# 2020–21 California United Strikers FC season

The 2020–21 California United Strikers FC season was the club's second in the National Independent Soccer Association (NISA) and second as a professional team overall.

## Roster
### Players

    As of April 10, 2021
| No. | Position | Player | Nation |
| 0 | GK | Steven Barrera | United States |
| 1 | GK | Jean Antoine | Haiti |
| 2 | DF | Gonzalo Salguero | United States |
| 3 | DF | James McGhee | United States |
| 4 | DF | Aydan Bowers | United States |
| 5 | DF | Xavier Ikaika Fuerte | United States |
| 6 | MF | Duncan Capriotti | United States |
| 7 | MF | Billy Garton Jr. | England |
| 8 | MF | Tony Lopez | United States |
| 9 | FW | Omar Nuño | Mexico |
| 10 | FW | Gustavo Villalobos | United States |
| 11 | MF | Shane Kaemerle | United States |
| 12 | FW | Michael Bryant | United States |
| 14 | FW | Darwin Lom | Guatemala |
| 15 | MF | Evan Waldrep | United States |
| 16 | MF | Christian Thierjung | United States |
| 17 | DF | Brady Treinen | United States |
| 19 | DF | Bryan de la Fuente | United States |
| 20 | DF | Garrett Hogbin | United States |
| 21 | MF | Alejandro Araneda | United States |
| 22 | FW | Minjae Kwak | South Korea |
| 23 | MF | Shinya Kadono | Japan |
| 24 | DF | Chris Klute | United States |
| 27 | GK | Mitchell North | United States |

### Staff

* Don Ebert – Head coach
* Roy Chingirian – Assistant coach
* Willie Diaz – Assistant coach

## Transfers
### In

| No. | Pos. | Player | Transferred from | Fee/notes | Date |
| 4 | DF | Aydan Bowers | FC Helsingør | Free transfer | September 1, 2020 |
| 22 | FW | Minjae Kwak | HNK Gorica | Free transfer | September 3, 2020 |
| | | 16 Returning Players | California United Strikers FC | Re-signed | February 14, 2021 |
| 27 | GK | Mitchell North | Unattached | Free transfer | February 24, 2021 |
| 1 | GK | Jean Antoine | Detroit City FC | Free transfer | February 24, 2021 |
| 17 | DF | Brady Treinen | Strikers FC - Irvine | Free transfer | March 12, 2021 |
| 20 | DF | Garrett Hogbin | Chico State Wildcats | Free transfer | March 20, 2021 |
| 14 | FW | Darwin Lom | Chattanooga FC | Free transfer | March 24, 2021 |
| 19 | DF | Bryan de la Fuente | Las Vegas Lights FC | Free transfer | April 6, 2021 |
| 7 | MF | Billy Garton Jr. | San Diego 1904 FC | Free transfer | April 7, 2021 |
| 21 | MF | Alejandro Araneda | FC Golden State | Free transfer | April 10, 2021 |

### Out

| No. | Pos. | Player | Transferred to | Fee/notes | Date |
| 14 | MF | Alec Sundly | Unattached | Not re-signed | |
| 7 | DF | Adan Coronado | Unattached | Not re-signed | November 2020 |
| 8 | MF | Kyle O'Brien | Unattached | Not re-signed | November 2020 |
| 12 | FW | Miguel Sánchez Rincón | Unattached | Not re-signed | November 2020 |
| 17 | FW | Andy Contreras | Unattached | Not re-signed | November 2020 |
| 18 | MF | Kevin Jeon | Unattached | Not re-signed | November 2020 |
| 20 | DF | Cashion London | Unattached | Not re-signed | November 2020 |
| 21 | DF | Beto Navarro | California United Strikers FC | Joined coaching staff | November 2020 |
| 30 | GK | Jonathan Waterberg | Unattached | Not re-signed | November 2020 |
| 33 | DF | Kevin Garcia-Lopez | Unattached | Not re-signed | November 2020 |
| 11 | MF | Abraham Villon | Los Angeles Force | Not re-signed | December 18, 2020 |
| 4 | DF | Juan Pablo Ocegueda | Los Angeles Force | Not re-signed | February 22, 2021 |
| 1 | GK | Kifi Cabrera | Los Angeles Force | Not re-signed | March 23, 2021 |

