UPSL Announces Spring 2023 Premier Division Coach of the Season Award and Finalists
Ahead of the league’s much-anticipated National Finals, the UPSL is excited to announce its Spring 2023 Premier Division Coach of the Season. In a season filled with thrilling comebacks and dominant displays across all Premier Division conferences, the finalists for the award came down to five 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 National Round of 8.
The Spring Premier Division Coach of the Season is Indios Denver FC (Denver, CO) Head Coach Jose Espinoza.
View the Top 5 UPSL Fall Premier Division Coach of the Season Finalists below.
Jose Espinoza – Indios Denver FC (Colorado Conference)
15 games – 13 Wins, 1 Draw, 1 Loss – 61 Goals, 14 GA, 47 GD – 6 Clean Sheets
Tyler Weston – AS Frenzi (Florida Central Conference)
15 Games – 12 Wins, 1 Draw, 1 Loss – 69 Goals, 14 GA, 55 GD – 6 Clean Sheets
Roy Lassiter – Houston Dynamo Academy (Cricket Wireless Texas South)
14 Games – 11 Wins, 2 Draws, 1 Loss – 46 Goals, 14 GA, 32 GD – 7 Clean Sheets
Garrett Hayward – Chicago Nation FC (Midwest Central Conference)
14 Games – 13 Wins, 1 Draw, 0 Losses – 54 Goals, 8 GA, 46 GD – 8 Clean Sheets
Milton Blanco – Valley 559 FC (NorCal South Conference)
15 Games – 13 Wins, 1 Draws, 1 Loss – 40 Goals, 6 GA, 34 GD- 10 Clean Sheets
Head Coach Espinoza shared his thoughts on winning Coach of the Season and insight into his team’s season.
“I’m very happy and emotional to win this Coach of the Season award. There are a lot of very talented teams in the UPSL. I have spent the past several years coaching in the UPSL, all in Colorado and the goal is to always keep pushing and to win that national championship. This award validates our hard work and represents the high-level soccer that’s being played in the Colorado-region.”
“This is my second season with this group and each season we have made huge strides. Our style is always to keep the ball and keep it simple. We focus on the fundamentals of the beautiful game, a huge influence on how I coach is former Argentina national team manager Marcelo Bielsa.”
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.
Indios Denver FC and Head Coach Jose Espinoza were one of the best attacking teams in the UPSL Premier Division with 61 goals in 15 matches this season. This post-season, the team scored 21 goals in 6 games.
After securing big wins over conference rivals Colorado Pumas and Colorado Futsal, the team then defeated top-tier MLS Academy side Houston Dynamo and Texas top team El Paso Surf, both away from home. This year, Espinoza has developed a top semi-pro program in the Denver-area that regularly attracts top talent from Mexico.
Espinoza goes on to explain what this award means to his team and surrounding community.
“We’re so proud to represent this area and football in this part of the country. The teams in this area have been playing at a high level for many years and we are grateful to be able to make it as far as we did in the National Playoffs. We have our fans to thank for their support all season.”
After a narrow loss to Sporting Wichita in the National Playoffs Round of 8, Indios Denver will look to build upon a still highly successful Spring season. Espinoza and Indios Denver have most, if not all, of their first-team roster returning for the 2023 Fall season, as well as top semi-pro and pro talent set to join from Mexico where Coach Espinoza has ties.
To catch the action from the upcoming UPSL National Finals, set for August 4-6, stay tuned to the official UPSL YouTube channel. To stay up to date, follow along on social @upslsoccer or visit upsl.com/playoffs.
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, and Women’s leagues, more than 400 teams are 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 can 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. Contact: [email protected] / Media: [email protected]