Itβs a busy weekend for FC Tucson, starting with the womenβs side beginning its campaign to reclaim its conference crown.
On Friday and Saturday, the FC Tucson womenβs and menβs team have their league home openers, and on Saturday and Sunday, Tucson will host the Hank Steinbrecher Cup, the menβs amateur national championship.
βObviously itβs an honor to be such a center of soccer in this country, especially having the Hank Steinbrecher Cup,β said FC Tucson president Jon Pearlman. β... Obviously, our focus is on putting together great events and letting people see all the great soccer that this country has at the pre-professional level. So itβs really exciting to be a part of it. Obviously, weβre focusing on getting two wins for our teams.β
FC Tucson Women host the El Paso Surf on Friday night at Kino North Stadium in the season opener.
FC Tucson Womenβs head coach Kelly Pierce said the team is ready to get going in the Womenβs Premier Soccer League.
βItβs right around the corner, dropped off on us quickly, a lot of players are just getting in (Wednesday) and (Thursday) but itβs all coming together slowly but surely, weβre excited,β Pierce said Wednesday.
The 2023 season comes after a disappointing end to last season. The FC Tucson Women went 3-1-3 and, after missing a game due to a rainout, finished the year on a four-game winless streak to end up third in the Desert Conference of the WPSL.
The loss to Arizona Arsenal Soccer Club in the seasonβs penultimate game ended its 18-game WPSL unbeaten streak and was its first defeat since 2019.
βI think everyoneβs excited and everyone kind of have a chip on their shoulder from last season,β said midfielder Kourtney Kutscher. βSo I think itβs a little motivating having the group back together and having a lot of returners.β
The third-place finish was the teamβs worst since 2017. The FC Tucson Women placed first in 2018, 2019 and 2021.
Kourtney Kutscher, the clubβs Most Valuable Player award winner last year, is among a group of returners that includes the twin backline duo of Laura and Priscilla Pimienta.
Laura Pimienta was tabbed their Defensive Player of the Year.
Kourtney Kutscher will be joined in the midfield by a familiar face.
βWe have a lot of returners, a lot of the older players coming back,β Pierce said. βWe now have two sets of twins this season with Kourtney and her sister Krystal coming in and then Laura and Priscilla of course and then we also have the other side of it with a bunch of young girls where itβs their first time being here. So itβs a good mix, diverse group.β
The Pimientas went to Mountain View High School and the UA. The Kutschers are from Temecula, Calif. and attended Cal State Northridge.
βItβs awesome, we havenβt played together since 2016, so this will be our first time playing together in the midfield again,β Kourtney Kutscher said. βIβm excited because we have a different connection there, being identical twins obviously.β
Led by defending champion SC del Sol out of Phoenix, FC Tucsonβs Desert Conference has remained the same, except that Atomic City FC is out of the league and has been replaced by Royals AZ.
Royals AZ, from Mesa, is the official youth academy of Utah Royals FC of the NWSL and is owned by the same group that owns Real Salt Lake of the MLS and the Utah Royals.
βI think itβs gonna be really tough,β Pierce said. βArsenal is always challenging, Del Sol is always challenging, El Paso we never know what weβre going to get and theyβre always a solid team but the new team coming in from what we hear is another strong team, competitive coming out of Phoenix is always a challenge so weβre looking forward to it.β
Corner kicks
Itβs the 10th season for the team and the 25th for the league. The FC Tucson Women started in 2013 as Tucson Soccer Academy FC and then in 2015 joined FC Tucson. The WPSL launched in 1998.
The team didnβt play in 2020 due to COVID-19.
Fridayβs match is Women in Leadership Night.
FCTWβs schedule features four home games: three on Fridays and one on a Wednesday.