## Competitions
### NISA Fall Season

On June 4, NISA announced details for the 2020 Fall Season. The eight member teams would be split into conferences, Eastern and Western, with the Strikers playing in the later. The team is set to play two regular season games, one home and one away, against the rest of the Western Conference.
The Fall regular season schedule was announced on July 31, 2020.

#### Standings

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
| 1 | Oakland Roots SC | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 1 | +2 | 4 |
| 2 | California United Strikers FC | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| 3 | Los Angeles Force | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | −2 | 1 |

#### Results summary

| Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Home | Home | Home | Home | Home | Home | Away | Away | Away | Away | Away | Away |
Last updated: September 16, 2020. Source: Match reports

#### Matches
### Fall Playoffs

All eight NISA teams qualified for the 2020 Fall tournament, which will be hosted at Keyworth Stadium in Detroit, Michigan, beginning on September 21 ending with the final on October 2.

#### Group stage

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
| 1 | Los Angeles Force | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 6 | Advance to semifinals |
| 2 | Chattanooga FC | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 1 | +2 | 5 | Advance to semifinals |
| 3 | California United Strikers FC | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 4 | +1 | 4 | |
| 4 | New York Cosmos | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 4 | −3 | 1 | |

### NISA Spring Season
#### NISA Legends Cup

NISA announced initial spring season plans in early February 2021, including starting the season with a tournament in Chattanooga, Tennessee with a standard regular season to follow. The tournament, now called the NISA Legends Cup, was officially announced on March 10 and is scheduled to run between April 13 and 25. All nine NISA members teams taking part in the Spring were divided into three team groups and played a round robin schedule. The highest placing group winner automatically qualified for the tournament final, while the second and third highest finishing teams overall played one-another in a semifinal to determine a second finalist.
The Strikers were drawn into Group 2 alongside Detroit City FC and the returning Stumptown AC.

##### Standings

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
| 1 | Chattanooga FC | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 1 | +6 | 6 | Advance to Legends Cup final |
| 2 | Detroit City FC | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | +2 | 4 | Advance to Legends Cup semifinal |
| 3 | San Diego 1904 FC | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 2 | +1 | 4 | Advance to Legends Cup semifinal |
| 4 | Los Angeles Force | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 6 | −2 | 3 | |
| 5 | Michigan Stars FC | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 2 | |
| 6 | California United Strikers FC | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | |
| 7 | Maryland Bobcats FC | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 | −1 | 1 | |
| 8 | Stumptown AC | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | −2 | 1 | |
| 9 | New Amsterdam FC | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 6 | −4 | 0 | |

##### Group 2 results

| vte Home \ Away | CAL | DET | STU |
| California United Strikers FC | — | 0–0 | 1–1 |
| Detroit City FC | | — | 2–0 |
| Stumptown AC | | | — |

##### Group stage
#### Regular season

The Spring Season schedule was announced on March 18 with each association member playing eight games, four home and four away, in a single round-robin format.

