There is No Place Like Home for ALBION
La Jolla Village News
Why ALBION San Diego Professional SC Should Play at Mission Bay Stadium in 2022.
As a wise man named Warren Smith once said, “I truly believe that San Diego is the capital of soccer in North America.” If that is the case, then Mission Bay Stadium, located in the Pacific Beach area of San Diego, is the epicenter of the capital.
As someone who resided in Pacific Beach from 2014 to 2017, you would be hard-pressed to find a better example of a place where so many different cultures, ethnicities, and nationalities merge, with an overwhelming percentage being under 30 years of age.
One of my fondest memories during my time living in Pacific Beach was attending the 2014 World Cup semifinal between Brazil and Germany at a sports bar on Grand Ave.
My buddies and I got there about 45 minutes before the match started and there was a line of people half a block long trying to get in the bar as well. We made it inside literally 30 seconds before the referee blew his whistle to start the game, and there were still about 50 people behind us, with only a handful more being allowed inside before the place reached capacity.
Needless to say, that famous match (or infamous if you were rooting for Brazil) was a special occasion, and surely that specific establishment wasn’t the only one that held to deal with these circumstances.
My point is that the vibe and atmosphere in that part of town is something that can’t be mimicked and should be fertile ground for any soccer team to be a success.
Not to mention the history that ASC SD has already established since it was founded in 2015, having made the national semifinals (NPSL) as early as 2019 before all this COVID nightmare reared its ugly head in the spring of 2020.
More recently. they got a taste of the NISA competition playing in the 2021 Independent Cup, which included a match against the spring season runner-up, LA Force. The team from San Diego came out with the 1-0 victory.
On their end, while 1904 FC did not have what could be classified as a successful fall 2021 NISA season, it was not due to a lack of effort by the players, with most of the losses suffered coming by a one-goal difference.
Canyon Crest Academy Stadium, where 1904 FC played their home games last season, did have its own energy. Thanks to the supporters who showed up and were as dependable as the effort the players gave on the pitch. However, I think that for the reasons mentioned above, it would be very cool to see the team playing at Mission Bay Stadium moving forward.
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Everything a fan needs to scream their lungs out for the team is within walking distance. The only question would be… where to have the pre and post-game festivities.
Hector Trujillo received his B.A. and M.A. from SDSU. Born in Mexicali and raised in Tijuana, Hector has lived in San Diego for over 25 years and covered soccer since 2003 (The Daily Aztec).