UPSL Announces Fall 2023 Premier Division Coach of the Season
The United Premier Soccer League is thrilled to announce the finalists and recipient of the Fall Premier Division Coach of the Season award. In a season full of top-notch performances from some of the nation’s best teams, the Coach of the Season award came down to five exceptional head coaches.
The UPSL Coach of the Season award is selected based on total points, wins, clean sheets and goals scored—as well as disciplinary history and adherence to league minimum standards—in the regular season, up until the National Quarterfinals.
The Fall Premier Division Coach of the Season is Chiriaco FC (Coachella, CA) Head Coach Victor Garcia.
View the Top 5 UPSL Fall Premier Division Coach of the Season Finalists
Victor Garcia – Chiriaco Football Club (Del Real Foods SoCal North)
17 Games—16 Wins, 0 Draws, 1 Loss—66 Goals, 17 GA, 49 GD—4 Clean Sheets
Luis Swisher – St. Louis City SC Academy (KY/TN)
15 Games—13 Wins, 1 Draw, 1 Loss—69 Goals, 18 GA, 51 GD—5 Clean Sheets
Phillip Wank – Arlington SA Pro (DMV South)
14 Games— 10 Wins, 4 Draws, 0 Losses—33 Goals, 23 GA, 10 GD— 2 Clean Sheets
Kelvin Jones – Columbus Crew SC Academy (Ohio)
15 Games—13 Wins, 0 Draws, 2 Losses—51 Goals, 20 GA, 31 GD—7 Clean Sheets
Jose Espinoza – Indios Denver FC (Colorado)
14 Games – 13 Wins, 1 Draw, 0 Losses – 85 Goals, 15 GA, 70 GD – 3 Clean Sheets
Head Coach Garcia shared his thoughts on winning Coach of the Season and insight into his team’s season.
“Winning Coach of the season is a great honor for our entire coaching staff. Coach Abraham Villon is a great tactician, and the experience of our team captains William Prado and Kyle O’Brien was a big part of our success as well. It is a reflection of our group of players and a testament to the hard work and dedication they put into this season.
Our season’s success stems from putting together a group of great footballers as well as great people. My advice to other UPSL coaches is to have a clear footballing philosophy from the start for your team and to never steer away from those principles.”
The winner of the Coach of the Season award is chosen based on a ranking system that ranks all Premier Division teams by total points per game, win/loss record, total clean sheets and goal differential from start of regular season up until National Round of 8, with slight adjustment for strength of conference.
Finally, the team’s disciplinary track-record and adherence to the league’s minimum standards over the course of the season are taken into account.
Chiriaco FC and Head Coach Victor Garcia were one of the highest-scoring teams in the UPSL Premier Division with 66 goals in 17 games. The team scored 10 goals this post-season to earn a place at the UPSL National Finals next week.
The team finished first in a very tough Del Real Foods SoCal North conference that included MLS Academy teams LAFC and LA Galaxy. En route to the final, Chiriaco were able get wins against California top teams Napa Valley 1839 and East Lake Soccer. Chiriaco now face their biggest challenge yet, bringing home a national championship.
The UPSL National Finals kick off Friday, February 2nd with the first semi-final match being played between Columbus Crew SC vs. St. Louis City Academy at 8:30pm (EST) / 5:30pm (PST) and Foro Soccer Club vs. Chiriaco FC at 11:30pm(EST) / 8:30pm(PST). Two days later the National Championship match will be played on Sunday, February 4th. For more information on how to stream the match live, stay tuned to upslsoccer.com and on social @upslsoccer.
About United Premier Soccer League
The UPSL was formed in 2011 and occupies the unofficial fourth tier of US Soccer. Across its Premier, Division 1, Womens and Academy divisions there are more than 500 teams competing nationwide. The UPSL is now the largest Pro Development League in North America and is a National Affiliate member of the U.S. Soccer Federation (USSF). Each UPSL team is individually owned and operated. UPSL teams are eligible to participate in the U.S. Open Cup Qualifying Rounds through the league’s affiliation with USSF. More information about UPSL can be found at www.upsl.com or by following the league on Facebook (facebook.com/upslsoccer), Instagram (@upslsoccer) and Twitter (@upslsoccer). Contact UPSL: [email protected] / Media: [email protected]