Feb. 28, 2025
By Davis Ramage and Dan Minkoff
LONG BEACH, CA — Long Beach FC returns a solid group of core players, including 10 who started more than half its games last season, as the team prepares to make a playoff push in the UPSL Premier Spring 2025 season led by new head coach Art Caballero.
The club begins SoCal North conference play on the road at 3 p.m. this Saturday, March 1 against San Fernando Valley FC. The game will be at Gol Soccer Complex in North Hollywood and will be streamed live on YouTube here. Long Beach played one of its best games of the fall season when it defeated SFVFC, 1-0.
LBFC will make its home debut at 7 p.m. on Saturday, March 8 against Laguna United FC at its new home, Cabrillo High School Jaguar Stadium. Tickets for all home games, including a season Shorepass (buy five games, get one free) can be purchased online or at the gate.
Home Schedule (all games kick off at 7 p.m. at Jaguar Stadium):
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March 8 vs Laguna United
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March 22 vs Apple Valley Storm
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April 5 vs 88 Thirty
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May 3 vs Santa Ana Winds FC
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May 17 vs Inland Empire Football Club
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June 7 vs AMSG
The first two weeks will allow the club to feature its new home and away kits, with Food Finders, a nonprofit 501(c)(3) food rescue organization with a mission to reduce hunger and improve nutrition in communities, as the new front-of-the-jersey sponsor. Legends, the first modern sports bar in America, is featured on the back of the jersey and Sports Basement is on the sleeve.
With 20 years of coaching experience, Caballero aims to lead the team to the playoffs after finishing in a three-way tie for fifth place (4-5-1, 13 points) in its first season in the UPSL Premier. Long Beach FC, which changed its name from Shoreline United, narrowly missed earning a spot in the Fall season playoffs due to goal differential.
“I am excited about the season with so many returning players and a deeper bench, which we’ll need to make the playoffs and make a run in the postseason,” Caballero said. “The club is in great shape and we will look to improve every day.”
Among the returning starters from last season’s squad are forward Chris Martinez. who bagged four goals in the Fall 2024 campaign — the most of any returning player — and team captain and center defender Aaron Minkoff. Defender Diego Venegas, second on the team in minutes played during the fall, and Zane Baumgardt also return to anchor the back line.
Minkoff played all but 45 minutes in the fall. Although he didn’t find the net, he scored six goals in the 2024 Spring season and promotion playoffs as an aerial threat and was accurate from the penalty spot, as well.
“With most of our guys returning, we can only expect to get better and improve on last season,” Minkoff said. “We ended last season on a strong note and we’re looking to continue that form into this season.”
Also returning is midfielder Martin Velasquez, who led the team with three assists and added three goals, as a playmaker from the attacking midfield position. The midfield is deep, with returners Wyatt Soto, Sebastian Rus, Connor Borra, Skylar Brooks and Spencer Hungerford joined by newcomer Taetum Lopez. Up top, James Obleda, who scored twice in the fall, and Martinez will have new strike partners in Michele Somenzi and Jay Hines, while defenders Jerry Showe, Jack Schaaf, Nicholas Sailer and Erick Quevedo return, joined by Michael Mckibbin, David Forde and Misael Alvarado. Both goalkeepers, Alan Solorio and Charlie Murray, also return.
Continuity will be crucial for Long Beach FC as the players built strong chemistry during last spring’s promotion from Division 1 and steadily climbed in the SoCal North standings during the second half of the Fall season.
“We expect to push to make the playoffs and be a title contender this season,” Minkoff said. “I think we have a really good team and a really good opportunity to do that.”
The race for the UPSL SoCal North title is set to be a tight competition as it features two teams with recent National Championship experience: Inland Empire FC, the runner-up in the 2024 Spring season, and Chiriaco FC, the national champion of the 2023 Fall season. In addition, Coachella Football Club — the SoCal North Fall season champ — qualified for the national playoffs and lost in the round of 32 to eventual quarterfinalist LA10, a team that LBFC defeated in the Spring 2024 promotion playoffs.
“Southern California has a lot of talent and a lot of great teams, so we have our work cut out,” Caballero said. “But we’re ready, I feel good about it and I can’t wait to start.”
#ForTheLBC
