Sherman Bearcat Stadium, Sherman, TX
The Road Show Continues: Tonight is the second of four USL League One road contests for WSC to start the season. They will not play a home USL Match until Sunday, April 27th against Rhode Island FC.
Carton Leads The Way. The WSC start is of little surprise to anyone when the see the man at the helm. First year head coach Dave Carton comes to WSC following a successful tenure with the Charlotte Independence, where he was instrumental in leading the team to multiple playoff appearances. His roles included Technical Director of the Independence Academy, First Team Assistant Coach, and Head Coach of Charlotte’s USL League Two team. During his time in Charlotte, Carton helped guide the team to the League One Championship game in 2023.
The Historic First Match: Westchester SC officially arrived in USL League One on Saturday, earning a hard fought 1-1 road draw against Greenville Triumph SC at Paladin Stadium in Greenville, SC. on March 8. WSC wasted no time making their presence felt, earning a penalty in the 12th minute when Juan Carlos Obregón Jr. (New York, NY) went down in the box. Westchester grabbed the early advantage after Obregón netted the attempt for the club’s historic first goal, but their lead was brief. The Triumph responded in kind, winning a penalty of their own in the 29th minute, which Sebastian Velasquez confidently converted to bring the match level at 1-1 before halftime.
“I’m incredibly proud of the way our team battled tonight. The players showed great resilience, discipline, and character to earn a result in our first-ever match,” said Dave Carton. “There’s a lot to build on, and we’ll take the positives from this performance as we continue to grow as a team.”
The second half saw moments of brilliance from both sides, with WSC keeper Dane Jacomenbeating back a near-goal from Ben Zakowski and Chapa Herrera, and both sides struggled to maintain attacking momentum in harsh, windy conditions.
Early Honors: Westchester Soccer Club defender Tobi Adewole (Cheverly, Md.) and forward Juan Carlos Obregón, Jr. (New York, NY) were named to the Team of the Week for the season’s inaugural weekend.
Adewole played a key role in holding Greenville to just one goal in the opener, through his 82% passing accuracy, seven duels won, six long passes completed, five clearances and two fouls won, while Obregón etched his name into the history books by converting a penalty in the first half, WSC’s first goal in their eventual 1-1 draw at Greenville SC. He won one penalty, completed 68% of his passes, tallied three recoveries, won three duels, completed two long passes and won two fouls as well.
JC on the Board: Forward Juan Carlos Obregón, Jr. has been the scoring leader for WSC, not just in their first USL match but in their US Open Cup win over FC Motown on March 18. Obregón scored on a penalty kick in the 81st minute scoring to key WSC’s 1-0 win. It marked the club’s first-ever win following their 1-1 draw with Greenville Triumph FC.
Dane Denies: Keeper Dane Jacomen(Pittsburgh, PA.) has also been a WSC stalwart thus far, allowing just the one goal while recording WSC’s first-ever win and shoutout in their US Open Cup debut. Jacomen played at the University of Pennsylvania, making 24 appearances and earning Philadelphia Soccer Six honors. He previously played for Evergreen FC and West Chester United in USL League Two before signing with Loudoun United in the USL Championship and is now on loan to WSC.
Homegrown: WSC’s current roster features eight players who can call the greater New York area home. In addition, defender Kemar “Taxi” Lawrence has logged time in his career as a popular member of the New York Red Bulls. Defender Noah Powder (Edison, NJ) and his brother Samory Powder (Edison, NJ) have also logged time in the Red Bulls development system.
Dutch Influence: In addition to the New York locals dotting the roster, WSC is drawing strength from…The Netherlands. The club has a trio of Dutch players as the season starts rolling, including forward Koen Blommestijn(Amstelveen, Netherlands), midfielders DanielBouman (Blaricum, Netherlands) and Dean Guezen (Amsterdam, Netherlands)
Owning A Piece of the Team: This past week Westchester Soccer Club, formally announced a community ownership opportunity, offering supporters from around the world the chance to own a piece of the club. The fan ownership program, which has seen great success in Europe and in other parts of the United States, will be a first for the New York region in any professional sport. Interest has also dramatically increased in the past week since the USL’s announcement to be the first professional sports league in the United States to adopt promotion and relegation in the next few years.
The investment, which can be as little as $150, is open to potential supporters globally. By becoming an equity investor, fans will become owners of WSC and will support the team’s planned growth. Fans have the opportunity toparticipate in the investment round via Republic, with tiered bonus perks including exclusive owner’s merchandise, dinners and special events with the WSC squad, and special ticket opportunities.
Up Next: While not their USL League One home opener, WSC will play a Lamar Hunt US Open Cup home match this coming Wednesday against New York Pancyprian Freedoms at the Stadium at Memorial Field at 7 pm. They then return to USL play on April 5 against AV Alta in Lancaster, Pa. and will visit Richmond Kickers on April 19.