Felipe Liborio graduated from Castle Park High School in 2014. He played his freshman and senior years with the Trojans.
He’s continuing to accomplish his dreams as a member of 1904 SD of the National Independent Soccer Association.
San Diego hosts the L.A. Force on Saturday, Nov. 2, at SDCCU Stadium. Kickoff is 7:04 p.m.
This will be the teams’ second meeting on the season after the Force blanked the San Diegans, 2-0, in the first game of the NISA’s Fall Showcase on Sept. 7.
San Diego is 2-3 in the NISA Western Conference standings, including a 2-0 home record. A win on Saturday would give 1904 FC a 3-3 record and a potential berth in the upcoming playoffs.
The Cal United Strikers lead the four-team western pod with a 2-1-3 record, followed by the Force at 2-1-2. San Diego is three standings points ahead of the Oakland Roots (0-3-3).
1904 FC sits sixth in the power rankings among the seven NISA teams competing in the fall season. Miami FC, which defeated the New York Cosmos, 3-1, in August to claim the NPSL championship, holds down the No. 1 NISA power ranking courtesy of its undefeated 4-0-2 record.
But Liborio prefers to talk about his team, which has come together in the space of just a little over two months.
“We’ve come a long way,” the former Trojan said. “We have some little things to work on, but from where we started, we have come a long way.
“There’s obviously a lot of room for this team to grow. We average 22 years on average. We’re all young. Give us another year and I think we’ll be one of the top teams in the league and really move up.”
1904 FC won its inaugural home match by a score of 3-1 over Cal United in front of 3,028 fans at SDCCU Stadium on Sept. 14.
“It was a cool experience,” Liborio recounted. “We got a nice little crowd. But you can’t take for granted you’re playing at  (SDCCU Stadium) under the lights. The whole team enjoys it.”
San Diego defeated Oakland, 4-3, in the second of three home matches at SDCCU Stadium on Sept. 28.
Liborio previously has played with Albion Pro/ASC San Diego in the NPSL and with Irapuato in Mexico’s second division.
ASC San Diego won the West Region championship this past summer and advanced to the NPSL national semifinals, dropping a 2-0 decision to the New York Cosmos in Long Island.
“It was a great experience but I felt as a team that we were not prepared,” Liborio said.
He was complimentary of his time spent in the NPSL.
“It was a fun experience, a lot of room to grow. I learned from older players. I put my lessons there to use in Mexico. It was a good experience.”
The NISA offers a new proving ground for Liborio.
“It’s a whole different level than playing in the NPSL,” he said. “We’ve got to move a lot faster, control the ball, we’ve got to control the game to win the game.”
Liborio does have an end goal, which is familiar to many young aspiring professional soccer players. “My main goal is that I want to end up in Europe,” he said. “I’m giving myself until I’m 25 to get there. I’m 23 now.”
Southern exposure
Liborio is joined on the 1904 SD team by three other South County residents: Moe Espinoza, Christian Enriquez and Brandon Zambrano.
Espinoza, a San Ysidro resident, is a former USA youth national player and former Xolos youth player.
Christian Enriquez, from Chula Vista, is a NPSL Golden Ball winner and USA national youth player.
Zambrano, from National City, is a two-time All-West Coast Conference honorable mention at Portland University and played professionally in Mexico.
Cornerkicks
- 1904 FC defeated the Xolos U20 team, 4-2, in a friendly Oct. 12 in Estadio Caliente. Espinoza scored twice for San Diego, which also received goals from Eder Arreola and Kazuma Susuki.
