Written By:  Shawn Medow
             ​West Region Contributor

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When Araceli “Chelly” Velasquez started playing in the WPSL, there was just one team in the San Diego area that she could play for. 

Now there’s an entire division. 
 

“You can check out different teams, different coaches, different styles and philosophies and the atmosphere that they’re creating for their players,” Velasquez said. “You can see what fits for you. It made me wish I was younger. I feel like it’s a lot more competitive now because of that.” 

When Velasquez’s playing career was coming to a close last summer, she was able to retire while playing for a new team in her hometown: the Oceanside Dutch Lions. 
 

Now, Velasquez joins the team for its second season, but this time as an assistant coach as the Dutch Lions’ Southern California franchise takes another step in building its identity in one of the United States’ biggest hotbeds of soccer. As a branch of the Dutch Lions club, the newly rebranded SoCal Dutch Lions are part of a nationwide organization that plays soccer under the “total football” tactical style that Dutch men’s soccer icon Johan Cruyff integrated into The Netherlands’ national team and FC Barcelona, among others. 

 

“We represent an institution that wants to be known for several things, one of which is having a clear identity. It goes beyond the tactics,” Mario Fernandez, co-founder and sporting director, said, who coached the team last summer. “Total football for me represents not just how we play but how we are identifying ourselves in comparison to others, making sure that we have a clear style of play on the field.”

 

Tactically, Fernandez says, the team looks like a team you might see in Chicago or Dayton as part of the nine-team organization. It comes down to the fundamentals of the game and the type of players who have the ability to play underneath a structured style of play. 

 

“A 2-v-1 as a center back is the same as a 2-v-1 as a striker. We’re trying to create numerical superiority,” Fernandez says. “It’s about finding players that have more of a global perspective of the game. It’s a short period of time so it takes time to find players who have the right mentality, that they’re hard workers.” 

 

This season, the team has branched out to find more local players coming back from colleges and universities around the country as well as some players who are already based in San Diego. Fernandez says 40 to 50 percent of the team in its inaugural season in the WPSL were locals, but now 80-90 percent of the squad are locals. 
 

One of those locals who was a part of the team last season and is making a return is Tiffany Chappell. She played collegiately at Sonoma State and is a veteran player of the WPSL, playing for various teams throughout California. 
 

 

A striker who also plays on the wing, Chappell is also an ultra runner. On the field, she’s the one creating space for long balls to be played and making the extra pass for an assist. 

 

“I think it’s exciting to be in a supportive role, creating space and assisting those players that are scoring goals on a consistent basis,” Chappel said.

 

The team takes the field for the first time on June 5, with hopes of improving on its 2-4-0 record from a summer ago. 

 

“Obviously we’d love to win every game but we just have to make sure that we’re listening to each other and the coaching staff on improvements that we need to make, and take what we learn in practice and make sure it translates to the game,” Chappell said.