LA Force, a third-division professional soccer team based in Long Beach, is quickly filling up its trophy cabinet in just its second year playing locally.
On Tuesday, the team captured its second major win in two years when it beat Southern California-based Capo FC 4-1 in the National Independent Soccer Association Cup, an eight-team showcase tournament held in Washington, Michigan.
The tournament served as the first professional games of the year for LA Force. Last season, the team was part of the National Independent Soccer Association, a third-division league sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation.
Last December, the league lost its provisional sanction and canceled the 2025 season while it worked to regain it. In the meantime, LA Force has been playing in the NISA Nation amateur league.
Last October, LA Force captured its first title in club history with a win on penalty kicks in front of more than 1,400 fans at Veterans Stadium in Long Beach.
After that win, players celebrated with champagne in the locker room. Following Tuesday’s victory, more than 2,300 miles away from Southern California, the players had only enough time for one shot of liquor before heading to the airport for a flight back to Long Beach, said forward Michael Salazar, who scored the game’s first goal in the 74th minute.
“We’re trying to build something within the community and show that we have a lot of hungry guys that want to be successful,” Salazar said.
Fellow forward Joel Quist was the star of the game and MVP of the tournament, despite meeting some of his teammates just eight days prior.
Quist scored two goals in extra time — one in the 96th minute and one in the 100th minute — to give LA Force the victory.
His second goal of the game, and fifth of the tournament, clinched him the Golden Boot award, given to the top goal scorer in the tournament.
Earlier in the game, Quist said he was kicking himself for taking a shot on goal instead of passing to open teammates. He said he felt he was responsible for allowing Capo FC to even the score on the ensuing possession.
His teammates didn’t let him shoulder that burden for long.
“They had my back and they let me know that, you know, the game’s not over yet,” Quist said.
Quist’s go-ahead goal was set up by a well-placed pass by midfielder Oscar Delgado.
Quist dribbled past the Capo FC goalkeeper and slotted the ball past two sliding defenders.
Four minutes later, he finished a diagonal pass across the box from midfielder Bryan Ortega to bring the tally to 3-1.
Quist said the team “was a well-oiled machine” all tournament. He played with LA Force last season, but the league’s hiatus sent him looking for another team to play professional soccer in the meantime.
After rejoining LA Force for the tournament, Quist came off the bench in the first game.
LA Force head coach Dekel Keinan said he recognized quickly that Quist was “fully fit” and “the guys completely trusted him.”
Keinan commended Quist’s effort on offense and defense throughout the tournament.
“I gave him a lot of freedom to do what he’s doing very good and he provided for the group,” Keinan said. “
Ortega scored in the game’s final minute to put the game out of reach at 4-1.
Ortega and Salazar finished with two goals each for the tournament, tied for second on the team behind Quist.
LA Force continues its amateur season on Nov. 1 at 7 p.m. with a game at St. Anthony High School’s Athletic Complex on Clark Avenue near Del Amo Boulevard against Temecula FC.
After four games this season, the team sits in first place with 8 points. That’s one point ahead of another local club, Problems FC, in the NISA Nation Southwest division.
The season is scheduled to end in late December. After that, LA Force will find out if next year’s league, scheduled to start in March, will regain its officially sanctioned status from the Soccer Federation.
“These players deserve to play professional football,” Keinan said.