Albion San Diego will look to regain second place in the NISA standings as it squares off against LA Force at Canyon Crest Academy Stadium on Saturday. This is a rematch of the April 23 meeting at Championship Stadium in Irvine where the two sides settled for a 1-1 draw thanks to a goal by Albion midfielder Shinya Kadono and LA Force forward Ivan Hernandez.

Both teams are separated by one point in the standings with Albion at 15 points after 10 games while LA Force at 14 after eight matches. A victory for either side would place them ahead of the Maryland Bobcats, which is in second place with 16 points after 12 games. Albion San Diego still has one more meeting against the Bobcats on Oct. 4 in Maryland.

The team, led by head coach Diego Gomez, comes into Saturday’s match having lost one of its previous six matches while only giving up one goal in its last three thanks to its great defensive play and goalkeeping from Ben Roach. Los Angeles comes in having won two of its last three games but having lost 3-0 to league-leader Chattanooga FC in its most recent match on July 1.

Albion San Diego and LA Force will play five times this season with their next meeting on July 31 followed by another on Aug. 13 at Canyon Crest Academy and the final one coming on Sept. 17. Albion will head off on a three-game road trip after Saturday’s match before returning home to start a six-game homestand starting on Aug. 8 versus Club de Lyon.

Photo courtesy: John Cocozza Photography