Santa Ana Winds FC

History

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.

2016-17 UPSL Playoffs

Winds FC defeated regional powerhouse and conference rival La Máquina FC on Tuesday, January 24, 2017 at Santa Ana Stadium by a score of 2-1.

2016-17 Season Match Reports

Winds FC completed a preseason, with matches against 2016 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup entrants La Máquina FC and L.A. Wolves FC. Santa Ana Winds FC faced La Máquina at Mater Dei High School (Santa Ana, California) on April 27, 2016 at 8 pm, and L.A. Wolves FC in Manhattan Beach.

The Summer-Fall 2016 season began for Winds FC on July 16 at Santa Ana College, with the club defeating SoCal Troop FC by a score of 4-1, followed by a 4-4 tie against Newcastle United US on July 23.

Honors

Player of the Week: Adan Coronado
2017 UPSL Pro Premier Division, Week 3

U.S. Open Cup record

Santa Ana Winds FC were scheduled to host fellow UPSL club La Habra City FC at Lake Forest Sports Park on Sunday, September 18 in a qualifying match to the first round of the 2017 U.S. Open Cup, but had the match moved to Colton High School in Colton, California. Santa Ana defeated La Habra City FC by a score of 5-0 in the first-ever U.S. Open Cup qualifying match for either team.

The October 23 Open Cup qualifier vs La Máquina was cancelled due to a thunderstorm in Irvine, and was rescheduled for October 30 at 6 pm at Orange County Great Park.

Club crest

The current Santa Ana Winds FC crest was redesigned in 2014 by sports logo artist Slavo Kiss for Sigma Kappa Brands, based in the Slovak Republic. The crest features the Santa Ana water tower, visible from the Santa Ana Freeway, also known as the Interstate 5 Freeway or Golden State Freeway, which connects the cities of Los Angeles and San Diego, and connects at the Mexico-United States border to the city of Tijuana.

The first Santa Ana Winds FC crest dates to 2006 and features the Spurgeon Building's clock tower, located in downtown Santa Ana and named after city founder William H. Spurgeon.

Sponsors and partners

Admiral Sportswear

Players

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

Head coaches

Home fields