After going (12-6-4) last year, the Palo Alto High School boys’ varsity soccer team, with many new players, is set to make another playoff push in the 2025-2026 season.
Last year, the Vikings finished fourth in the De Anza league and qualified as the sixth seed in the Central Coast Section Division ll playoffs. The Vikings lost to the Menlo Knights (16-4-3) in a penalty shootout in the first round.
According to Viking junior fullback Rohan Bhatt, the Vikings had a good season last year and are looking to expand upon it.
“I felt good about last season,” Bhatt said. “We rebounded after a tough year and exceeded all expectations by qualifying for CCS Division II, and we did well in the league. … I think that the main goal that all of us share is to qualify for CCS again, and hopefully this time we can make an even deeper run than last season.”
According to Bhatt, the Vikings have new players coming over from the Silicon Valley Soccer Academy, the founding member of “MLS Next”, the premier pipeline for American soccer players to develop for college and professional teams.
“I’m feeling good about this upcoming season,” Bhatt said. “We have a couple of new players and we’re eager to keep our success from last season going.”
According to Viking junior forward and midfielder Koji Silverberg, putting in work with the new players is key.
“I’m super excited,” Silverberg said. “It’s going to be a struggle, building a new team, but I’m excited to build chemistry with the new players and get to know my teammates.”
According to Silverberg, preparation before the regular season is vital for success.
“Our success really depends on how we start off the preseason and how practices go, because right now, I think a lot of players are struggling, fitting into our system,” Silverberg said. “But our coach, Luis[Lodino], is going to do a great job of trying to integrate them.”
According to Silverberg, The Vikings have a chance to make a deep run, if they get healthy.
“Once we get players out of injury, I think we could finish top three in the league and hopefully make it to CCS,” Silverberg said.
The Vikings are set to play their first match against their rival, the Gunn Titans at 4:30 p.m. tomorrow, at Henry M. Gunn High School.
