Birmingham Shows You Can’t Overlook Patriot Games

First-year Coach E.B. Madha of Birmingham High walked around the Sylmar tournament with mixed feelings Saturday.

He was proud of his team’s fourth-place finish, but felt a sense of emptiness because few noticed his success.

“The team and myself were a little upset with the fact that we had read so much about El Camino Real and that Birmingham was last year’s team,” Madha said. “People said this year, because we had a new coach and had lost all of our talent, that if you play Birmingham it’s just going to be an easy game. Nobody bothered to check and ask what our season was going to be like.”

After posting a 2-1 victory over El Camino Real, ranked No. 1 in the region by The Times, on Monday, soccer fans are realizing the Patriots (5-4-3) are talented.

But the Patriots aren’t the spectacular team loaded with standouts they have been the last few years. They are a group of overachievers striving for recognition.

“The reason people talk about teams such as El Camino Real and Reseda is because they have the superstar players behind them,” said Sylmar Coach Emanuel Martins. “Birmingham has more of a team concept going. No one is a superstar. Everyone is working together.”

With only one returning starter from last season’s team, which spent several weeks ranked No. 1 in the region, Birmingham has rebuilt its program based on team unity and defense.

The Patriots, who start only one senior, showed their youth by losing the first three games. Since then, they have gone 5-1-3 with seven shutouts.

Andres Baena and Rojer Pina are leaders of a defense that has allowed 11 goals in 12 games. Four goals were allowed in the second half against Reseda when the Birmingham junior varsity took the field because the varsity had to catch a bus to play a game in the La Canada tournament.

The key to the Patriots’ success has been the performances of freshmen Gershom Benitez, Sammy Peirto and Ramond Solozarno and sophomore Francisco Flores, who normally plays sweeper but leads the team with seven goals.

“It’s taken the three starting freshmen [until] the Sylmar tournament to stop being scared,” said Madha, a walk-on coach who spends three lunch periods a week tutoring his players. “They’ve been inspired by the leaders.”

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In two weeks, Birmingham could become a stronger team if Christian Portillo and Jaime Gomez are declared eligible.

Gomez started for the Patriots last season and Portillo started for Kennedy. They participated in a soccer camp in Florida last summer and were offered scholarships to play soccer at Heritage Christian Academy, a small private school in Florida.

Gomez said a knee injury kept him from playing for Heritage Christian and Portillo was academically ineligible.

The two plan to return to Birmingham after their semester ends on Jan. 19, and they hope to join the soccer team.

“We are trying to make sure we do everything OK [because] we don’t want to get Birmingham in trouble,” said Gomez, who said he has accepted a scholarship from Central Florida.

Madha said he will allow the two players to join the team if they are cleared by the City Section.

“I’m very disappointed Jaime chose to play in Florida, but I understand that he got a scholarship out of it,” Madha said.

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While El Camino Real’s varsity has been struggling, its junior varsity has been impressive.

The junior varsity Conquistadores (9-1-1) played in the varsity division of the Sylmar tournament and won their bracket.

The Conquistadores lost to Reseda, 3-1, in the quarterfinals.

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When Sylmar goalkeeper Jose Diaz left Saturday’s Sylmar tournament final against University at halftime to play in his band, the Spartans already trailed, 3-1.

However, first-year player Tony Delgado, a senior who had never played goalie, made eight difficult saves to keep the score close.

“He’s been playing defender, but in goal he looked like a natural goalie who had been playing goalie for all his career,” Martins said.

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Crespi midfielder Taylor Canel will miss today’s game against Notre Dame because he is competing with the state under-16 Olympic Development team in a regional tournament in Las Vegas.

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Rio Mesa forward Jimmy Heathcote recently broke the school career assist record with 30, surpassing the mark of 27 set by Ivan Medina in 1998.

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The Top 10

Rankings of boys’ soccer teams from the region:

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RK LW School (League) Rec. 1 1 El Camino Real (West Valley) 13-3 2 4 Crespi (Mission) 12-2 3 3 Royal (Marmonte) 15-3-2 4 2 Chaminade (Mission) 7-5-2 5 6 Quartz Hill (Golden) 15-1-1 6 5 Reseda (Valley Mission) 14-4-1 7 9 Ventura (Channel) 9-2-3 8 8 Thousand Oaks (Marmonte) 5-2-4 9 10 Rio Mesa (Pacific View) 9-5-2 10 7 St. Francis (Mission) 9-4

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Games through Wednesday