There’s an old saying in soccer, “Players win games, coaches lose games, and referees ruin games.” Unfortunately, for Real San Jose it was the referees that took center stage during the clubs’ home opener on April 2. A nice crowd was on hand to see an exciting match until referee Victor Rivas increasingly took over leading up to a game-altering decision to show RSJ midfielder Sami Sreis a straight red card in first-half extra time. East Bay FC Stompers took full advantage and scored twice in the second half as RSJ lost for the first time in their new stadium and the 2016 season.

“Obviously were disappointed in the result and how it transpired. That said, we were still tied and did not do very well in meeting the challenge of being short-handed in the second half,” said RSJ manager Nick Arellano. “On the positive side, we had a nice crowd and PAL is a great place to experience a soccer game. We will bounce back. It’s soccer. “

RSJ aren’t going to wait long to get that bounce back chance as they return to PAL Stadium to host the defending Golden Gate Conference Champions Sonoma Sol next Saturday on April 9. Kickoff is at 7:00 pm.