Top soccer teams look to avoid penalty-kick scenarios in playoffs

If you want drama, the Southern Section and City Section high school soccer playoffs that begin this week are certain to produce moments similar to the old ABC “Wide World of Sports” opening sequence that touts “the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat.”

It might come down to penalty kicks, so get ready for some emotional endings. Like them or not, every playoff team began practicing penalty kicks this week, because they're the only way to advance to the next round after a tie in regulation or overtime.

“I hate PKs,” Lake Balboa Birmingham coach EB Madha said. “They’re arbitrary. Too many things can go wrong, and it’s an unfair way to decide things.”

Sometimes penalty kicks are unavoidable because games are so evenly matched. On any given day, whether a team is favored or not, draws are inevitable.

“Soccer is like life,” Madha said. “It’s never fair, and the best team doesn’t always win.”

In the Southern Section Division 1 boys’ playoffs, L.A. Cathedral is seeded No. 1 at 14-0 and Anaheim Servite is No. 2 at 12-1. Birmingham, at 12-0-1, is the No. 1 seed in City Section Division 1. You can call all three elite teams, but Division 1 is so good that getting upset is possible. If all three make it to championship games, they could face off at some point during the Southern California regional playoffs.

“This is a good team,” Cathedral coach Arturo Lopez said.

Edward Castro has been Cathedral’s top scorer, with Danny Vega and Alek Palomares providing support. It’s a veteran team with 10 seniors as major contributors. The Phantoms own the only win over rival L.A. Loyola, the No. 3 seed, this season.

Servite has thrived under first-year coach Eddie Soto, who has turned to players off the freshman-sophomore team. He has perhaps the fastest player in the Southland in Max Thomas, who won the 200 meters at last weekend’s Arcadia Invitational.

“In the modern game, it’s one of the most important things,” Soto said of speed. “It’s something you can’t teach.”

He said Thomas has “got some work to do with the soccer ball; he has a lot of passion and a bright future.”

Jesus Melgoza leads the team with nine goals, including a four-goal performance against Santa Margarita. The Friars won the Trinity League championship and have a standout goalie in Merrick Cook.

While some people underestimate City Section teams in a variety of sports, that’s not the case in soccer. City teams have proven for years they can hold their own against the best in the Southern Section, and Birmingham is aiming to prove it again.

The Patriots are led by junior David Diaz, whose scoring and passing skills are immense. He had a flip back pass to Enrique Pineda last week in a 2-2 tie against Woodland Hills El Camino Real that led to a spectacular goal.

“That’s great vision. The really good players can see that,” Madha said.

Diaz has been trying to get healthy while struggling with a hamstring injury. His health could be key to the Patriots making it to the championship game. They open at home on Friday against Fairfax.

“We spend the first 20 minutes of every practice talking about our mentality and having the correct focus and having one mindset,” Madha said. “My biggest concern isn’t their mindset but keeping everyone healthy because they’re still playing on weekends.”

COVID-19 led to the CIF allowing a one-time waiver this year that permits players to play with their club and high school teams during the overlapping seasons, so every Monday, Madha heads to practice waiting to hear if anyone suffered an injury during the weekend of club soccer.

“Every Monday is a long walk to the field,” he said.

High school soccer got a lift in the quality of play when USA Soccer shut down its Academy League program, leading to a number of players returning to their high school teams.

“High school has improved,” Soto said.

In girls’ soccer, Studio City Harvard-Westlake is seeded No. 1 in Southern Section Division 1 at 12-0 and has given up just two goals all seasons. El Camino Real is seeded No. 1 in the City Section.

In the end, no one really wants to decide a game or a championship based on penalty kicks — except maybe fans who enjoy the drama.

"Hopefully, we don’t have to go to penalty kicks, but if we do, we'll be ready," Soto said.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.