California Natives control AMSG Elite at home 2-1 in the SoCal Premier Spring season.

Pre-Game

This matchup is the third encounter between the two sides. In the previous two games, AMSG Elite defeated the SB team 3-1 back in February and 2-1 back in March 24′.

The hosts were on the longest undefeated streak (in all competitions) in club history, with 8 games without a loss. Their spring season record coming into match week 4 was 2-1-0, with 7 points.

Meanwhile, AMSG Elite was in an L-W form in the spring season and finished 7th place in the regular season with a 5-1-11 record. Their last win was a 10-1 thrashing of Olympiacos CA Reserves.

Game Recap

On a partly cloudy evening in Indian Springs High School in San Bernardino, the hosts, California Natives in blue, take on the visitors, AMSG Elite in white.

Cali natives started the game by knocking on the door quickly, with 2 shots on target within 3 minutes. They played physically and rapidly, building the play from the back, and were not afraid to shoot from afar.

Meanwhile, AMSG made mistakes and was passive, reactionary, and adapted to the blue team’s style of play. Cali Natives were attacking from lob balls to the left, using a dump-and-chase style, while being defensively pressured in the midfield and forcing turnovers with stand tackles.

In the 18th, the hosts strike first from a shot in the box by Angel Paredes; the goalkeeper fails to grasp the easy catch as the ball pops out of his hands, over his head, and the ball goes in.

Shortly after, on the 23rd, they get a second goal from the right side. Aaron Urzua blasts from a tough angle in the box, and it lands home. 2-0 for the SB team.

Sometime later, AMSG saw some chances moving forward, which looked improvised but got squished out by the Cali Natives’ pressure. In the 50/50 balls, the Blues had more intensity and fought to win the ball, while the boys in white were chasing it and having less possession.

The Blues were overall calm under pressure and were more physical to show that they controlled the first half as the referee blew the whistle to end the first half.

The second half would begin, and both teams continued with their same style of play. AMSG, however, does possess the ball more, passing and moving up the field as well as taking shots from far.

Meanwhile, Cali Natives had players make individual efforts to push the ball through the white team’s defense.

After the back and forth from both sides, in the 75′, AMSG cut the host’s lead in half from a goal in a tough right angle and sliced through the net, to the surprise of the home fans, who assumed it was out. The score is now 2-1.

Shortly after, in a move I usually do not make, I left the game early to catch the train home, but with a DM from a user/Cali Native player who was at the game, the scoreline did not change. It could be safe to assume that the final ten minutes were not dramatically different.

Opinion

Usually, I refrain from sharing my personal opinions on matches; however, the referee in this game stood out more than any other I have seen since covering the game. There was a level of unprofessionalism to this center ref that doesn’t belong in a serious league like the SoCal Premier. Here is a list of my observations

• 20 minutes late kickoff
• He forgot his whistle (the line judge had a spare)
• Constant bantering with the fans
• Confusing sarcasm or being naive about fouls
• Asked out loud, “What does that mean?” when the line judge signals a substitution  

Overall, his antics didn’t favor one team or the other; perhaps a few fouls and no calls frustrated AMSG. I’m sure it’s not first game jitters either; fans recognized him, commenting to correct him in a joking manner, and he wasn’t a young guy either. I found it concerning for this level of the game; of course, the SoCal Premier isn’t Division 3 professional, but it’s not Sunday league either.   

Postgame

California Natives continue their historic undefeated streak to 9 and have a 3-1-0 record in the spring season. They jump to 2nd place in the standings with 10 pts. Their next game is on June 14, as they host 1st-place Capo FC II.

1st	Capo FC II	6-0-0	18 pts
2nd	Cali Natives	3-1-0	10 pts
3rd	Atlas FC South Bay	3-0-1	9 pts
4th	Zapa FC	2-1-1	7pts
5th	AMSG Elite	1-0-2	3 pts

For the visitors, AMSG Elite is now 1-0-2 and is 5th in the standings. They are on the road for their next game on June 8 against OC Bulgar FC.