What makes a good first impression?

Is it looks? Attitude? Charm? Or personality?

In soccer, the best first impression a team can give is based on a few things. It’s about their style of play, their aggressiveness, and their attitude.

Potros FC ended their inaugural United Premier Soccer League (UPSL) Season last place in the standings with a total of eight points. So on paper it can definitely seem that their first impression was not the best. But if you think about it this way, there’s nowhere to go but up.

Potros FC have had a long and extensive preseason. With a total of 14 games played between January and now, the sophomore UPSL team ended its preseason run with a 5-0 loss against CD Aguila on Sunday night. This bitter loss however is not something to feel too bad about, as Potros had just come off a four-game winning streak. In fact, over their 14 games they had six wins, three draws and five losses.

There is a recent memorable win in fact, against a team that was just crowned the Fall 2020 UPSL Champion. That’s right Potros FC managed to beat Ginga Atlanta FC 2-0 in a preseason friendly. This win not only brought up the team’s mood with regards to facing up against a team of such caliber, but it also solidified that the team has a diverse roster.

There is a lot to look forward to for Potros FC in 2021. For instance, they are doing exceptionally well in Liga de Naciones as they are currently sitting at the top of the standings, after having beaten Libertadores, Tigres, KSA-03, and Man City FC.

Potros FC have extended their roster of talent to suit their needs for players in their first and second teams. One notable newcomer being center back Kevin Lopez, who made his debut for Potros last Sunday night against Man City FC and even managed to score a goal.

“Last week’s performance was great for the team,” said Lopez. “It was great for me as well. I’m competitive, I love to win, and knowing that I was the winning goal is a great feeling.”

Not only is there a lot of new talent that have already started showing great potential, there is also returning talent that is heating up. One such as forward Marc Bineau, who has managed to score three goals through three consecutive games.

“As for my personal performance during the preseason,” said Bineau. “I am really happy about it. I started off a little bit slow early in the preseason since it had been a while since I played competitively, but similar to the whole team I feel like I’ve gotten better, gotten in shape and improved a lot overall. I think we are very ready for the UPSL.”

The UPSL 2021 season schedule was just released this past week and Potros will have to face-off some notable adversaries that they encountered last season like Ginga Atlanta FC, FC Matata, and Seas Jamaica United FC.

While the team has shown much improvement with regards to talent acquisition, training and on the actual scoreboard. Many agree that there is still some work to do in order to be prepared for their second season in UPSL.

“The preseason showed me that there is always room for improvement. I think we are well prepared for the season, so I believe that the outcome will be better than the last,” said Kevin Lopez. “We need to work as a team, have quicker reactions, recognize our surroundings in the field, learn when and where not to dribble, and we need to provide our teammates with support and have composure.”

Potros FC team manager Christopher Uranga assures that the team is prepared for the upcoming UPSL season, and states that they are looking forward to show their depth.

“I can conclude that we are at a point where the players who have been with us throughout the preseason appear to be ready for the new UPSL season ahead, and a lot of the players who played today are now in the process of preparing to integrate into the squad when they are needed,” said Uranga. “At this moment, all of our focus will shift to prepare for our opening match of the season. We have had a strong preseason and I think the team is ready to compete from the start.”

Potros FC will begin their 2021 UPSL season with a match against Forest Rovers FC, whom they defeated with a 4-2 win in their last game of the 2020 season. The match-up is sure to be one filled vengeance on Forest Rovers FC’s behalf.

“I think we have to watch out for the other team,” said defender Juan Correa. “We have to come out ready and have a good mindset to be able to win.”

“We will prepare for a strong opponent and a tough 90-minute game,” said Uranga. “But I know we can compete.”