Chula Vista FC’s teams are getting ready for next week’s MLS Next Fest!
Chula Vista FC’s B2005, B2007, B2008 and B2009 teams are getting ready to participate in the annual MLS Next Fest tournament to be held from December 5th through December 10th in Phoenix Arizona.
B2008s Head Coach and former Chula Vista FC player, Jose Antonio Govea, explains how his team matches up for this tournament and how he sees the opportunity to play MLS academies such as Inter Miami in this event: “We are always striving to improve. We’ve established a growth mindset with the group and I’m very pleased to see what we have accomplished in the short time together. We aim to be the best in everything that we do, match results, mentality, attitude, competitiveness. What better way to entertain these core beliefs than with a matchup with Inter Miami. It’s always a privilege to be able to compete against an MLS Academy. It provides a great opportunity for our players to see how they rank against players who are currently at that level. We faced both of our MLS neighbors, LAFC and LA Galaxy, earlier this year and we competed exceptionally against the two. We were able to overcome LAFC U16’s 2-1 and we just fell just short against LA Galaxy’s U17. We currently sit at 12-6-1 in both LEAGUE AND FLEX combined. “ The team’s performance has caught the eye of MLS academies, and currently, two of their players, Pablo Enriquez and Elvis Villalva were invited to try out for LA Galaxy, with Elvis also representing Chula Vista FC in the BEST OF BEST match at the FEST.
Govea’s explains that a great part of his success as a coach comes from what his father, Jose Govea Sr, taught him: “I started coaching as an assistant on my father’s team. I learned a lot from him. He always told me that you had to finish what you start and that the word ‘Can’t’ was not in his dictionary. He is a great man. He does things for people without asking for anything in return.” Govea Sr. coached for Chula Vista FC for over 10 years. Govea Jr has been coaching on his own as Head Coach for the past 4 years with Chula Vista FC’s MLS Next teams.
Another Chula Vista FC’s former player, Fernando Mares, coaches the B2007 MLS Next team. Mares was Govea’s teammate in the same Chula Vista FC’s U18 team. He is also getting his team ready for the tournament. Mares said: “We have been analyzing our previous games. Our priority will be to correct our errors and look to implement our style of play. We are currently in third place in our conference. We have been improving during the past weeks and I am confident that we will do good in this tournament.” Mares added: “These types of tournaments are very important for our players’ development. It also gives them a chance to get noticed by very important scouts. We hope they show their full potential for them”. Mares also played for Chula Vista FC for 10 years and has been coaching for the club for the last 4 years at the MLS Next level.
Chula Vista FC’s Technical Director, Eden Esquerre, coaches the other two squads (B2005 and B2009) that will also represent the club at the MLS Next Fest. Esquerre said: “This tournament is very important for us as a club. It is an opportunity to showcase our playing style and structure. It is also very beneficial for our players so they can be noticed by the many scouts that will be watching our games.”
Chula Vista FC’s Academy Director, Jose Hector Diaz, had this to say about the event: Diaz said: “The MLS Next Fest event is a unique and fantastic showcase unlike any other from other leagues. Only four clubs represent San Diego, and we are proud to be one of them, especially as the sole representative from the South Bay area. Our participation in such an important event is a testament to the hard work put in by everyone in our club to consistently develop top players in the area. And it will all be capped off at the end, with our U16 playing Inter Miami on the last day of the tournament.”
MLS Next Fest is the largest event in the 2023-24 season, as over 300 teams from the United States and Canada will compete in the Showcase across four different age groups. The six-day event is one of the most attended by college, national team, and professional scouts/coaches during the entire MLS NEXT season as more than 800 matches will be played in a single location.