San Diego 1904 FC

San Diego 1904 FC is an American professional soccer team based in San Diego, California, United States.[2]

San Diego 1904 FC
Full nameSan Diego 1904 FC
Nickname(s)1904 FC
Founded2016
StadiumVic Player Stadium
San Diego, California
Capacity3,700
OwnersDemba Ba, Eden Hazard, Vagno Chandara, Alexandre Gontran[1]
Head coachAlex Gontran
LeagueNational Independent Soccer Association
WebsiteClub website

History

The name 1904 was suggested by a fan, and refers to S and D, the nineteenth and fourth letters of the alphabet (also, the letters S and D resemble the numbers 9 and 0 in the club logo).[3] Commenters on social media pointed out that the number could also be seen as a reference to a joke in the film Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy (in which Burgundy falsely asserts that San Diego was "discovered by the Germans in 1904"), leading journalists to suggest that reference may have been intentional.[4][5][6]

The club's founders include soccer players Demba Ba and Eden Hazard.[1] The club intended to build a soccer stadium in Oceanside, approximately 40 miles (64 km) north of downtown San Diego.[7]

The team was originally announced to make its debut in the North American Soccer League in 2018.[8] However, due to the cancellation of the 2018 NASL season, the expansion team withdrew from the NASL and attempted to reach an agreement to join the United Soccer League in 2019.[9][10] On June 7, 2018, it was revealed that 1904 FC's exclusive negotiating window had elapsed without agreement in place to join USL.[11] On September 6, 2018, the National Independent Soccer Association (NISA), a planned Division III league, confirmed that San Diego 1904 FC was the league's first member club.[12] NISA has applied to the United States Soccer Federation (U.S. Soccer) for sanctioning as a Division III league to start play in 2019.[13] The club played at 70,561-seat capacity SDCCU Stadium for the Fall 2019 NISA season.[14]

On August 29, 2019, Alexandre Gontran was announced as the club's first head coach.[15]

In the spring, the team announced it would move to Lincoln High School within the city.[16]

Players and staff

Current roster
As of February 27, 2020[17]
No. Position Player Nation
2 Defender Alexis Velela  United States
3 Defender Mac Clarke  United States
4 Defender Ozzie Ramos  United States
5 Defender Josiah Benjamin  England
6 Defender Dallin Cutler  United States
7 Midfielder Felipe Liborio  United States
8 Midfielder Christian Enriquez  United States
9 Forward Lorenzo Ramirez Jr.  United States
10 Forward Ernesto Espinoza  United States
11 Forward Nelson Blanco  El Salvador
13 Defender Eder Arreola  United States
14 Midfielder Brandon Zambrano  Mexico
16 Forward Adonis Amaya  United States
17 Midfielder Diego Ezquivel  United States
19 Midfielder Billy Garton  England
21 Goalkeeper Jean Antoine  Haiti
22 Midfielder Jesse Vogel  United States
23 Forward Hanif Wright  United States
25 Forward Don Tchilao  Benin
29 Defender Joseph Perez  United States
98 Midfielder Milo Barton  England
— Forward Mert Egeli  Turkey
— Goalkeeper Antony Siaha  Cameroon

Stadiums

Year-by-year
Season League Div. Pos. Pl. W D L GS GA Pts. Playoffs U.S. Open Cup Top goalscorer Manager
Name League
2019–20 NISA Fall - West Coast[lower-alpha 1] 3rd 6 2 0 4 9 15 6 Did not qualify Second Round Lorenzo Ramirez Jr. 3
Alexandre Gontran
Spring[lower-alpha 2] 5th 2 0 2 0 2 2 2 Cancelled
  1. The Fall 2019 NISA season had eight teams split into two separate conferences, East Coast and West Coast
  2. Spring season cancelled before completion[18]

References
  1. "Founders". San Diego 1904. Retrieved August 29, 2019.
  2. Zeigler, Mark (October 18, 2017). "San Diego's NASL soccer team unveils name". San Diego Union-Tribune. Retrieved October 18, 2017.
  3. "About 1904 FC". 1904 FC. Retrieved February 1, 2018.
  4. Gartland, Dan (October 18, 2017). "Is San Diego's NASL Team Named for an Anchorman Reference?". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved October 19, 2017.
  5. "San Diego's NASL team name is NOT an 'Anchorman' reference, unless it is". FourFourTwo. October 18, 2017. Retrieved February 1, 2018.
  6. Hamblin, Abby (October 17, 2017). "Is San Diego's new soccer team's name an 'Anchorman' reference, or not?". The San Diego Union-Tribune. Retrieved February 1, 2018.
  7. Ziegler, Mark (October 25, 2017). "New pro soccer team to build stadium in ..." San Diego Union-Tribune. Retrieved February 6, 2018.
  8. "NASL Announces Expansion Club In San Diego For 2018 Season". North American Soccer League. Retrieved June 26, 2017.
  9. Zeigler, Mark (February 27, 2018). "San Diego's 1904 FC soccer team to join USL after NASL cancels season". sandiegouniontribune.com. San Diego Union-Tribune. Retrieved March 1, 2018.
  10. "1904 FC Ownership Group Issues Official Statement on Tuesday". 1904 FC. February 27, 2018.
  11. "USL denies expansion application for San Diego pro soccer team 1904 FC". Retrieved June 7, 2018.
  12. Kivlehan, Chris (September 6, 2018). "NISA Tones Down Visionary Rhetoric As It Seeks USSF Sanctioning". Midfield Press. Retrieved September 29, 2018.
  13. Kivlehan, Chris (September 4, 2018). "NISA Submits Application for Division III Pro League Sanctioning". Midfield Press. Retrieved September 29, 2018.
  14. Zeigler, Mark (July 17, 2019). "San Diego soccer team 1904 FC is back, with new league and giant stadium". San Diego Union-Tribune. Retrieved July 17, 2019.
  15. "1904 FC announces head coach". San Diego 1904. August 29, 2019. Retrieved August 29, 2019.
  16. "1904 FC Announces Home Opener, NISA Spring Schedule". 1904 FC. January 28, 2020. Retrieved February 3, 2020.
  17. "Roster". Retrieved October 20, 2019.
  18. Kennedy, Paul. "NISA cancels spring season, sets sights on August start to fall championship". www.socceramerica.com. Retrieved April 28, 2020.
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