Bay Area Ambassadors Lose to the Sacramento Gold

Oakland, CA (April 22, 2012)- The Bay Area Ambassadors (Ambassadors) lost to the Sacramento Gold (Gold) 2-0. The Ambassadors remain winless in their National Premier Soccer League (NPSL) season.

The first half was played with the Ambassadors and Gold jostling for momentum in the game. Both teams had good chances to score. The Gold’s attempts were only kept out of the net by the superb play of Ambassadors goalie Doug Herrick. Stefan Clemens and Brayan Walle both had good chances for the Ambassadors but failed to convert them into goals. The first half would end tied 0-0.

The second half started with Ambassadors maintaining control of the ball and the game. Through their possession, they were chipping away at the Gold’s defense. However, the Gold scored off a surprising counterattack in the '68th minute to make the score 1-0. The Ambassadors continued to pressure the Gold’s defense but came away with nothing. Ambassadors coach Mohammed Mohammed received a red card in the final 10 minutes of the game. Immediately after the ejection, the Gold would score again. The game would end 2-0 even though the Gold received a red card. The Ambassadors did not have enough time to take advantage of the extra man.

The Ambassadors return to Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup action this Saturday against Stanislaus United Turlock Express. Game time is set for 5:30 at Richmond High School in Richmond.   Follow us on Twitter (@baafc) for match updates, and game day details.

Oakland, CA (April 14, 2012)- The Bay area Ambassadors (Ambassadors) tied the Sonoma Sol (Sol) in their National Premier Soccer League (NPSL) home opener. The hard fought game ended 2-2.

The Ambassadors were the aggressor for most of the first half. They controlled possession and were continually probing the Sol’s defense. The Ambassadors opened the scoring midway through the first half. Raymond Lind scored a header off a flip throw from Jordan Keyes in his Ambassadors debut. The Sol answered back quickly against the run of play as they countered down the left side of the field. With the game tied 1-1, the Ambassadors continued to control possession. Their patience would pay off when Javier Hill whipped in a cross for Ahmad Hatifie to head into the net. The first half would end with the Ambassadors leading 2-1.

The Ambassadors maintained their composure as the Sol pressed for the equalizer throughout the second half. The Ambassadors broke the Sol’s pressure repeatedly but failed to convert any of their chances into goals. This would prove costly, as the Sol would get the equalizing goal with six minutes left in the game. The game would end 2-2.

Yousef Samy and Javier Hill were recognized as the Players of the Match for the Ambassadors. Yousef Samy found himself playing center back, left back, and defensive midfield. His consistent play through strong tackling and simple passing was the foundation of the Ambassadors’ steady defense. Javier Hill was the engine for the offense. His movement on and off the ball created many chances for the Ambassadors and lead to the second goal.

The Ambassadors continue their 2012 NPSL campaign as the face the Sacramento Gold this Sunday at River City High School.

Bay Area Ambassadors drop three points on the Road.

The Bay Area Ambassadors started the 2012 NPSL season on the road facing the upstart San Francisco Stompers.

Having already faced the Stompers two weeks ago in a US Open Cup Qualifying match, the Ambassadors, under pouring rain took care of business at home that night and defeated the Stompers 8-0.
Conventional wisdom would indicate that a second meeting might produce similar results, but the Stompers would have none of it, as they defended their home turf and defeated the Ambassadors by a margin of 1-0 at Pacifica's Terra Nova High School.

The game was a duel of two Bay Area teams looking to make their mark on the 2012 season.   With one foot in the door for the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup, the Ambassadors arrived in Pacifica with momentum on their side.  However the game would decide where that momentum would head.

The first half of the game was a battle of two teams trying to figure each other out, both teams pressed, both teams defended but little came in the way of scoring threats.  The Stompers had one of the clearest opportunities to go up 1-0 and squandered it by sending what seemed a simple one on one with the keeper, through the football uprights.

Later in the half another opportunity sailed wide right of another potential scoring opportunity for the Stompers. The he rest of the half would be a back and forth tug of war for possession and balls sent into the corners only to yield little results for either team.
With about 15 minutes left in the game, the game was stopped due to the stadium lights not coming on.  Both teams used this opportunity to hydrate and talk some things over.

Just as the half was to expire in the 43rd minute, the Stompers would find themselves deep in the Ambassadors third of the field and a poorly cleared ball by the Ambassadors bounced around in the box spelling disaster for their defense.  Andrew Barrett who happened to be in the mix of it all capitalized on the loose ball as he dove head first to put the ball in the net and send the Stompers to a 1-0 advantage at the half.

In the second half, things started to heat up on the physical side of the ball.  Multiple challenges were disputed by both teams with players on both sides trying to establish their dominance on the ball.  After a few instances of hard fouls and no cards, it was evident that the game would take on another dimension.

Roughly midway through the second half the Stompers would go down a player after a poor challenge in front of the referee left him no option but to reach for the red card.  The Stompers would be down a man the remainder of the game as the Ambassadors sought to find the equalizer.

The Ambassadors went all in as they tried to press the Stompers and force them back into their half of the field and despite the man advantage could not find the back of the net.  The Stompers cleared all balls that came into the back and hoped to capitalize on any backline mistake by the Ambassadors to no avail.

The Ambassadors will now look to next Saturday to regain the momentum they built up from US Open Cup qualifiers as they face another team from the qualifications stages in the Sonoma Sol.  After a 3-3 tie at Sonoma, this game will have carry the extra weight of 3 points on the line and a Sonoma Sol team that was eliminated from US Open Cup contention.

(Click the Picture for more action shots)

Ambassadors  Qualify for Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup

Oakland, Ca (March 31, 2012)  The Bay Area Ambassadors defeated the Sacramento Gold in a late night thriller. With the victory, the Ambassadors will represent the National Premier Soccer League's (NPSL) West-Northern Conference in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup.

The game started with both teams struggling to find their rhythm with the treacherous weather conditions.  The Ambassadors broke through the Gold's defense with a great pass from Victor Ceja-orozco and great run from Javier Hill.  Hill's breakaway was only thwarted as the Gold's keeper fouled him, and in return received a red card. The Ambassadors would miss the ensuing penalty kick leaving the game tied at the half with the Gold down a man.

Rain began to come down in the second half as the Ambassadors pushed to score.  The Ambassadors would finally find the back of the net when Brayan Walle followed a shot from one of his teammates.  They would continue to have chances, but failed to score again.  This would prove costly because the Gold would score with minutes left in the game to force penalty kicks.

The Ambassadors showed their composure and class as they defeated the Gold 5-4 in penalties.  As the sixth penalty taker, Amine Albalil clinched the Ambassadors qualification for the U.S. Open Cup.

The Ambassadors will begin their 2012 NPSL campaign this Saturday in an away game against the San Francisco Stompers.