

The 33-year-old Mexican headed in the game’s first goal in the 17th minute, then scored on a free kick in the 68h minute to propel La Maquina into a Fourth Round matchup against the Los Angeles Galaxy at the StubHub Center on Wednesday, June 15.

“Very happy because we’re going against the next level, the LA Galaxy,” Borboa said. “They’re a very professional team but we know what we have, and we’re going to work hard to get to there, and try to move on the next round.”

Santa Ana, Calif.-based La Maquina, banned from the UPSL’s winter season due to its participation in a post-game brawl late last year, are one of only two amateur clubs (Kitsap Pumas) remaining in the tournament.

“We can’t believe where we are right now, but we’ve still been working every week, hard, hard,” La Maquina head coach Alex Uribe said. “We know it’s a very exciting game in two weeks.”

The club has not played a league fixture since December when UPSL President Yan Skwara announced the league’s ruling. Skwara, coincidently, is president and head coach of the LA Wolves.

“Give credit to La Maquina,” Skwara said. “They play a certain game, and I can’t tell exactly if it’s the way they played defensively against us, or if we didn’t play our game, or a combination of the two.”

Borboa’s first goal punctuated non-stop early pressure from La Maquina, which produced five shots on goal in the first 15 minutes.

His second goal came on a direct free kick at the top of the penalty area, 20 yards from goal. With three players standing over the ball, Borboa saw Wolves goalkeeper Kifi Kalani leaning and took his shot.

“The keeper was giving me the right side, trying to cheat, so I just took the easy way and placed it where he was cheating,” Borboa said.

“That’s Borboa. That’s the way he plays,” Uribe said. “You can see the goalie was expecting a lefty, and he just saw the goalie move the left and so he strikes it to the right.”

La Maquina, relying on competitive friendlies in between its US Open Cup calendar, have won all three rounds by 2-0 score lines. They are just the second team — and the first amateur team — in the Modern Era to earn three or more shutouts in each of their first three Open Cup games. (DC United had 5 straight from 1996-97)

“Since Day 1 in this Open Cup and I told them, ‘If we’re going to be in this Open Cup our goal can’t just be playing, that’s it,” Uribe said. “We want to go all the way, all the way to the end.”

La Maquina’s 2-0 win in the Second Round over Portland Timbers U-23s at Providence Park was an important moment, Uribe said.

“The experience they got in Portland, it was a huge stadium, it was an important team, it’s not a first-team but we demonstrated we can control the ball in any stadium,” Uribe said.

2016 Meet the Underdogs: La Maquina fighting to earn respect in inaugural US Open Cup run

June 1, 2016 by Ted Prezelski

La Maquina lines up for player introductions before their 2016 US Open Cup qualifying match with Chula Vista FC. Photo: La Maquina

After traveling from Southern California to Portland, Ore. and dispatching the Portland Timbers U-23s (PDL) 2-0 in the opening round of the 2016 Lamar Hunt US Open Cup, La Maquina has gotten the attention of the American soccer public. They followed up that performance with another 2-0 shutout in Round 2 against the NPSL’s Sacramento Gold.

They were one of eight teams entering the First Round for the first time and are a bit of an unknown.

The Santa Ana, Calif.-based club finished second in the southeast division of United Premier Soccer League (UPSL) after last year’s spring/summer season. Then the club qualified for the US Open Cup with wins in the open division tournament over Strikers FC and a surprising 4-0 defeat of former Open Cup darlings Chula Vista FC in October and November respectively.

Then things got weird.

La Maquina faced San Nicolas in an UPSL quarterfinal playoff match in December. An altercation followed the match involving players, coaches and fans. UPSL reviewed the incident and handed down hefty penalties to both teams: San Nicholas was docked six games and La Maquina was banned for the winter season.

You read that right: La Maquina were ejected from the league for the next session of play.

“It was not an easy decision, especially when you have two good teams at the table,” said UPSL commissioner Yan Skwara. “As a league, we have a zero tolerance for violence and stay firm with that. At the end of the day, I think both teams have learned from this and they will be better citizens both on and off the field.”

Both teams have served their suspensions and La Maquina will return to the league for 2016’s spring/summer session.

The team’s suspension from the league hasn’t stopped them from playing. They have continued to schedule matches and have posted strong wins in a series of friendlies against local clubs, including a recent 6-0 victory against newly-rebranded PDL side LA Laguna.

Unlike most of their counterparts, the team drew another amateur side, fellow UPSL side Los Angeles Wolves, for the Third Round. They are eager to prove themselves in the Open Cup.

The team draws most of its players from the Orange County area, and counts former members of Pateadores among its ranks. One exception is Edwin Borboa, the 33-year old former chivas de Guadalajara forward who last played professionally for Liga de Ascenso club Lobos.

“The guys are really motivated. This is what they have been waiting for,” said coach Edson Martinez. “We have had a lot of games lately, and we should be playing harder teams.”

“If we win Wednesday, anything is possible,” he added.

Martinez y La Maquina will get that chance after this round where they will face the Los Angeles Galaxy. He isn’t worried. He says that his team has something special that the others don’t.

“We’ve played together for a long time. That’s the difference,” he said. “A lot of guys that could be playing on a PDL team want to play for La Maquina. They like playing here.”

Kristen Gehrke also contributed to this report