The San Francisco Seals were a soccer team based in San Francisco , California. The team began as the senior team of the San Francisco United Soccer Club founded in 1985, a 501(c)(3) organization . The club is based in San Francisco. In 1992, the SFUSC youth team started playing as the "All Blacks" in the top tier of the USISL when Cal North Soccer, the governing body of youth soccer closed the youth program by blocking the movement of players across boundaries. The team played its home games at Negoesco Stadium on the campus of the University of San Francisco . The team's colors were black, red and white. After the first season and for five straight seasons the Seals dominated soccer on the West Coast winning 5 division titles, 3 regional titles and went to 3 national championship finals. In 1997 the Seals was called the "Team of the Year" by USA today after beating the Seattle Sounders, the Kansas City Wiz (now Sporting), and the San Jose Clash (now Earthquakes) in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup. The Seals continued in the A-League until 2000 when the franchise stopped professional soccer and returned to youth development. The Seals continued as members of the Y-League and expanded their youth development to include college level players in 2006 by entering the PDL. Since 2009 the Seals have concentrated on youth development from U6 to U23 soccer.
27-512: The San Francisco United Soccer Club (SFUSC) was first organized as a youth soccer club in 1985 for Tom Simpson's two children. SFUSC was the first San Francisco club to ever travel to the prestigious Gothia Cup in 1987. Drawing on talented players from throughout the Bay Area , SFUSC soon became a "super club" and a dominant force in California state youth soccer. In 1991 the club created two teams,
54-627: A 12–4–4 record and second in the table behind eventual national champions Sacramento Knights . The Frogs played in PAL Stadium in San Jose in 2006 and 2007, with good support from local soccer fans who were left without a team when the San Jose Earthquakes , a Major League Soccer team, relocated to Houston and became the Houston Dynamo . In the 2006–07 offseason, seeking a greater challenge,
81-459: A 3–1 win away at San Fernando Valley Quakes that featured a brace by Andrew Wiedeman and handed the Quakes their first home loss in almost 2 years. However, after this promising start, the rest of the year was one of frustrating inconsistency, in which a dominant win (2–0 over Southern California Seahorses ), would be followed by a disappointing loss or a tie. The Frogs did make a finale late push for
108-504: A brace from Kellan Wilson , and a come-from-behind victory over Orange County Blue Star which again saw Wilson increase his goal tally by two. They only just missed out on qualifying for the U.S. Open Cup , beaten by a similarly fast-starting Los Angeles Legends , but suffered a down-turn in form in June, picking up just one win (2–0 away to Southern California Seahorses ) and suffering a desperate last-minute loss away at Los Angeles Legends. It
135-460: A counterreaction from smaller Northern California youth teams and in 1992 Cal North Soccer-North implemented rules to block SFUSC from competition. Faced with this opposition, the SFUSC decided to forsake the traditional path to amateur success, through the state competitions, and enter a team in the U.S. Interregional Soccer League , the forerunner of today's United Soccer Leagues . In 1992 SFUSC formed
162-495: A couple of defeats to Bakersfield Brigade and Ventura County Fusion , remained one of the four teams in contention for a playoff spot as the season wound down. A 3–2 loss to Fresno Fuego at the beginning of July put a spoke in the wheel, and despite ending their campaign with 2 wins – 4–1 over Orange County Blue Star and 2–0 over the San Francisco Seals – other teams results went against them, and they finished
189-637: A grassroots football club competing in the Gothia Cup. Spanning one week the Gothia Cup is a youth association football tournament held annually in Gothenburg , Sweden, open for both boys and girls of ages 11 to 18. In terms of participants, it is the world's second largest youth football tournament with only the Norway Cup being bigger. In 2017, 1730 teams from 82 nations participated. The Gothia Cup started in 1975 with 275 participating teams. In July each year,
216-667: A team known as the San Francisco All Blacks based on its all black uniform and entered it in the USISL. After an initial 7–7 season with U19 players, the team rapidly excelled in the face of stiff national-level competition. In 1993 the New Zealand All Blacks sent a cease and desist letter claiming copyright infringement forcing the team to change their name to the San Francisco Bay Seals. In 1993, 1994 and 1995
243-493: Is an international youth association football tournament organized by professional football club BK Häcken , which has been held annually since 1975 in Gothenburg , Sweden. Considered the biggest tournament in the world in terms of participating teams, competing youth teams throughout the world enter the competition. The Gothia Cup is also Sweden's largest annual event. The Jamie Johnson (TV series) in Series 4 displays Phoenix FC,
270-674: The Czech Republic. In 2020, for the first time since the tournament's inaugural season, the tournament was not held, due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Sweden . The concept of Gothia Cup was exported to China in the 2010s. In 2016, the Gothia Cup China, a sister tournament to the Gothia Cup, was established in Shenyang , China. The inaugural Gothia Cup China took place from 13 to 19 August 2016 at
297-600: The Frogs, came from the club's owner, German industrial designer Hartmut Esslinger , whose company Frog Design Inc. was responsible for the first Apple Macintosh computer in 1981, amongst other things. The Frogs began life in 2005 as an announced expansion franchise in the National Premier Soccer League , but they failed to take to the field in their original season. They finally made their debut in 2006 and impressed immediately, finishing their freshman season with
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#1732852332145324-851: The Red Team and the Blue Team, who both advanced deep into the California Youth Soccer Association ;– North (Cal North Soccer) State Cup. The 1990 Red Team won SFUSC won the Cal North Soccer State Cup and continued on to take the Region IV title before advancing to the National "McGuire Cup" final losing to the Spartan Randolph Blackhawks of St. Paul, MN. However, the rise of "super clubs" such as SFUSC sparked
