 | ||||
| Full name | AV Alta Football Club | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Founded | October 4, 2023; 2 years ago (2023-10-04) | |||
| Stadium | Lancaster Municipal Stadium | |||
| Capacity | 6,000 | |||
| Owner(s) | J David Harden John Smelzer Bob Roback | |||
| President | John Smelzer | |||
| Head coach | Brian Kleiban | |||
| League | USL League One | |||
| 2025 | USL League One, 9th of 14 | |||
| Website | avaltafc | |||
 Current season | ||||
AV Alta Football Club, commonly referred to asAV Alta FC orAlta, is an American professionalsoccer team based inLancaster,California. First announced in 2023, the team plays in theUSL League One since 2025. Their home field isLancaster Municipal Stadium, also known as "The Hangar".
On October 4, 2023, theUnited Soccer League announced that the city ofLancaster, California, had been awarded aUSL League One expansion team which would start play in the 2025 season. John Smelzer, an entrepreneur who worked with theUnited States Soccer Federation for the1994 FIFA World Cup, was announced as founder and president.[1]
On May 16, 2024, Brian Kleiban was announced as the team's inaugural head coach. Kleiban had held coaching roles withFC Barcelona,Los Angeles FC andChivas USA.[2]
The club's name — AV Alta FC — and logo were unveiled on May 17, 2024.[3] Former U.S. international andMajor League Soccer playerMiguel Ibarra, who hails from the area, was announced as the club's first player on December 9, 2024.[4]
In their first match in club history, the club lost to the South Georgia Tormenta FC 2–0 away.[5] However, in their inaugural match in both theU.S. Open Cup and at the Lancaster Municipal Stadium, AV Alta won 3–1 over theVentura County Fusion, withJerry Desdunes scoring the first goal in club history.[6]
The club's official name, crest and colors were unveiled in front of thousands of fans in Lancaster on May 17, 2024.[7] "AV" is a common local nickname for theAntelope Valley, while "Alta" is meant to allude to the region's location in the high desert, its ties to the aerospace industry, and to Alta California, the region's name prior to California statehood.
The club's official colors are referred to as Joshua Green and Desert Sand, the former in reference to the abundantJoshua trees in the area. The shape of the crest is meant to resemble aCalifornia poppy, while the angled font of the "AV" at the center of the crest was inspired by angular shape of theB2 stealth bomber.
The team play atLancaster Municipal Stadium, also known as "The Hangar", a former minor league ballpark that was home to theLancaster JetHawks until 2020.[8] The stadium was reconfigured for soccer use by adding seating in the former outfield at a cost of $17 million, and has a total of 5,300 seats, including asafe standing supporters' terrace on the north side.[4]
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined underFIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
|
|
| Season | USL League One | Playoffs | U.S. Open Cup | Top Scorer1 | G | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| P | W | D | L | GF | GA | Pts | Pos | |||||
| 2025 | 30 | 8 | 10 | 12 | 42 | 47 | 36 | 9th | Did not qualify | Round of 32 |  Eduardo Blancas | 11 |
^ 1.Top Scorer includes all goals scored in regular season, league playoffs,U.S. Open Cup, and other competitive continental matches.
| Year | Player | Country | Position | Honor |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Eduardo Blancas | United States | Midfield | All-League Second Team |
 Sports teams based inCalifornia | ||
|---|---|---|
| Australian rules football |      | |
| Baseball |
| |
| Basketball | ||
| Esports | ||
| American football |
| |
| Ice hockey | ||
| Lacrosse | ||
| Pickleball |
| |
| Roller derby | ||
| Rugby league |
| |
| Rugby union | ||
| Soccer |
| |
| Ultimate |
| |
| Volleyball |
| |
