Girls Soccer:
The year 2024 has been very kind to Amara Mercado.
The soon-to-be Monrovia High School senior has been a key contributor over the last three years for the MHS soccer program.
In this past season (2023-24), the Wildcats center back played a significant role in Monrovia securing an outright Rio Hondo League title.
More important, though, Mercado and her teammates earned their first CIF-SS title-game appearance in 18 years.
In the CIF-SS Division 4 playoffs, Monrovia defeated Los Altos (2-1), Costa Mesa (1-0) and Ocean View (2-1).
MHS moved on to the finals after tying St. Genevieve 1-1, but winning on penalty kicks, 4-2.
The Wildcats fell just shy of a D-4 title after dropping a 2-0 decision to a Louisville team (25-3) that secured both CIF-SS D-4 and CIF State D-4 titles.
Monrovia, however, rebounded and showed their mettle.
Four days after its CIF-SS D-4 title-game loss, the Wildcats defeated Campbell Hall, 4-0, in the first round of the CIF-State D-4 state playoffs.
Unfortunately, their magical season came to an end in the semifinal round of the CIF State D-4 semifinals, as Louisville edged MHS, 1-0.
That gets us to this summer.
Mercado plays for the U17 girls Legends FC Elite Clubs National League program out of Eastvale.
The Legends played in the West Regional in June, and they were one of two teams from the region to advance to the Final 8 in Richmond, Virginia.
In the West Regional, they faced off with a program from Oregon, Sacramento and two Orange County teams.
As Mercado made the trip across the country to Virginia for the Final 8, she almost certainly had to have her father, Kevin Mercado, somewhere in the back of her mind.
Mercado works full time as a teacher and director of the Sports Medicine Pathway Program at Monrovia.
In July of 1992, Kevin Mercado and his boys secured a U16 national championship for the North Huntington Beach Futbol Club.
In the title game, Mercado broke up a 0-0 tie with a goal in the 23rd minute.
And the NHBSC would go on to defeat the Pittsburgh Strikers, 3-0.
Fast forward 32 years, and Kevin Mercado was on hand to watch his daughter make history of her own.
Amara and her teammates didn’t just win a national championship, they steamrolled their competition.
The Legends outscored FC Wichita (4-0), FC Copa Academy (5-1) and Albion (3-0) by a combined margin of 12-1.
To say dad was proud would be quite the understatement.
A few interesting side notes:
Kevin and Amara won championships in the same city, and they did so just before beginning their senior years in high school.
Mercado put together this video highlight reel of the Legends title run.
2024 Monrovia Playoff Run:
2/8: Monrovia 2, Los Altos 1
2/10: Monrovia 1, Costa Mesa 0
2/14: Monrovia 2, Ocean View 1
2/17: Monrovia 1, St. Genevieve 1 (advanced on penalty kicks)
2/23: Louisville 2, Monrovia 0
2/27: Monrovia 4, Campbell Hall 0
2/29: Louisville 1, Monrovia 0
Legends FC ECNL-RL National Tournament Scores:
July 11: Legends FC 4, FC Wichita (Kansas) 0
July 12: Legends FC 5, FC Copa Academy (New Jersey) 1
July 14: Legends FC 3, Albion (Texas) 0
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