SAN DIEGO — Veteran members of the San Diego Flash got their chance to try out for the major leagues last week when midfielder Sergio Valle Ortiz and team captain and defender Adrian DuBois were tapped to showcase their talents for the first place San Jose Earthquakes of the MLS (Major League Soccer.) “It was a great experience,” said DuBois, who joined the Flash two years ago, following a move to San Diego from New Hampshire.
DuBois said he joined the team after doing research around the county and finding that the Flashare the best outdoor team in San Diego.
The Flash is part of the National Premier Soccer League, which formed originally as the Men’s Premier Soccer League in 2002. All of the players in the league are able to maintain their amateur status.
“The Flash is like a gateway to the next level,” DuBois said.
Sergio Valle Ortiz has been with the Flash since its inception.
Ortiz and DuBois tried out together, which was awesome, DuBois said. “I thought it was going to be nerve-racking. But going up there with a teammate it gives you a family kind of essence; and you have someone to talk to and warm up with and someone to keep you confident.”
Ortiz said it was a great experience. “There were a lot of good players, so I got to play with the best in California.”
Joining a major league team is something that Ortiz aspires to, he said. It’s something that everyone on the squad hopes to do, DuBois added.
The New England Revolution had tried out and selected Flash player Ryan Guy in 2011.
Until Ortiz finds out if he made the Earthquakes, he said his goal is to continue to win everything and get seen in the finals.
With their 8-0 win over the Phoenix Monsoon Saturday, the Flash continues their undefeated season, earning back-to-back conference titles in the Southwest division.
And being undefeated hasn’t gone unnoticed by the players, either. “We want to win the whole thing undefeated,” Ortiz said. “We don’t want to lose…one game at all.”
Despite the Flash making the wins appear easy Ortiz is quick to say that it isn’t. He attributes their success to the team’s melding as a family. “Everybody’s got each others’ backs; everybody knows that we’re trying.”
DuBois agreed, adding that another part of their success is the coaching staff. “They work day and night with unbelievable training,” he said. “They push us to the limit every single practice.” Warren Barton, a former English National team and Premier League player, is the team’s head coach, with assistants Jerome Watson, Jesus Rico-Sanz and David Banks.
The Flash plays their final home game July 1 against the Fullerton Rangers. The semi-finals begin July 14.
