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In 2023, in its first season back in USL League Two after four seasons as a professional team in League One, FC Tucson went 5-0 at home. Last year, it went 9-1-2 at home, including two wins in the playoffs en route to the Western Conference championship.

“I think it’s a combination of everything,� said FC Tucson head coach Sebastian Pineda. “I think the weather is a factor, I think we’re one of the only teams in the league that has a grass field with that size. So we know we can take advantage of that and then there’s something about Kino.

“When FC Tucson players play at Kino, there’s an aura about that field and you just feel like you can win and you can go and you can continue to keep going and show something different,� he added. “I felt that as a player, so I know it’s there and yeah, it’s a special place for FC Tucson.�

Pineda played for FCT in 2015 and 2017.

FC Tucson (1-0) hosts Redlands FC on Saturday night in the regular-season home opener. The Redlands, Calif., side faces Stars FC in Phoenix on Friday night.

Redlands went 6-4-4 last year.

From 2012-18, FC Tucson was in the Premier Development League, which is now USL League Two. FCT went 32-7-11 at home in that span, only losing more than one game at Kino once, in 2013, and going 5-0-2 at home in 2015.

“The heat, first, is like, we’re used to it, so for them coming here is like really hard,� said FC Tucson forward Paul Caliari. “And then Kino is pretty big, so we’re used to that, we’re good in possession, so we make the teams run and then I think the fans, the fans are definitely like, when we get like 1,000, 2,000, that’s when it’s really hard to play.�

The Men in Black opened the season with a 5-2 win over Stars FC on Tuesday.

Saturday will be a busy day for FC Tucson, starting with the Hero Cup at 5 p.m. at the Kino Grandstand (just northwest of Kino North Stadium). The Tucson Police Department will take on Davis-Monthan Air Force Base in a free soccer match.

The clear bag policy is not in effect, so outside food and beverages can be brought in.

Then, first responders can get half-priced tickets for FC Tucson’s match. At halftime, there will be a plush toy toss.

Hard toys can be donated at the main entrance. Donations will go to Diamond Children’s Medical Center.

Pineda hopes the festivities will help with FC Tucson’s attendance.

“I hope we see a lot of fans there on Saturday,� Pineda said. “It’s the first actual game that matters this season, and against a very good opponent that has always been very competitive throughout the past few years in the league.

“The guys know it and I think we’re going to be ready,� he added. “They’re excited to find how they play at Kino at 7 p.m., play on our field, on the grass field. So, I am looking forward to seeing all the fans out there and show what we got this year. This is the first time we get to show everybody.�

New coach, new season for FC Tucson Women

The FC Tucson Women open its season on Wednesday with a new head coach.

The Women in Black face ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥ Arsenal at the ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥ Athletic Grounds in Mesa. Then it plays at Royals AZ, also in Mesa, on May 31 before hosting the El Paso Surf in their home opener on June 1.

New head coach Ryan Hall comes to Tucson from the Syracuse Development Academy. He played for Syracuse University, then the Syracuse Salty Dogs in what is now the USL Championship, the Cleveland Force of the Major Indoor Soccer League and for the Rochester Rhinos. He’s coached 15 years, five of which were in the MISL.

Hall, who is also FC Tucson Youth Girls Academy Director, replaced Roberto Garcia, who went 5-2-2 last season.

“I think obviously for us we want to stay integrated with our FC Tucson Youth program and Ryan is going to be the new director there,� said FC Tucson president Jon Pearlman. “We were incredibly grateful for the service that was provided and the success we had under Roberto Garcia, but he’s now in California and Ryan is committing himself with his family to the Tucson community and he has a great track record as a professional player and in the GA (Girls Academy) as a coach and we pull our players mainly from Tucson on that team.

“It’s a very strong group, we’re excited about the group that’s returning and we think that he’ll be a great choice as we try to compete again for a divisional championship with that group.�

As of Thursday night, the FC Tucson Women have announced 16 players. Other than UA forward MacKenzie Moring, who is from Atlanta, all of the FCTW players announced so far are from Tucson.

They come from colleges like VMI, Louisiana Monroe, Adams State, Embry-Riddle, Colorado Christian and Southern, and feature high schoolers from Catalina Foothills, Canyon del Oro, Salpointe Catholic, Mica Mountain and Pusch Ridge Christian.

FC Tucson will play five home matches in the regular season, starting with a three-match home stand that includes its first-ever derby with the Pima County Surf on June 7. The Surf join the WPSL’s all-new Division II after winning their conference in 2023, when Division II was WPSL U21.

Pima County will play four regular-season matches, with its home field being at Cienega High School.

Tony Torres, who also coaches for the Surf’s youth program and serves as the girls varsity head coach at Cienega, leads the WPSL Surf again.