La Cañada will lean on returning talent to retain Rio Hondo league title
LA CAÑADA, Calif. — In the 75th minute of La Cañada’s Rio Hondo league match against Blair on May 6, midfielder Jason Shibata found an opening. He played a simple pass, cutting the Vikings’ defense, which was then turned in by Kiven Nessim.
The celebrations were raucous, the burst of joy after 75 minutes of frustration. But the happiness meant more than the relief of breaking down a testy opponent. Indeed, the goal also iced the conference title for the Spartans, capping off a successful regular season in style.
After a summer off to reset and retool, La Cañada projects to be right up there among the best again as its winter soccer season kicks off next Friday.
Although the Spartans saw nine seniors graduate, some key pieces still return. Shibata will step into a bigger role as a sophomore. They will also benefit from Tyler Na-Nakornpanom’s threat as a goal scorer. However, their main threat could be Noah Godby, a pacey midfielder who leads the Spartans’ press and can upset league opponents with a quick turn of pace.
Few teams return that caliber of talent. South Pasadena, last season’s top scoring offense, will look to offset the combined 12 goals and seven assists delivered by the tandem of Caleb Lee and Reo Snyder. In their stead, the Tigers could turn to Tilo Andac, who contributed three goals in four league appearances.
After finishing second in the spring, Temple City is poised to contend for the crown again, having lost only six seniors. However, it may struggle in the absence of star player Nathan Tran, who helped run an organized midfield unit last season, and starred in wins over Monrovia and South Pasadena.
While Monrovia, San Marino and Blair have some interesting talent, and are led by smart coaches, none of the three quite have the requisite depth throughout the XI to break into the top three required for a playoff berth.
Bruno Costa’s squad made the most of a COVID-19 impacted winter season. The Spartans tasted defeat only once in Rio Hondo League play, a 4-1 upset at the hands of Temple City. Otherwise, they were a solid and organized unit, led by a devastating high press.
Godsby and Na-Nakornpanom often have the freedom to run at opposing defenses and win the ball back for the Spartans in the final third. It proved to be a devastating style on occasions, as Costa’s side put three goals past Monrovia, Blair and South Pasadena.
It was fallible at times, though. In the 1-0 win over Blair, the Vikings were comfortable sitting in and making life difficult for La Cañada in a low defensive block, offering the Spartans few good looks on goal.
It’s a new season for Costa and the Spartans. Although some pieces are gone, some crucial players remain. Facing a long season, the team will likely have more time to tinker and tweak their style. With that freedom to improve and the opportunity to grow, the Spartans could be looking at a league crown.
And they might just have their eyes on a deeper run, too.
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