Santa Cruz Breakers FC

Breakers FC are an American semi-professional[1][2] soccer team based in Santa Cruz, California, United States. Founded in 1992, the team played in the National Premier Soccer League (NPSL) in 2007 and 2008, a national amateur league at the fourth tier of the American Soccer Pyramid.[3] The club in 2018 added a franchise in the Premier Development League,[3][4] now known as USL League Two, playing its home games at Carl Connelly Stadium on the campus of Cabrillo College in nearby Aptos, California. The team's colors are blue and white.

Breakers FC
Full nameBreakers FC
Nickname(s)Breakers
Founded2007
GroundSanta Cruz High School
ChairmanPaolo Carbone
ManagerMichael Runeare
LeagueUSL League Two
20195th, Southwest Division
Playoffs: DNQ

History

The team played for two years in the National Premier Soccer League from 2007 to 2008. In 2007 they finished third in their conference.[5] In 2008 they played in the Region IV qualifying round for the U.S. Open Cup finishing second in their group to Hollywood United F.C.. In the 2008 NPSL season they finished second in the Northwest Division[5] but folded prior to the 2009 season.[5]

After several years of inactivity at the senior level, in 2018 the team joined the Premier Development League,[3][4][6] which was renamed as USL League Two in 2019.[7]

Year-by-year
Year Division League Regular Season Playoffs Open Cup
2007 4 NPSL 3rd, Northwest Did not qualify Did not enter
2008 4 NPSL 2nd, Northwest Did not qualify Did not qualify
2018 4 USL PDL 4th, Northwest Did not qualify Did not qualify
2019 4 USL League Two 5th, Northwest Did not qualify Did not qualify

Head coaches
  • Michael Runeare (2007–2008; 2018–present)

Stadium

Breakers Youth System

The club feature a strong youth program[3] which serves as a feeder the USL team as well as many college programs. The "Breakers Blue 88" is the flagship youth team of the club. Led by captain and midfielder Jose Gonzalez, who also played for the US U-18 national team, they have won 5 of 6 Norcal state cup titles in the last 6 years. They also feature many top players from top high school programs such as Watsonville and Bellarmine. The team advanced to the semis at the national west region tournament and well as the far west regional tournament and played against top European professional youth academies at the Belizona tournament in Switzerland. Gonzalez was also named CCS sophomore of the year, and to the ALL Merc-CCS team as well as the All-America high school soccer team.

Besides Gonzalez, other notable standouts include Miguel Silva, who led Watsonville High School's soccer team to a No. 1 national ranking and two CCS championships, and was named an NSCAA All-American. He was a member of the US U-15 boys team. Another notable standout from the SCC breakers is David "Samurai" Estrada. A forward for the Seattle Sounders FC, he was the leading scorer for UCLA his first year as a walk-on, and a member of the U-18 national pool. He was named CCS player of the year after leading Alisal High School to a No. 2 national ranking, and scoring a national record of 66 goals including 11 in one game. His accomplishments in college soccer include being named to the Pac-10 second team, the NCAA tournament first team, Freshmen of the Year award, and leading UCLA to the NCAA finals, where he scored two goals against the University of Virginia in the semi-finals.

References
  1. Guzman, Isaiah; Santa Cruz Sentinel (3 May 2008). "SCC Breakers forward doesn't try to play flashy, he just happens to". Santa Cruz Sentinel. Santa Cruz, California: Digital First Media. Retrieved 19 May 2019.
  2. Reyes, Juan (10 May 2019). "Santa Cruz Breakers FC aims to send players to the pros". Register-Pajaronian. Watsonville, California: News Media Corporation. Retrieved 19 May 2019.
  3. Hodul, Thomas (31 January 2018). "Santa Cruz Breakers Add PDL First Team With an Eye Towards More". Midfield Press. Archived from the original on 1 February 2018. Retrieved 8 May 2019.
  4. Nunez, Tony (11 May 2018). "PDL Soccer: Breakers FC keeping dreams alive". Register-Pajaronian. Watsonville, California: News Media Corporation. Archived from the original on 4 May 2019. Retrieved 8 May 2019.
  5. Chu, Evan (13 April 2016). "Soccer in the Central Coast: Should the USL expand to Salinas?". Last Word on Sports. Retrieved 20 May 2019.
  6. "PDL ADDITION: Santa Cruz Breakers FC join the league". Front Row Soccer. 31 January 2018. Retrieved 20 May 2019.
  7. "USL Unveils New Structure: One Central Brand, Three Leagues, Evolving for the Future". United Soccer League. 25 September 2018. Retrieved 20 May 2019.
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