Chula Vista FC B2011 Villa Wins SoCal State Cup!
Our Chula Vista FC B2011 Villa won Socal’s State Cup in dramatic fashion, defeating PYSL Blast in penalty kicks 1-1 (4-3) this past Sunday. The boys earned their way to the championship game by outlasting Atlante FC, also in PKs, 1-1 (3-1). In both games, the team equalized in the final minutes of regulation time with goals from Pablo Sandoval (semifinals) and Christian Felix (championship).
This must be in Chula Vista FC’s DNA. Last season, our Chula Vista FC B2009 Villa reached Socal’s State Cup Championship game by winning back-to-back penalty shootouts. And who could forget the heroics of the First Team in the 2020 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup, where they won three straight penalty shootouts? And by the way, our B2011 Villa’s Head Coach, Rodrigo Meza, was a player for that First Team squad scoring a couple of goals in the last game of that amazing run.
Head Coach Rodrigo Meza shared his thoughts on winning the tournament and what it means for Chula Vista FC:
“It feels great! It really shows the quality and depth of talent the club has. We had four players move up to the EA2 team, added four new players and a new coach (me), and we were still finalists in a couple of tournaments before winning State Cup.”
Coach Meza also reflected on how the tournament unfolded:
“We looked very strong throughout the tournament, and I felt very confident. After winning the semifinal, I thought we had a great shot at winning it all. The boys’ confidence level was something I hadn’t seen from them all season.”
Before the penalty shootout, Coach Meza gave his players some final words of encouragement:
“I told them not to stress too much, pick a side, and shoot confidently. I also reassured them that the parents and I would be proud no matter the outcome.”
Coach Meza concluded:
“Super proud of the boys. We had a rough start to the fall regular season, and winning State Cup was the perfect way to end it. It really showed their improvement and how much their chemistry grew.”
At Chula Vista FC, we strive to field competitive teams, and this is a perfect example. Competing in MLS Next, Elite Academy, EA2, and still winning a State Cup at the SoCal level shows that the club is doing things the right way.