Submitted photo – The Emerald FC players and coaches celebrate their tournament win back in August.

2024 was a good year for the Emerald FC U10 travel soccer team.

The young local players came together on and off the field and developed into a very good team on their way to winning their final three tournaments of the season.

In August, Emerald FC placed first at a small local tournament hosted by Eel River Rapids and they followed that with a strong showing at the Apple Classic in Santa Rosa in September.

They would cap a breakthrough year with an appearance at the recent Smash Cup in Redding and once again took home the championship.

Asked what impressed him the most about this group of players, head coach John McGinnis said it was their resiliency.  

“There were a lot of peaks and valleys this season, but they became a band of brothers and trusted one another,” he said. “And they just played with all heart all the time.”

The team really started to come together at the Apple Classic, where they faced off against several bigger programs but didn’t back down from the challenge.

“September’s Apple Classic was a big step up for our team, facing bigger programs that have been together a lot longer than we have,” McGinnis said. “Most of our players just met each other this past March at tryouts and have done a great job bonding as a team and playing for one another.”

Emerald FC defeated Wesco United 6-5 in a high-scoring final.

The team’s successful run continued at the Smash Cup, where the Emerald players faced a previously undefeated Rogue United team in the final and rallied from a 3-2 deficit with two unanswered goals on the way to winning 4-3.

Submitted photo

The local club wasted no time setting the tone in tournament play and scored 10 goals in the tournament opener against Anderson and 14 more in game two against North State Soccer.  

That would give the players plenty of confidence in such a big tournament that featured 92 teams from throughout Oregon and Northern California.

“The most satisfying part was all the players got to play every position and each player scored to show how deep the team is all down the roster,” McGinnis said. 

The Emerald players would show their clutch side with a pair of one-goal victories on the second and final day of tournament play, including a 6-5 win in the semifinal to set up the championship showdown against Rogue United.

“These boys gave everything they had for the last game of the tournament,” McGinnis said. “Through all the bumps and bruises and shouts from the opposition, they prevailed and weathered the storm to become champions once again.

Josue Munoz Lopez in action for Emerald FC this season.

“As a coach I feel their growth and having fun is paramount to the hardware they receive on a weekend. And with these kids it’s been great to see both.”

Team captains Legend Taylor and Chayce McGinnis each was a force for the team at all three tournaments, as were Josue Munoz Lopez, Jacob Burgoa, Manolo Gonzalez and Bruno Ruiz, all of whom enjoyed a busy few months with the club.

Jeremy Sanders, Michael McBeth, Jesus Palacios, Ian Rivera and Aubree Velasquez each competed in two of the three tournaments while Bazil Backman and Sam Hawkins Lalander also were on hand for the August tournament.

McGinnis described the players as “hungry and humble kids from the small county of Humboldt, representing their families, town and club in a positive way.” 

“I want to give credit to our coaching staff Ernesto (Taylor), Nate (Rivera), Jacob (Burgoa), Jeremy (Sanders), Shelsey (McDonald) and Julio (Velasquez) for all the hard work and dedication, along with myself working weekly with these kids to learn the fundamentals of the game and the teamwork it takes to become champions,” said McGinnis, who also gave a “huge shoutout to the parents for their dedication, commitment, support and love for all the kids in the Emerald Family.”