351-535: The Seals announced that, due to the folding of their local competition, the San Jose Frogs, and the state of the economy, they would not be fielding a PDL team in 2009. Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules . Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality. Western Regional Champions Gothia Cup The Gothia Cup ( Swedish pronunciation: [ɡuːtɪa ˈkɵpː] )
378-570: The Seals lasted only to the end of the 2000 season before folding. The Seals were division champions three times, in 1994, 1995 and 1997. In 1997, the Seals made an incredible and historic run to the semi-finals of the U.S. Open Cup . After winning the D3 U.S. Open Cup, the Seals knocked out the Seattle Sounders . They then took out two Major League Soccer clubs. First came the Kansas City Wiz in
405-903: The Seals took first place in the Pacific Conference, won the regionals in 1995, and went to the National Championship in Richmond. They won the Western Conference Division in 1996 and 1997, the Regional Title in 1996 and 1997, and went to the National Championships both years. In 1998, the Seals moved up to the A-League . In 2000, SFSCU sold the team to new ownership, which renamed the team the Bay Area Seals . However,
432-463: The campus of James Lick High School , an artificial turf field with permanent American football lines. Also in 2008, the San Jose Earthquakes returned as an expansion franchise, bringing top-flight soccer back to the area. These factors reduced the size of Frogs' crowds considerably, but did not seem to affect the on-field product, which was at times very impressive. They started the season strongly, with three wins in their first four games, including
459-546: The event becomes the dominant event in Gothenburg, with (as of 2017) 4,349 games played on 110 fields, and 300,000 visitors to the center in Heden . According to the tourist authorities of Gothenburg, the 2006 Gothia Cup generated 282 million Swedish krona in tourist income for Gothenburg city and 118 million krona in tax income for Sweden. Teams compete from across the world; such as from Brazil, United Arab Emirates, Bangladesh and
486-498: The newly built Gothia Cup Football Park. The tournament featured 250 participating teams from 20 nations, although a reliable citation is needed to support this information. This list includes notable players who played in Gothia Cup in their youth and later had been playing for their national teams. San Jose Frogs San Jose Frogs was an American soccer team based in San Jose, California , United States. Founded in 2005,
513-418: The playoffs, winning three of their last five games, including a 4–1 over Lancaster Rattlers and a dominant 3–0 away victory over San Francisco Seals on the final day of the season, but in the end it was not enough; they finished the season comfortably mid-table in 5th position. Andrew Wiedeman was the Frogs' top goal scorer with 6 for the season, and also contributed a team-best 3 assists. In August 2008,
540-735: The presence of former Manchester City defender Danny Warrender marshalling the back line. The Seals did enjoy a comprehensive 3–1 victory over Orange County Blue Star in July, but failed to overcome their Bay Area rivals San Jose Frogs in their two-game series, losing 2–0 in San Jose in June, and losing 2–0 at home in their season finale. The Seals eventually finished a comfortable mid-table 6th; Anton Peterlin and Keith Ratzburg were joint top scorers with 3 goals each, while Richard Halvorsen registered 3 assists. The Seals began 2008 in fine form, picking up four wins in their first six games, including 3–2 opening day victory over Fresno Fuego that featured
567-587: The round of 16, and then the San Jose Clash in the quarter-finals at the Clash's home field, Spartan Stadium . The Seals' Cinderella run through higher division clubs came to an end in the semi-finals when they lost 2–1 to D.C. United . Then, in 2006, after a six-year gap, the original club owners resurrected the senior team, this time as a franchise in the PDL as the San Francisco Seals . Their first year back in competition
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#1732852332145594-505: The season a close third, just one point adrift of Fresno Fuego and the San Fernando Valley Quakes . Jacob Wilson was the top scorer of the very impressive opening campaign; testament to this was the fact that, in the 2008 MLS SuperDraft , seven Frogs were drafted by Major League Soccer , including Brandon McDonald and Luke Sassano . For the 2008 season, the Frogs moved to a new home ground, James Lick Memorial Stadium on
621-448: The season was enlivened by a staggering 8–1 victory over California Gold that featured a brace by Luke Sassano . Jose Diaz and Peruvian striker John Colan were the team's top scorers, notching 13 goals between them, while Shani Simpson contributed 4 assists. 2007 was a similar seesaw season of disappointing inconsistency for the Seals, when victory following defeat following victory following defeat all year long – this despite
648-460: The team made the previously unprecedented jump from the NPSL to the PDL. Right out of the gate, the Frogs were as impressive in the PDL as they were in the NPSL, winning five of their first six games, including a pair of 2–1 victories against traditional divisional powerhouses Orange County Blue Star and Southern California Seahorses . The consistent run of form continued throughout the season, and despite
675-546: The team played in the USL Premier Development League (PDL), the fourth tier of the American Soccer Pyramid , until 2008, when the franchise folded and the team left the league. The team played its home games in PAL Stadium in San Jose in 2006 and 2007, and at James Lick Memorial Stadium on the campus of James Lick High School in 2008. The team's colors were red and black. The club's nickname,
702-417: Was fairly decent – four wins in their first six games, including a comprehensive 3–1 over California Gold – left the team well in contention for the playoffs as the second half of the campaign began. However, a disappointing run of results in the latter half of 2007, including a winless streak of 5 games from mid-June to early July saw the team slip down the table, eventually finishing 6th. The end of
729-480: Was this inconsistency which ultimately cost the Seals a place in the post-season; after three back to back wins in July, including a nailbiting 3–2 win over Lancaster Rattlers , nerves set in; a 3–0 final day loss to San Jose Frogs when a win was required proved to be the ultimate nail in the coffin. They eventually finished the season in 4th, just two points out of the playoffs. Kellan Wilson and Peter Lovell were joint top scorers with six goals each. In December 2008
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