For the second straight season, FC Tucson’s season ended one match short of the USL Premier Development League final four.
On Saturday night, FC Tucson (9-3-4) lost 2-1 to the Seattle Sounders FC U-23s in the PDL Western Conference final at Kino North Stadium.
“It’s like being in the Elite Eight and just not getting there, year after year,” said FC Tucson coach Rick Schantz. “That elusive final four is out there for us and we’ll get it.”
The loss was FC Tucson’s second home PDL loss.
Last season, FC Tucson lost 3-0 to the Kitsap Pumas in the Western Conference final, also at home, a loss it avenged on Friday night with a 4-1 win. Kitsap had been unbeaten and won the Sounders’ division.
“It’s just heart-breaking,” said defender Edgar Reyna. “I’ve been here three years and I’ve been in the conference final two years in a row now, and it’s hard, we just can’t get past that.”
People are also reading…
The Sounders moved on to the PDL national semifinals next Friday and ended FC Tucson’s seven-match PDL win streak.
“It really hurts, it really hurts,” said FC Tucson forward Odaine Sinclair, “because I think Kitsap was the better team and the way we played last night — I’m not saying that we would have an easy game — but Kitsap is the better team and we displayed well last night.”
The Sounders (9-4-1) struck first, with a second-minute goal from midfielder Kento Sakurai, who poked the ball in from inside the six-yard box after FC Tucson goalkeeper Thomas Olsen made a save.
“Maybe we got all of our luck used up last night, but they were well-organized, they had a good game plan,” Schantz said.
Reyna headed in the equalizing goal in the 37th minute off a cross from midfielder Michael Turner. In the 72nd minute, defender Jonathan Campbell scored on a rebound in a crowded 18-yard box to give the Sounders the match-winner. FC Tucson had a couple close calls in the second half. In the 62nd minute, forward David Clemens chested the ball into the post and Sounders goalkeeper Jefferson Caldwell grabbed it. Then in the 83rd minute, the Sounders almost had an own goal, but Caldwell dove to save it, too.
“We had our chances and everything it just didn’t go our way,” Reyna said.
Sinclair said the fatigue of playing two days in a row caught up to the team and that the PDL should move to a Friday/Sunday schedule for the semifinals and final.
Reyna and forward Pedro Espindola, who had a hat trick on Friday, were subbed out.
Attendance was 1,681.
“They wanted to do it for Tucson and this community. I hurt for them,” Schantz said.
