Bay FC celebrates after Bay FC's Dana Castellanos, 10, scores the opening goal in their home opener Saturday, March 30, 2024, at PayPal Park in San Jose, California. (Shay Hammond/Bay Area News Group)
SAN JOSE — Thousands of people lined up to get into PayPal Park hours before Bay FC was scheduled to play its first home game Saturday night.
Once in the car, the girls, wearing their hometown jerseys, sprinted out onto the large grassy area and began playing soccer tennis. They kicked, screamed, laughed and quickly wrapped themselves in blue and red Bay FC scarves and found their seats.
A total of 18,000 spectators gathered, the stadium was filled with jubilant anticipation, and at 7 p.m. it finally happened.
After a 14-year hiatus, women's professional soccer is returning to the Bay Area.
Bay FC lost to the Houston Dash 3-2. After 100 minutes of non-stop play and two goals in stoppage time, the energy swung back and forth until the referee unfortunately blew his whistle.
The Bay FC players hung their heads, but only for a moment. He was immediately greeted with applause, and kids ran off the field screaming, eyes wide and jaws on the ground as if they had just seen Taylor Swift, high-fiving over the fence.
Although it was a loss, it hardly felt like a loss.
“Thanks to the fans, it felt like a victory both before and during the game,” said coach Alber, a longtime MVLA club director and director of FC Gold Pride, the last production of women's professional soccer here. Tin Montoya said.
That was in 2010, and around 2,000 or 3,000 people showed up.
“I've never seen this before in the Bay Area,” Montoya said. “It's just a little bit surreal. The energy, the excitement, the young players looking at the stars.
“And these players are going to be pretty special. It's going to be a fun team to watch evolve. A lot of young players are going to be excited about this beautiful game and want to be like their heroes. It’s going to get better. It’s only going to get better.”
The club's journey began last April when former U.S. Women's National Team legends Brandi Chastain, Leslie Osborne, Danielle Slaton and Allie Wagner announced a new expansion team for the Women's National Soccer Team, bringing the sport to bay. It started with the revival of the area.
Less than a year later, Bay FC took the field in front of an enthusiastic crowd that filled Paypal Park, and the noise seemed to get louder as the night progressed.
The first 20 minutes were certainly better than any of the Founding Four could have dreamed of, as Bay FC dominated Houston with 60% possession and suffocating defense.
When Alex Loera fired a shot just over the crossbar in the 12th minute, the crowd went wild with anticipation.
In the 19th minute, Scarlet Camberros beat a defender on the left flank and sent a dangerous cross into the box, which was spotted by Asisato Oshoala, who fired a quick shot that deflected off Deina Castellanos. Fans were rewarded.
The 24-year-old former Manchester City star Castellanos quickly slotted a shot into the top left corner for Bay FC's first ever home goal. She ran towards the corner flag and got down on her knees.
“For me, it was one of the best moments of my career,” she said two hours later.
Bay FC's picture-perfect start continued throughout the first half as Montoya utilized a high press to create constant turnovers and maintain pressure throughout the entire 45 minutes. Bay FC finished the first half with nearly 60% possession, winning 3-0 in corner kicks, 8-2 in crosses, and 32-23 in duels.
“I thought our soccer was great in the first half,” Montoya said. “I hope our fans enjoy it.”
Montoya played a wide-open game using two attacking midfielders and three forwards who pressed high up the field, but midway through the second half the team began to feel tired and the players looked heavy on their feet. .
And when they allowed a turnover in the 66th minute, when Houston had a chance to score the tying goal off a counterattack, the midfielders were too tired to recover.
Montoya made some substitutions and tried to find new legs, but the same thing happened again in the 87th minute. A cross into the box hit a Bay FC defender in the hand, resulting in a penalty kick that gave Houston a 2-1 lead.
Looking back, Montoya said he may have made a mistake. Perhaps he could have pulled himself together and tied the score.
But he thought about the way he wanted to play: attack-oriented, creative football that satisfied the fans.
“In fact, I was on the sidelines saying, 'Let's win this game, let's put up numbers,'” he said.
Rachel Kundananji, the 23-year-old who recently set a world transfer record when Bay FC paid $800,000 to sign her from Madrid CFF, was absent due to knee pain, but was finally ready to make her debut midway through the second half. It's all set.
With Bay FC looking for an equalizer in stoppage time, Kundanandji dribbled past three Houston defenders like an orange cone and chipped a perfect floater past the goalie and into the back corner.
“It was a great goal,” Montoya said.
As the crowd roared and his teammates emerged, Kundananji sprinted to the sideline, pointed toward the Bay FC bench, and handed the hero the flag of his native Zambia. When she slung it over her shoulder, the crowd went wild.
“I wanted to celebrate in my own way, and I wanted to cry,” she said. “I was very happy to score in my first game.”
Kundanandji said playing at PayPal Park “felt like home” even though he still doesn't know the names of some of his teammates. “This is a new family.”
With the score tied at 2-2, Bay FC went for another winner, but once again it cost them. The deflected cross landed at the feet of Houston's Havana Soraun, who slotted it into the goal, giving Houston the lead for good.
This will be remembered as a defeat. It was Bay FC's second last-minute loss in as many weeks as they fell to 1-2 this year. Montoya said the players need to fix some issues and perhaps change their mindset at the end of the game. However, they were satisfied with their play.
“It was very exciting, wasn't it?” Montoya said. “Some people might argue, 'Let's go and defend and tighten it up a little bit (and fight for a tie).' But I'm like, 'Let's entertain the fans.'
“Hopefully, in many cases, we can come out on top. Otherwise, I might not be in this world for a long time.”
Few people remember ties.
Few will forget Saturday night.