Glens women's soccer team prepare for semifinals in successful 1st season
SAN FRANCISCO – It is a cold blustery July morning at Skyline College in San Bruno but the mood is bright and cheerful.
That's because in their first season playing in the USL W League, one of the country's top women's amateur soccer leagues, the San Francisco Glens are preparing for their national semi-final match.
"It's been extremely exciting. We have such a tremendous group of young women. They are so talented and we also have a fantastic staff," said Mike Sharabi, head coach of the Glens.
Sharabi is not too shocked by the team's success because it's made up of some of the Bay Area's top collegiate talent including Stanford's own Elise Evans.
"It's super awesome getting to play with some of my old teammates from club or college and just being able to play with my old coach as well. It's just been super fun and we always play great together because we've been playing together for so long," said Evans.
While the team is seeing success on the pitch, the club itself is trying to stay afloat.
"It's pretty tough. I me we're looking at a $20,000 trip this weekend alone just to compete in one game," said Ryan Maquinana, the team's director of communications.
The Glens are a non-profit. Currently, all of their funds are raised through private donors.
Their success has put a strain on their finances that's why they want to take the team pro.
"This would be a lot easier if we were able to have the financial means to go pro," said Maquinana.
The USL is set to kick off its first women's pro league in 2024 and the Glens want to be a part of it.
The club is already in the process of building a stadium on Treasure Island but in order to make their dreams come true… they need to find an owner.
"If someone's out there watching this, everything's in place. We've got a player pool that's legitimately one of the most talented in the country, you've got a great coaching staff, you've got the infrastructure, you've got a deep academy to keep building both those next players when they come up through the system," said Maquinana.
The Glens hope their success on the field this season will help to attract an owner. They're heading to Indianapolis now for the semifinal, with all eyes focused on a national title.
