Salinas Valley Samba
Salinas Valley Samba was an American soccer team based in Salinas, California, United States. Founded in 2004, the team played in the Western Division of the National Premier Soccer League (NPSL), a national amateur league at the fourth tier of the American Soccer Pyramid.
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| Full name | Salinas Valley Samba | ||
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| Nickname(s) | Samba | ||
| Founded | 2004 | ||
| Ground | Watsonville High School | ||
| Chairman |  Cain White | ||
| Manager |  Mark Cisneros | ||
| League | National Premier Soccer League | ||
| 2009 | Regular Season: 6th, Western Playoffs: did not qualify | ||
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The team spent the majority of its history playing on the campus of Salinas High School, though they moved to Watsonville High School in nearby Santa Cruz County, for their final season in 2009. The team's colors were silver, black and white.
History
The Samba joined the Men's Premier Soccer League in 2004, one of five expansion teams for the league's second season. They joined along with the Albuquerque Asylum, the Sonoma County Sol, the Sacramento Knights, and the Idaho Wolves. During their first season of play, the Samba finished the league in 5th place, five points behind the Utah Salt Ratz, who ultimately finished the season as league champions.
The 2005 season saw the development of location-specific conferences as more teams were added to the league. This placed Salinas Valley in the Western Conference, with a majority of California teams (with the exception of the Las Vegas Strikers and the Albuquerque Asylum) The expansion of the league in 2006 brought further development of the conferences, as the Western Conference split into "Northwestern" and "Southwestern", and a Midwestern conference was added. The Salinas Valley Samba are currently in the Northwestern Conference.
The Samba finished the 2005 season in 4th place. Also in 2005 the Samba advanced to the second round of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup before being defeated by the Seattle Sounders.
In 2006, they finished the year in 6th place.
Players
Last roster
as at June 7, 2009 Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Notable former players
Year-by-year
| Year | Division | League | Reg. Season | Playoffs | Open Cup |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | 4 | MPSL | 5th | Did not qualify | Did not qualify |
| 2005 | 4 | NPSL | 4th, Western | Did not qualify | Second Round |
| 2006 | 4 | NPSL | 6th, Northwest | Did not qualify | Did not qualify |
| 2007 | 4 | NPSL | 4th, Northwest | Did not qualify | Did not qualify |
| 2008 | 4 | NPSL | 4th, Northwest | Did not qualify | Did not qualify |
| 2009 | 4 | NPSL | 6th, Western | Did not qualify | Did not enter |
Head coaches
- Artie Cairel (2004–2008)
- Mark Cisneros (2009)
Stadia
- "The Pit" at Salinas High School; Salinas, California (2004–2008)
- Stadium at Watsonville High School; Watsonville, California (2009)