For the fourth straight season, FC Tucson won its division and hosted a playoff game. The difference this season came in the final result.
The Men in Black’s season ended Friday when Fresno Fuego FC defeated them 1-0 in a rain-soaked PDL Western Conference semifinal match.
First-year coach Jon Pearlman’s squad put together a complete performance, but saw one mistake lead to the end of its season.
Pearlman said the loss won’t change his feelings about the season. But he’s human, he said, and it hurts.
“Overall, it’s joy and I’m sure I’ll remember the good parts but right now, I’m feeling the pain like anyone does,” Pearlman said. “Nothing short of a Western Conference Championship was going to do it for me, but I couldn’t have more love for this group of guys.”
FC Tucson opened the season with a 3-0 loss to the BYU Cougars and went just 2-2-1 in its first five matches. Then the team got hot, posting an unbeaten streak from May 26 to July 15. FC Tucson finished with the third-most points in the Western Conference.
Things had a familiar feel for Pearlman, the team’s former general manager who was named head coach when Rick Schantz left to be an assistant coach for Phoenix Rising FC.
Replacing Schantz, who led FC Tucson to three consecutive division titles and a 71-22-17 overall record, was no easy task. But Pearlman did well in his first year.
“What a great team and what a great season,” Pearlman said. “They responded, they scored great goals, they were good in adversity and they were really a tight bunch of guys. I know it’s incredibly disappointing … and they’re all responsible players. They’ll all own this. … We just didn’t get it done in the final third (of the match) and that was the difference.”
Along the way, several players stood out as impact performers for the Men in Black.
Midfielders Moshe Perez and Tate Schmitt and forward Afonso Pinheiro led the way in scoring, shots and assists.
Perez ended the year with 12 goals in 12 games and emerged as one of the most dangerous goal scorers in the PDL, finishing fifth in goals scored in the league.
Schmitt, a captain, played 914 minutes and at season’s end was named the No. 6 overall prospect in the PDL.
Pinheiro served as the team’s primary forward all season and finished with a team-high five assists, with three of those coming during a 3-1 victory over Albuquerque Sol FC on June 24.
The Brazilian forward became the only player in club history to notch three assists in one game.
Defenders Sebastian Pineda and Aaron Herrara and goalkeeper Lucas Valillo were major reasons why FC Tucson held opponents to just 1.2 goals per game this season.
Pineda was arguably FC Tucson’s most consistent player all season and, along with midfielder Austin Polster, tied for the team-high in games played with 13.
Herrara joined the team midway through the season and solidified the left back position.
Despite playing in just six matches all season, Valillo put together several dominant performances in goal, notably during FC Tucson’s 1-0 victory over the San Diego Zest FC on June 17. Valillo stopped three point-blank shots in the first half and preserved the narrow victory in spectacular fashion.
Pearlman said he learned valuable lessons during his first season at the helm — not all of them warm and fuzzy.
“I’ve learned life is unfair. I’ve learned that with great players comes great responsibility,” Pearlman said. “You try to make the best changes you can. You’re always going to think you could’ve done something different, but as far as effort goes from this group and coaching staff … and the entire FC Tucson family, I’m grateful for them and I realized how lucky I am to be on this bench.”
