FC Tucson Women's roster filled with local talent, including alumni of Cienega, CDO, Catalina Foothills, Salpointe, others

Nowadays, pro or pre-professional sports teams typically have a city as part of their name, though their players hail from all over.

This season however, the FC Tucson Women roster really does stand for “Football Club Tucson.”

FC Tucson’s roster features at least 21 players from Tucson, one of its surrounding cities or the University of Arizona. And of those from Southern Arizona, nearly all played for the FC Tucson Youth development program and locally in high school. Local prep programs represented on this year’s FCTW roster include Cienega, Salpointe, Canyon del Oro, St. Augustine, Catalina Foothills, Walden Grove and Tucson High.

“We’re definitely trying to put more of an emphasis on building up through our youth program,” FC Tucson assistant coach Caylee Carter said. “Just making sure that we try and give the opportunities to local players if the opportunity is there.”

FC Tucson men’s head coach Sebastian Pineda, who also coaches the FC Tucson USL Academy side, said the organization is also trying to develop more local players for its first team.

FCTW head coach Roberto Garcia also serves as Director of Coaching for FC Tucson Youth girls and Carter also coaches for FCTY.

FC Tucson midfielder Fiorela Miranda said playing for the youth club was a great experience. She cited getting to meet players from all over town and top-notch coaching. Teammate Natalia Sepulveda agreed.

“You really find your rhythm and really find your identity as a player,” Sepulveda said. “Especially with FC Tucson and growing up in that community and having such amazing coaches that kind of develop you into the player that you are and get you ready for whatever the future may hold.

“Playing with the youth was obviously an amazing experience and it helps you get ready for everything that comes later on,” Sepulveda added.

Sepulveda, who went to Mountain View, played for one of Garcia’s FCTY sides.

“Roberto was my club coach when I was probably 16, 15, and so it’s awesome because he really knows who I am as a player and it’s nice to kind of have that sense of familiarity and just kind of connection now, more so, even with the women’s team,” Sepulveda said. “So it’s really cool to see the upgrades just within the Tucson community and that’s what makes FC Tucson so special, is that they stick to Tucson roots and it’s not just outsiders coming and it makes it more community (centered).”

Miranda, who started playing for FC Tucson Youth in the program’s first season, said graduating to the WPSL side wasn’t really something she thought about when she was a kid but now that she has the chance she is grateful.

“When you come out to play at the stadium it’s like ‘oh I’m playing at home,’” Miranda said.

In 2018 Tucson Soccer Academy and Tanque Verde Soccer Club merged to form FC Tucson Youth Soccer Club. FCTW started as TSA FC in 2013 before becoming FC Tucson Women in 2015.

Carter played for FC Tucson Women in 2016, 2017 and 2023.

“It’s definitely grown a lot,” Carter said about FCTW. “It’s been a big transition year for us in terms of changing the culture here, getting the program back to its former glory days of where it used to be and then taking it further from there.”

In FC Tucson Women’s 10 seasons of play (the WPSL canceled the 2020 season), the team won its conference or division four times and finished second or third four times.

Still, FCTW does feature prominent players from not just outside Southern Arizona, but outside the U.S. Those include forward Ashly Martinez (Torreon, Coahuila, Mexico), forward Luz Duarte (Nogales, Sonora, Mexico) and defender Leigha Dobbins (Motherwell, Scotland).

“It’s not that we don’t have players from other locations that somehow get connected with FC Tucson as a franchise but we do try to give opportunities to the local players that we know because we know it is a very talented group of young women that player here in town,” said Carter, who is originally from Phoenix but attended the University of Arizona. “So we do like to showcase the players that are able to play at this level.”

Corner kicks

FC Tucson Women’s (4-2-2) regular season closes Sunday when the club hosts the El Paso Surf (2-5-1) Sunday at 7 p.m at Kino North Stadium.

FCTW heads into the final weekend tied for second place with Arizona Arsenal (4-3-2) and Royals AZ (4-4-2) with 14 points apiece. SC del Sol (9-0-1) won the Desert Conference with 28 points but FC Tucson has two matches in hand on Royals and one on Arsenal, who FCTW was to face Saturday night on the road.

Only one team per conference makes the postseason but wildcard bids are possible and the regular-season champion can elect not to go.

The strongest competitors so far this season have been “Royals, del Sol and Arsenal,” Carter said.

“So those games have been pretty tough. Each game, each minute, is really challenging for our team but worthwhile because we’re getting really a great experience out of it for the younger players and also a challenge for the college players coming back — just to keep sharp.”

On the men’s side, FC Tucson (5-2-4) dropped to third place in the Southwest Division after splitting the points on July 3. FCT and Arizona Arsenal (4-3-5) played to a scoreless tie. The top two teams make the postseason.

FC Tucson’s men’s team plays at the last-place Southern California Eagles (1-10-1) on Sunday afternoon before retuning home on Tuesday to face second-place AMSG FC (6-3-2). FCT beat the Eagles 6-0 at home on June 21 and lost 3-2 to AMSG on June 8 on the road.