A Paradise player heads the ball during the team's preseason match on February 13. Provided photo.

The stands at Premier Sports Campus weren’t packed to the gills and the parking lot was not nearly at full capacity, but the sun was beaming down and there was soccer to be played nevertheless. Ahead of the Sarasota Paradise’s inaugural United Soccer League One home opener on March 7, the Paradise hosted a preseason friendly match against New York City FC II on February 13. New York FC II serves as the developmental team for Major League Soccer’s New York City FC, competing in the MLS Next Pro league.

For the Paradise, which won the match 2-1, the preseason friendly was a trial run. The team has only been practicing together for a number of weeks, with players such as defender Anderson Rosa or midfielder Aaron Walker, just recently coming into the fold. A match against New York City gave the coaching staff the chance to experiment with using players in different roles, determining strengths and weaknesses as well as toy with various play sets.

“The more that we can string performances like this together and instill that belief in ourselves, the better we’ll be,” says the 35-year-old Walker. “This is a new club to the professional ranks, we have a lot of guys that are coming from different systems and cultures and we want to see it come together quickly. Because this is a new club, with all new players, things are still fragile, so the quicker that we can all get on the same page and get results, it helps instill that belief of, ‘we really are where we want to be.’”

Head coach and technical director Mika Elovaara is also optimistic about the team’s chances heading into the regular season, emphasizing the bond the players have already begun to build with each other. “What gives me the most confidence is the culture that we are building,” says Elovaara. “Soccer is the players’ game and we have very good, broad leadership on the team and the culture that we’re building is very encouraging.”

Sarasota Paradise vs AC Boise, March 7, 7:30pm, Premier Sports Campus at Lakewood Ranch, 5895 Post Blvd, Lakewood Ranch.

A Paradise player heads the ball during the team's preseason match on February 13. Provided photo.

To learn more click here