Thursday May 31, Jeld-Wen Field, Portland, Oregon

By Moises Arellano

Photo Courtesy: Thomas Boyd, The Oregonian

In what has to be one of the biggest upsets in American sports, and one of the most humiliating losses in U.S. Soccer and Major League Soccer’s history, Cal FC, a recently formed amateur team from the United States Adult Soccer Association, shocked the U.S. Soccer community and humiliated the Portland Timbers senior squad, beating them 1-0, in their own house. Mi casa, su casa. Right.

For the second time in a month, another amateur team has beat a Portland Timbers squad, last time it was PSA Elites beating a Timbers PDL (College) team though, this was the big boys, led by the 1.5 million dollar striker Kris Boyd (Former Glasgow Rangers, and all-time scorer) and veteran Captain Jack Jewsbury.

Yes, you read that right, a team from an equivalent league to the OPSL, but based in Southern California advances well into the U.S. Open Cup, and now earn the right to play at the Seattle Sounders, and that’s largely because Cal FC doesn’t even have a field to call their own, and probably play at a local park or high school like many amateur clubs. The Timbers also now miss out on a dream match-up with rival Seattle, and an assured big home pay-day, surely Jeld-Wen would have been a packed and a rocking madhouse with fans of both NW clubs salivating for that derby.

It’s hard to find an equivalent to this ordeal in other American pro sports leagues, but it would be safe to say and wouldn’t be hard to imagine given the lack of effort from some overpaid pros we’ve all sometimes witnessed; say the Portland Trailblazers–who have also distinguished themselves lately with putrid play on occasion. That if presented with a similar match-up of a hungrier and well-organized team of discarded and overlooked up and comers, playing with purpose and heart, that they too, may have also have folded as easily as toilet paper as they’ve actually done since the legendary closer Brandon Roy retired.

But that’s where Soccer is different. And it would probably behoove U.S. Soccer and MLS (blushing) to promote this win for Cal FC and to actually provide other high-level amateur leagues like the OPSL with some form of support–from equipment to financial support–to promote the sport and hope the next Messi or Ronaldo is being nurtured in leagues like the OPSL, busily training, and lurking, and ready to be spotted in one of these type of matches; and to not bury this upset as some sort of excused filled-hiccup, and to actually tout this as the different and accessible nature of MLS compared to other sports leagues. It takes guts to play against amateurs, it’s a shame other leagues don’t try it. Surely, there is also  a talented local player even in Portland that’s fallen through the MLS cracks. A lot to be learned here.

Need more proof see: PSA Elites, and Cal FC.

In truth, this is even more of an upset Cinderella story than an NCAA Tourney #16 seed beating a #1 seed (which has never happened by the way) because those teams play on a largely even playing field (ahem) regulated by a strict governing body and strict eligibility rules and every one of those teams and players operates on a scholarship system and get to train every day in their very own gyms and own weight rooms, and walk around as big-men on their respective campuses and even have a cheering squad. Heck, they even can afford their own uniforms and equipment with their own school name on it.

Let’s put this in perspective for a second. The flagship professional soccer team of Oregon, from-youth-to-the-pros, the one with the fancy digs, with a madly passionate, loyal and rabid fans (I raise my hands there) that gets paid to fly all across the nation in jets to play other MLS teams, even get to be on T.V. and get paid to practice at a multi-million dollar brand spanking new private practice facility and get paid to have their daily choice of uniforms to wear, to kick brand new balls, have trainers, and dress in shiny bright new cleats galore. Yes they lost to a start-up group amateurs who don’t even have a home stadium, and who until last night played in left-over–donated Chicago Fire uniforms from a few seasons ago. You read that right, they played in hand-me downs until last night, that read “Fire” on them, like well amateur teams sometimes do hoping to look famous.

Yet, it did happen, an amateur team beat the Timbers in their own stadium in front of their own fans (5,000+)

More eyebrow raising than all of that, is the Timbers have their very own pick of the litter with literally tens-of-thousands of talented players to select from all over the nation and world, also charging hundreds of eager players $150 for just the right to even have a tryout.

The Timbers have searched many different continents for their guys from the  West African Coast, to the jungles of Colombia to the creme de la creme of NCAA D1, and then onto  the very expensive highlands of Scotland. They have their dudes.

The problem is somehow the amateur team ended up with all the players with any heart. Fingers will be pointed at the very top places but it’s hard to imagine a pro-player not having the heart and competitive desire to put an amateur team away in their own place.

As written here before. Amateur teams face all kinds of obstacles, from even securing practice time and space, working around people’s busy schedules, school, work, family obligations. Not to mention equipment and sponsorship.

One thing a good amateur team from a great league like the OPSL doesn’t lack is heart. Whether its DNA FC, or Cal FC. You can’t teach heart. Maybe it’s because we all do face those obstacles that we’re better off for it and play and teach the game for the right reasons even when it pours rain on us as it tends to do in Oregon, and perhaps that’s why the soccer gods smiled and the sun shines on all us amateurs, for once. Today.

Best of luck to Cal FC against the Sounders, but there’s nothing amateur about continuing to win with heart. Not sure if your riding a bus to Seattle, carpooling or flying coach, but keep on doing what your doing.