##### Standings

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
| 1 | Detroit City FC (Y, X) | 8 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 14 | 3 | +11 | 20 | Advance to season final |
| 2 | Los Angeles Force | 8 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 11 | 6 | +5 | 18 | Advance to spring final |
| 3 | Stumptown AC | 8 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 8 | 4 | +4 | 15 | |
| 4 | California United Strikers FC | 8 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 12 | 10 | +2 | 13 | |
| 5 | Maryland Bobcats FC | 8 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 9 | 8 | +1 | 11 | |
| 6 | Chattanooga FC (Z) | 8 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 8 | −2 | 8 | Advance to spring final |
| 7 | San Diego 1904 FC | 8 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 8 | 17 | −9 | 7 | |
| 8 | Michigan Stars FC | 8 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 5 | 12 | −7 | 5 | |
| 9 | New Amsterdam FC | 8 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 5 | 10 | −5 | 4 | |
* ↑ If either 2020 Fall Champion Detroit or 2021 Legends Cup runner-up Chattanooga finish the spring season in first place, or both teams finish in the top two, the spot in the spring final will go to the next best team.

##### Results summary

| Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Home | Home | Home | Home | Home | Home | Away | Away | Away | Away | Away | Away |
Last updated: June 15, 2021. Source: Match reports

##### Matches
### U.S. Open Cup

As a team playing in a recognized professional league, the Strikers would normally be automatically qualified for the U.S. Open Cup. However, with the 2021 edition shorted due to the COVID-19 pandemic, NISA has only been allotted 1 to 2 teams spots. On March 29, U.S. Soccer announced 2020 Fall Champion Detroit City FC as NISA's representative in the tournament.

## Squad statistics

    As of Match played June 15, 2021

### Appearances and goals

| No. | Pos | Nat | Player | Total | Total | Fall Season | Fall Season | Fall Playoffs | Fall Playoffs | Legends Cup | Legends Cup | Spring Season | Spring Season |
| No. | Pos | Nat | Player | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals |
| Goalkeepers ||||||||||||||
| 0 | GK | USA | Steven Barrera | 8 | 0 | 2+0 | 0 | 3+0 | 0 | 1+0 | 0 | 2+0 | 0 |
| 1 | GK | HAI | Jean Antoine | 0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 |
| 27 | GK | USA | Mitchell North | 7 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 2+0 | 0 | 5+0 | 0 |
| Defenders ||||||||||||||
| 2 | DF | USA | Gonzalo Salguero | 6 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 1+0 | 0 | 1+0 | 0 | 2+2 | 0 |
| 3 | DF | USA | James McGhee | 2 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 1+1 | 0 |
| 4 | DF | USA | Aydan Bowers | 11 | 0 | 2+0 | 0 | 3+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 5+1 | 0 |
| 5 | DF | USA | Xavier Ikaika Fuerte | 10 | 0 | 2+0 | 0 | 2+0 | 0 | 2+1 | 0 | 2+1 | 0 |
| 17 | DF | USA | Brady Treinen | 5 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 1+1 | 0 | 2+1 | 0 |
| 19 | DF | USA | Bryan de la Fuente | 10 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 3+0 | 0 | 6+1 | 0 |
| 20 | DF | USA | Garrett Hogbin | 6 | 1 | 0+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 1+0 | 1 | 5+0 | 0 |
| 24 | DF | USA | Chris Klute | 14 | 0 | 2+0 | 0 | 3+0 | 0 | 1+2 | 0 | 3+3 | 0 |
| Midfielders ||||||||||||||
| 6 | MF | USA | Duncan Capriotti | 11 | 0 | 1+0 | 0 | 2+0 | 0 | 2+0 | 0 | 6+0 | 0 |
| 7 | MF | ENG | Billy Garton Jr. | 7 | 2 | 0+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 2+1 | 0 | 2+2 | 2 |
| 8 | MF | USA | Tony Lopez | 13 | 2 | 2+0 | 0 | 0+2 | 0 | 1+1 | 0 | 7+0 | 2 |
| 11 | MF | USA | Shane Kaemerle | 10 | 1 | 2+0 | 0 | 2+0 | 1 | 2+1 | 0 | 1+2 | 0 |
| 15 | MF | USA | Evan Waldrep | 11 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 | 1+2 | 0 | 1+1 | 0 | 1+4 | 0 |
| 16 | MF | USA | Christian Thierjung | 15 | 5 | 2+0 | 1 | 3+0 | 2 | 3+0 | 0 | 7+0 | 2 |
| 21 | MF | USA | Alejandro Araneda | 9 | 2 | 0+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 3+0 | 1 | 4+2 | 1 |
| 23 | MF | JPN | Shinya Kadono | 13 | 0 | 2+0 | 0 | 3+0 | 0 | 2+1 | 0 | 4+1 | 0 |
| Forwards ||||||||||||||
| 9 | FW | MEX | Omar Nuño | 12 | 4 | 1+1 | 0 | 1+2 | 2 | 0+0 | 0 | 4+3 | 2 |
| 10 | FW | USA | Gustavo Villalobos | 0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 |
| 12 | FW | USA | Michael Bryant | 14 | 1 | 1+0 | 0 | 3+0 | 0 | 3+0 | 1 | 6+1 | 0 |
| 14 | FW | GUA | Darwin Lom | 5 | 1 | 0+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 2+1 | 1 | 2+0 | 0 |
| 22 | FW | KOR | Minjae Kwak | 7 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 0+3 | 0 | 0+4 | 0 |
| Left during season ||||||||||||||
| 1 | GK | USA | Kifi Cabrera | 0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | - | - | - | - |
| 4 | DF | USA | Juan Pablo Ocegueda | 2 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 | - | - | - | - |
| 7 | DF | USA | Adan Coronado | 1 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | - | - | - | - |
| 8 | MF | USA | Kyle O'Brien | 1 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 | - | - | - | - |
| 11 | MF | USA | Abraham Villon | 5 | 0 | 1+1 | 0 | 3+0 | 0 | - | - | - | - |
| 12 | FW | MEX | Miguel Sánchez Rincón | 1 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | - | - | - | - |
| 17 | FW | USA | Andy Contreras | 2 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 | - | - | - | - |
| 18 | MF | USA | Kevin Jeon | 2 | 0 | 1+0 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 | - | - | - | - |
| 20 | DF | GUY | Cashion London | 0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | - | - | - | - |
| 21 | DF | USA | Beto Navarro | 0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | - | - | - | - |
| 30 | GK | NED | Jonathan Waterberg | 0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | - | - | - | - |
| 33 | DF | USA | Kevin Garcia-Lopez | 5 | 0 | 1+1 | 0 | 3+0 | 0 | - | - | - | - |

