“That was one of the greatest matches I’ve played in my whole soccer career,” Kadono said. “Going into the game we knew that the whole stadium was going to be packed and everyone was so excited for it, and even when we were warming up and you saw all the Galaxy fans coming out with chants and stuff. That was really cool.
“We started off the game really, really hot,” Kadono remembered. “I intercepted the ball, started a little short counter and I scored against my former teammate from Cal, Jonathan Klinsmann, and we celebrated in front of their fans. I remember trying to do a knee slide in front of their fans and failing. That was definitely the high moment in my career. The whole game was great.
“Unfortunately, we lost but we fought until the final whistle,” he said. “I think we showed that even if you’re playing at a lower division and people don’t recognize you, that doesn't mean you can’t compete with the top division. I think we showed that we can also play.”
And Back Again
Unable to find a new primary owner, Cal United Strikers FC dissolved after the 2022 season and Kadono took an offer to stay in NISA with ALBION San Diego.
“I was able to catch on at Albion and they were able to welcome me pretty quickly,” he said. “I lived down in San Diego for the first time. I never really explored San Diego so that was really fun, being in a new environment, new people, that was a valuable experience for me [and] even though it was out of town, it was still Southern California and that was definitely good.”
ALBION’s decision to put its professional club on hiatus in 2024 meant Kadono, 27, was again weighing his options, his future and measuring what the game means to him.
“I think I’m at a pretty good age to re-recognize the love of the game,” said Kadono who’s “proud to be a part of the club’s history” in this debut Open Cup run. “It’s easy to transition to see soccer as your job and lose joy in a game, but I feel that I’m really, really enjoying playing again and showcasing myself and my ability.
“Now with Zeta, I’m really enjoying it and feeling great,” he said with the confidence of a young man feeling right at home.
Dennis Pope writes about local sports for the SoCal Newspaper Group and serves in a communications role for both NISA Nation and the Southwest Premier League. Follow him at @DennisPope on X/Twitter.
