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Albuquerque Sol FC

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Albuquerque Sol FC
Full nameAlbuquerque Sol Football Club
Founded2013; 11 years ago (2013)
StadiumBen Rios Field
Albuquerque, New Mexico UNM Soccer Complex
Capacity1,500 (St. Pius), 6,200 (UNM Soccer Complex)
PresidentLarry Espinoza (interim)
General ManagerLarry Espinoza
CoachJustin Sells
LeagueUSL League Two
20194th, Mountain Division
Playoffs: DNQ
Websitehttp://www.abqsolfc.com/

Albuquerque Sol FC is an American soccer club based in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Co-founded by Ron Patel and Larry Espinoza in 2013, the team plays in USL League Two, the fourth tier of the American soccer pyramid.[1]

History

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Inaugural season (2014)

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On May 3, 2014, Albuquerque Sol F.C. opened its season on the road against the Las Vegas Mobsters in Las Vegas, Nevada. The Sol lost its first ever game 1–0.[2] The following week, they traveled to Highlands Ranch, Colorado for a two-match series against the Real Colorado Foxes. The first match resulted in a scoreless draw, but the second match featured the Sol's first ever goal (a tally from Ricardo Perez in the 60th minute) and first ever win, a 2–1 victory over the Foxes on Saturday, May 10.[3][4] The Sol opened their home slate at Ben Rios Field on May 24, 2014 against the Midland/Odessa Sockers, a 1–2 loss before a crowd of 1,318.[5] The 2014 edition of the Sol were competitive, obtaining a result in nine of their fourteen matches, but they were only able to secure 15 points and finished outside the USL PDL Mountain Division playoffs.

Early years (2015–2018)

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On July 18, 2015, Albuquerque Sol F.C. played its first playoff game against FC Tucson at the Kino Sports Complex in Tucson, Arizona.[6] The Sol lost that game 2–1.

Post-Ron Patel era (2018–present)

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On April 19, 2018, Ron Patel stepped down from Albuquerque Sol F.C. to pursue another in-state project. Co-founder and general manager Espinoza announced that he would double as President in an interim capacity with anticipation that a new full-time club manager would be filled by the end of the 2018 season.[7]

Year-by-year

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Year Division League Regular Season Playoffs Open Cup
2014 4 USL PDL 3rd, Mountain Did not qualify Did not qualify
2015 4 USL PDL 2nd, Mountain First round Did not qualify
2016 4 USL PDL 5th, Mid South Did not qualify 1st Round
2017 4 USL PDL 5th, Mountain Did not qualify Did not qualify
2018 4 USL PDL 3rd, Mountain Did not qualify Did not qualify
2019 4 USL League Two 4th, Mountain Did not qualify Did not qualify

Club culture

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Supporters

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Albuquerque Sol FC's official supporters group is the Sol Mates. In addition to the Sol Mates, there is an unofficial supporters group, the Sandianistas, which formed shortly after the club's inception in late 2013. The supporters sit in the west end of Ben Rios Field for all home matches.

Rivalries

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The Sol compete with FC Tucson in the Southwestern Showdown, an annual series for the right to hold the "Golden Rattler" trophy for the following year.[8] Albuquerque has also competed with FC Tucson and Las Vegas Mobsters for the Copa Frontera, a supporter-created trophy for clubs in the PDL Mountain Division with active supporter cultures.

Retired numbers

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Main article: Retired numbers in association football

At halftime of the Sol's home finale on July 12, 2014, the club retired its No. 4 jersey in commemoration of Grange's impact on local soccer as well as to raise awareness for ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis), the disease which claimed Grange's life in 2012.

Head coaches

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  • England Chris Cartlidge (2014)
  • England Matt Gordon (2015–2017)
  • United States Justin Sells (2018–present)

References

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  1. ^ "Albuquerque Sol FC Joins PDL". United Soccer Leagues (USL). December 5, 2013. Archived from the original on July 9, 2014. Retrieved December 5, 2013.
  2. ^ Albuquerque 0–1 Las Vegas
  3. ^ "Albuquerque 0–0 Real Colorado". Archived from the original on 2014-06-25. Retrieved 2018-10-08.
  4. ^ "Albuquerque 2–1 Real Colorado". Archived from the original on 2014-06-25. Retrieved 2018-10-08.
  5. ^ "Midland/Odessa 2–1 Albuquerque". Archived from the original on 2014-06-25. Retrieved 2018-10-08.
  6. ^ "Sol Take on Tucson in Playoffs – Albuquerque Sol FC". Albuquerque Sol FC. 2015-07-18. Retrieved 2018-05-03.
  7. ^ Davis, Ron (2018-04-19). "Albuquerque's soccer team president steps down". bizjournals.com. Retrieved 2018-05-03.
  8. ^ ""Southwestern Showdown" Begins Tonight". FCTucson.com. June 6, 2013. Archived from the original on July 14, 2014.
  9. ^ "No one will ever wear the #4 in honor of Pat Grange", Albuquerque Sol FC Facebook page, 12 July 2014
  10. ^ ""Grange to be remembered by Sol; Albuquerque to retire number in halftime ceremony of home finale", USLPDL.com, 11 July 2014". Archived from the original on 2014-10-23. Retrieved 2014-07-13.
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