Santa Ana Winds FC
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| Full name | Santa Ana Winds FC |
|---|---|
| Nickname(s) | Winds FC Club Vendavales Golden City FC LA Winds |
| Founded | 2006 |
| Stadium |
Santa Ana Stadium SAUSD Sports Complex Santa Ana College Orange County Great Park Lake Forest Sports Park |
| Capacity | 9,000 |
| Owner | Leonel López |
| Head Coach | José López |
| League | United Premier Soccer League |
Santa Ana Winds FC, also known as Winds FC, is a soccer team founded in Santa Ana, California, and a founding United Premier Soccer League club currently playing at Santa Ana College and Lake Forest Sports Park. The club takes its name from a Southern California weather condition known as the Santa Ana winds.
Winds FC played in the So Cal Premier League from 2006 to 2011 before joining the National Premier Soccer League West Region Southern Conference, also in 2011. Winds FC finished second in the NPSL Southern Conference during their sole NPSL season, made the playoffs and fell in the first round to Hollywood United Hitmen by a score of 3-1.
The club left the NPSL after one season due to a split between owners. One faction of ownership left and kept the Santa Ana Winds FC name, while forming a startup development league called the United Premier Soccer League, which was also founded in Santa Ana. The other faction of ownership continued to operate in the NPSL with the borrowed name Fullerton Rangers, and later called themselves Orange County Spartans, and then OC Pateadores, before disappearing from the NPSL.
Winds FC has been playing in Lake Forest, California or Irvine, California consistently in the last few years, while attempting to find a home field in Santa Ana. The club played all of their Spring 2016 league matches at the Lake Forest Sports Complex in Lake Forest, approximately 17 miles away from the City of Santa Ana. The club began scheduling UPSL summer/fall season matches at Santa Ana College in July 2016.
Winds FC has also held occasional playoff matches at Santa Ana College, as well as occasional exhibition games at Santa Ana Stadium, namely a match against a Chivas USA U-18 squad in January 2011, a match against a Club Atlas U-20 squad in March 2011, and a match against a Chivas de Guadalajara U-20 squad in November 2011.
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