### Goal scorers

| Place | Position | Number | Name | Fall Season | Fall Playoffs | Legends Cup | Spring Season | Total |
| 1 | MF | 16 | Christian Thierjung | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 5 |
| 2 | FW | 9 | Omar Nuño | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 4 |
| 3 | MF | 7 | Billy Garton Jr. | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| 3 | MF | 8 | Tony Lopez | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| 3 | MF | 21 | Alejandro Araneda | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| 4 | MF | 11 | Shane Kaemerle | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 4 | FW | 12 | Michael Bryant | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 4 | FW | 14 | Darwin Lom | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 4 | DF | 20 | Garrett Hogbin | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |

### Disciplinary record

| Number | Position | Name | Fall Season | Fall Season | Fall Playoff | Fall Playoff | Legends Cup | Legends Cup | Spring Season | Spring Season | Total | Total |
| 4 | DF | Aydan Bowers | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 5 | DF | Xavier Ikaika Fuerte | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 1 |
| 7 | DF | Adan Coronado | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | 1 | 0 |
| 8 | MF | Tony Lopez | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 9 | FW | Omar Nuño | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 12 | FW | Michael Bryant | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| 15 | MF | Evan Waldrep | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 19 | DF | Bryan de la Fuente | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 21 | MF | Alejandro Araneda | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 1 |
| 22 | FW | Minjae Kwak | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 24 | DF | Chris Klute | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 27 | GK | Mitchell North | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 33 | DF | Kevin Garcia-Lopez | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | 1 | 0 |
| | HC | Don Ebert | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |