By Diego Arancibia
March 14, 2026
THE RESULT: Long Beach FC dropped its home opener on Saturday night, falling 6‑1 to Montclair Academy at its new home stadium, St. Anthony High School Athletic Complex, in the UPSL Premier SoCal North conference.
NOTABLE: Montclair Academy assembled many of the former players from Chiriaco FC, the UPSL Premier Fall 2023 national champion.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
- Montclair Academy built a 6‑0 lead by the 60th minute, controlling the match early and throughout.
- Javier Palomares scored his debut goal in the 88th minute to put Long Beach on the board.
BY THE NUMBERS:
- Possession: Montclair Academy 56%, LBFC 44%
- Shots: Montclair Academy 19, LBFC 7
- Corners: LBFC 5, Montclair Academy 2
- Fouls: Montclair Academy 13, LBFC 6
- Passes: Montclair Academy 357, LBFC 234
- Passing Percentage: Montclair Academy 74%, LBFC 64%
- Yellow Cards: LBFC 2, Montclair Academy 1
OTHER HIGHLIGHTS:
- The home crowd welcomed six new LBFC players as the team fielded a deeper roster than in the season opener.
- Montclair Academy improved to 1‑1‑0 (3 points).
- Long Beach fell to 0‑1‑1 (1 point).
UPCOMING MATCHES:
- Saturday, March 21 @ 6 p.m.: at Santa Ana Winds FC (Lake Forest Sports Park, 28000 Vista Terrace, Lake Forest, CA 92630)
- Sunday, March 29 @ 5:30 p.m.: vs SoCal United at St. Anthony High School Athletic Complex (4832 Clark Ave, Long Beach, CA 90808)
- TICKETS: Purchase a Spring 2026 Shore Pass for all home games or get individual adult and youth game tickets here.
THE TAKEAWAY: Despite a difficult home opener, Long Beach FC gained valuable minutes for new additions and will look to respond on the road before returning home later this month.
https://longbeachfootballclub.com