Los Angeles Legends

Football club infobox
clubname = Los Angeles Legends


fullname = Los Angeles Legends Football Club
nickname = The Legends
founded = 2006
ground = Cougar Stadium
capacity = ????
chairman = flagicon|USA Josh Hodges
manager = flagicon|USA Phil Wolf
league = USL Premier Development League
season = 2008
position = 6th, Southwest Division

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Los Angeles Legends are an American soccer team, founded in 2006. The team is a member of the United Soccer Leagues Premier Development League (PDL), the fourth tier of the American Soccer Pyramid, and plays in the Southwest Division of the Western Conference against teams from Bakersfield, Calabasas, Fresno, Irvine, La Mirada, Lancaster, San Francisco, San Jose and Ventura.

They play their home games at Cougar Stadium on the campus of Azusa Pacific University in the city of Azusa, California, 24 miles east of downtown Los Angeles. The team's colors are black and white.

During their first two seasons of existence, the team was known as Los Angeles Storm. Following a merger between two local youth clubs in the area - Glendora FC and FC Stampede - and their subsequent partnership with the existing PDL and W-League sides, the team changed its name to its current incarnation. The name change was announced in a press release on January 16, 2008.

The team has a sister organization, the Los Angeles Legends Women, who play in the women's USL W-League.

2008 Roster

Year-by-year

Competition History

After acquiring the PDL franchise rights the Springfield Storm franchise that used to play in the PDL out of Springfield, Missouri, the Legends began life as Los Angeles Storm under head coach Chris Volk, and made their debut in PDL competition in 2006, one of several teams joining the Southwest division as it expanded to nine teams. Playing at Citrus Stadium on the campus of Citrus College in Glendora, California, the Storm made an inauspicious start, tying 1-1 with the San Fernando Valley Quakes, but quickly recovered to register impressive back-to-back victories over Fresno Fuego and Bakersfield Brigade. However, the Storm's mid-season form proved to be their downfall, as the team slumped to five defeats in six games (including a humiliating 0-4 to the eventual divisional champions Southern California Seahorses), ending their first season playoff hopes. A morale-boosting 5-0 win over Bakersfield in their penultimate game was a positive, but eventually they finished sixth in the table. David Niemeyer was the Storm's top scorer in their freshman year, scoring 7 goals in his 15 games, while MLS-bound Mexican midfielder Erasmo Solorzano was the assist king with 3. Goalkeeper Lance Friesz was also a standout - so much so, that he was drafted by Los Angeles Galaxy in the offseason.

The Storm's sophomore year began in terrible fashion, suffering a 5-0 defeat to the San Fernando Valley Quakes on the opening day of the season. They didn't register their first victory - 2-1 over new boys San Jose Frogs - until their third game, and from then on the Storm's season was one of see-sawing inconsistency. Back-to-back 3-1 wins over Orange County Blue Star and Lancaster Rattlers was followed by a 1-5 disaster at home to Fresno Fuego, which was followed by a 5-1 thrashing of Bakersfield Brigade... and so it went. By the end of the season, Storm were struggling to pick up wins wherever they went, but at least they started seeing some consistency; however, the four ties in their last six games ultimately consigned them to 5th place in the table, outside the playoffs for a second year. Ross Schunk was by far their outstanding goalscorer, tallying goals 10 in a season which included a hat trick at home to Lancaster Rattlers. Alex Bengard registered 5 assists.

Notable former players

* Tony Beltran
* Alex Bengard
* Lance Friesz
* Erasmo Solorzano

Coaches

* Chris Volk 2006-07
* Phil Wolf 2008-date

tadia

* Citrus Stadium, Glendora, California 2006-07
* Cougar Stadium, Azusa, California 2008-date

Average Attendance

*2008: not yet available
*2007: 512
*2006: 338

External links

* [http://www.legendsfc.net Los Angeles Legends]
* [http://pdl.uslsoccer.com/home/221558.html Press release announcing identity change]