Outbreak Soccer Club will be looking to make waves in this year’s Lamar Hunt US Open Cup as the ultimate underdog team. The club is currently in the thick of a tight title race in the SoCal Premier League and has performed exceptionally well in Open Cup qualification matches, despite the fact that their squad has an average age of over 30 years old.

The club is all about having fun and hanging out with friends, according to Outbreak FC forward Jameson Campbell.

“Preparation is limited to showing up 20 minutes before the match instead of the usual five minutes before kickoff,” he said. “We don’t train, we don’t talk about training, we just show up and hope the last six days of the week didn’t ruin our fitness too much.”

A passionate, unique club that prides itself on community and character, Outbreak SC will be looking to turn heads this year in the Open Cup. The guys in the club want to prove that a tight-knit group of friends have the ability and desire to propel themselves into Open Cup history. The heart and enthusiasm that this club show is one reason why they are the underdogs of the Cup, but at the same time, not a squad that should be ruled out.

“I love the quality of people that play for us,” said player/manager Trent Bryson. “As fathers, husbands, boyfriends and professionals, we have a great group of guys. ‎ We don’t have bad characters … We truly represent what can happen when you have amazing chemistry and a team of individuals passionate about the final score, not about individual efforts.”

Added Campbell: “So much fun comes with playing for this club, the constant banter and talking trash to each other pairs very nicely with the skill and effort we put forth on the pitch. I would say the best part is a majority of us actually enjoy each other’s company and many of the Outbreak players can be found hanging out at your local Newport or Long Beach pubs either before or after our weekly match.”

Outbreak SC was initially formed as Beach FC in 2004, and since it has won five league championships in the club’s history, including the times in which it competed in neighboring leagues under the name “Bryson Blues”

Outbreak SC qualified for the First Round of last year’s Open Cup competition, but the club was defeated by the Seattle Sounders U-23 squad 3-1 in a match that went to extra time.

This year, Outbreak SC made a statement in the first round of Open Cup qualification with a 5-0 thrashing of Buena Park FC on Sept. 18. The team then were able to secure a 2-1 victory over SFC Scorpions SC in October in order

to send it to the First Round proper of the tournament.

On expectations for this cup run, Bryson says they will take it one game at a time and enjoy every moment along the way.

“No one on our team has aspirations of going pro,” he said. “We truly play for the love of the game and the friendships we have built.”

The club is primarily composed of a group of friends from Southern California, most of who grew up in Orange County together.

The club is returning every single player from last year’s squad and adding some fresh legs in the form of former Portland Timbers forward Spencer Thompson, Randall Davis, and former OC Blues FC forward Alex Antonescu.

Yet, Bryson pointed to goalkeeper Brendon Welch as the player that could have the biggest impact for the squad.

“He’s a player that if healthy, would have played at the highest level,” Bryson said. “Additionally, we rely on our complete team to show up and compete. We don’t have superstars. We play as one unit.”