Sonoma County Sol
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| Sonoma County Sol | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Full name | Sonoma County Sol | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Nickname(s) | Sol | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Founded | 2004 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Ground | Ernie Nevers Field | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Capacity | ???? | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Chairman | Ramiro Briceno | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Manager | Dave Shaffer | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| League | National Premier Soccer League | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2006 | 3rd, did not qualify for playoffs | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Sonoma County Sol are an American soccer team, founded in 2004. The team is a member of the National Premier Soccer League (NPSL), the fourth tier of the American Soccer Pyramid, and play in the Northwest Conference against teams from Chico, Redwood City, Sacramento, Salinas and San Jose.
The Sol play their home matches at Ernie Nevers Field on the grounds of Santa Rosa High School in the city of Santa Rosa, California, 55 miles north of San Francisco. The team's colors are blue and white.
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[edit] Current squad
As of October 13, 2006
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[edit] History
After the 2004 season, the MPSL disbanded but a new men's league, the National Premier Soccer League (NPSL), replaced the previous league and expanded on the territory of the MPSL by adding a Midwestern Division. The Sol was one of the founding clubs of the NPSL, specifically in the Western Division. Like the NPSL and its member clubs, the Sol falls under the auspices of the United States Amateur Soccer Association (USASA) and the United States Soccer Federation (USSF).
In 2005, the Sol finished second in the Western Division in the regular season standings, 3 points behind the Sacramento Knights, attaining the number 2 seed in the NPSL West playoffs. In the Western Division playoffs, the Sol beat the number 3 seed Chico Rooks at home in the semifinals and then traveled to Sacramento to face the Knights in the NPSL West Championship Game. The Sol triumphed over the Knights in a hard fought match at the soccer stadium at Sacramento State University, garnering the NPSL West Championship. The Sol then hosted Midwest Champion Detroit Arsenal for the inaugural NPSL National Championship game in Santa Rosa, California.
Also in 2005, the Sol qualified as one of three NPSL West representatives for the Region IV U.S. Open Cup (U.S. Open Cup Website qualifying tournament, where the Sol won its group and then went on to beat the Salinas Valley Samba for the tournament championship and a spot in the USASA National Open Cup. The Sol would later meet the Samba in Santa Rosa in the first round of the U.S. Open Cup itself. At the USASA National Open Cup in the August heat of Frisco, Texas, in the semifinals the Sol faced the AAC Eagles of Chicago who prevailed 2-1. With this result, the Sol's 2005 campaign came to an end.
[edit] Year-by-year
| Year | Division | League | Reg. Season | Playoffs | Open Cup |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | "4" | MPSL | 6th | Did not qualify | Did not qualify |
| 2005 | "4" | NPSL | 2nd, Western | Finalists | First Round |
| 2006 | "4" | NPSL | 3rd, Northwest | Did not qualify | Second Round |
[edit] Notable Former Players
Sol players have moved up from this "minor league" soccer team to play for Major League Soccer teams such as the Los Angeles Galaxy (Troy Roberts), the Kansas City Wizards (Eric Kronberg) and C.D. Chivas USA (Miguel Santoyo).
[edit] Women's Team
In 2006, the Sol began a women's team, joining the Women's Premier Soccer League (WPSL) with a spot in the West Division.
[edit] Citations
U.S. Open Cup Web Page Profiling Sonoma County FC Sol One of many Press Democrat (a New York Times newspaper) Articles about Sol
