On a windless, cloudless Wednesday night in Woodland Hills, after a week of disruptions from nearby fires and poor air quality limited practices and canceled games, the two best soccer teams in the City Section, El Camino Real and Birmingham, finally got to renew their storied rivalry.
It was all El Camino Real in a 3-0 victory that gives the Royals (9-1) bragging rights as the best in the City Section. Birmingham dropped to 13-2.
Jonathan Rabinovitch, a senior who had 18 goals last season and wants to break the school record of 26, scored his 14th and 15th off penalty kicks. He also assisted on a goal by Osvaldo Escobedo.
El Camino Real goalkeeper Anthony Salmeron received special praise from coach Ian Kogan.
“My goalie was phenomenal today,” Kogan said. “He was fantastic.”
El Camino Real was in constant attack mode and mistakes by Birmingham allowed Rabinovitch to score twice on penalty kicks after a handball and tripping violation. Twice he hesitated to get Birmingham’s goalie moving, then easily kicked the ball into the net.
Rabinovitch’s footwork and physicality were a problem for Birmingham, exposing a weakness in the Patriots’ defensive back line.
“His one-on-one skills is one of the best in the City,” Kogan said.
Said Rabinovitch: “I think we came into this game prepared and we knew how good our team is this year.”
Last season Birmingham defeated El Camino Real in the City Section championship game, then came a brawl that resulted in both teams being banned from the regional playoffs. There were no issues Wednesday, with both teams shaking hands afterward.
The City Section has some strong teams besides El Camino Real and Birmingham. Sylmar, South East and Palisades all could be in the running for the first Open Division championship in soccer. But make no mistake about it, El Camino Real and Birmingham think they will be facing off a few more times this season. The next West Valley League game is Jan. 31 at Birmingham.
Birmingham defender Steven Ramos said the lack of practice time might have affected the Patriots’ performance. “They played better,” he said. “Our heads were not focused.”
In two Southern Section matches, Bishop Amat knocked off Cathedral 2-1, and Loyola won an important Mission League match over Harvard-Westlake 3-2.
