Pro Club Plays Transition Game : Soccer: Golden Eagles relocate to Moorpark, debut against L.A. Salsa.

Professional soccer makes its Ventura County debut when the Valley Golden Eagles play host to the L.A. Salsa tonight at 8 p.m. at Moorpark High.

The Eagles (1-0) and Salsa (1-1) are two of 55 teams in the U.S. International Soccer League, which includes teams in the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico, and is accredited by the U.S. Soccer Federation as a third-division professional league.

The Salsa was part of the second-division American Professional Soccer League before dropping out and disbanding in October. Its feeder team in the USISL, the L.A. Cobras, has assumed the Salsa’s name.

“We’ll be up for the game; there’s no love lost between us and (L.A.),” said Eagle sweeper Ed Burns, one of seven returnees who lost a heated playoff series to the Cobras in last year’s Southwest Division finals.

Burns, who played at Cal State Northridge from 1988-91 and had stints with pro teams in Hong Kong and England, is joined on the roster by other local players.

Forward Armando Valdivia was an All-American at Northridge in 1993 and center midfielder Mike Gregorian is a former Cal State L.A. star, U.S. national team member and professional player in Greece.

The USISL is designated as a professional league, but Eagle players receive no compensation other than meal and travel money while on the road. Nonetheless, Burns and his teammates play the game with zeal.

“We play an exciting brand of soccer and I think we can draw some people in,” Burns said. “We have good speed and we can score goals. We use short passes and keep the ball moving on the ground, which gives us a lot of chances from inside 30 yards.”

The Eagles are coached by former Brazilian World Cup player Rildo Meneses and are in their third season in the USISL after starting as a semipro team in 1985. The team went 3-11 in 1993 and 12-6 last year while playing home games at Valley College and drawing about 500 fans per game.