 | |||
| Full name | Monterey Bay Football Club | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Nicknames | Union,[1]Crisp and Kelp | ||
| Founded | February 1, 2021; 4 years ago (2021-02-01) | ||
| Stadium | Cardinale Stadium Seaside, California | ||
| Capacity | 6,000 | ||
| Owner | Ray Beshoff | ||
| President | Mike DiGiulio | ||
| Head Coach | Jordan Stewart | ||
| League | USL Championship | ||
| 2024 | 11th, Western Conference Playoffs: DNQ | ||
| Website | montereybayfc.com | ||
 Current season | |||
Monterey Bay Football Club is an American professionalsoccer team based inMonterey County, California. The club was established on February 21, 2021,[2] and is a member of theUSL Championship, the second tier of theAmerican soccer league system. It began playing during the2022 USL Championship season as a member of the league's Western Conference.[3]
The Monterey Bay area had its first professional team in 1993 whenSanta Cruz Surf joined theUSISL.[4] The team would only last through the 1994 season, but professional soccer's absence would not last long as theMonterey Bay Jaguars were established for the 1995 season.[5] The following season the Jaguars would change the location in their name to "California" and have their most successful season, defeating theRichmond Kickers 2-1 to win theUSISL Select League Championship.[6] The Jaguars would continue to play in USL affiliated leagues until their folding after the1999 USL D3 Pro League season.
National club soccer would not return to the Monterey Bay until 2004, when theSalinas Valley Samba joined the Men's Premier Soccer League forits second season.[7] The 2007 NPSL season would see two Monterey Bay teams playing in the same league, with theSanta Cruz County Breakers established. However this would not last long, as the Breakers would fold their NPSL club in 2008.[8] The Samba themselves would fold the following year, with the 2009 season being their last. In 2018, a decade after the initial Breakers team folded, the club reestablished their first-team side and joined theUSL PDL under the name Santa Cruz Breakers FC.[9]
Monterey Bay F.C. is a continuation of the USL Championship's formerFresno FC franchise. The team, owned by Ray Beshoff, ceased operations after the 2019 season because he was unable to secure construction of asoccer-specific stadium. Beshoff retained franchise rights and sought another place in California to relocate.[10] On February 1, 2021, Monterey Bay F.C. joined theUSL Championship. The club's Sporting Director is two-time MLS Coach of the Year,Frank Yallop. Yallop had previously served as general manager of Fresno FC.[11][12] In April 2021, formerSan Jose Earthquakes captain,Ramiro Corrales, joined the team staff as a technical advisor.[13] Corrales, a native ofSalinas, began and ended his playing career in theMonterey Bay Area. His career began with the Monterey Bay Jaguars in 1995 before joining the San Jose Clash (later renamed "Earthquakes") in 1996. He last served as a player-coach with Santa Cruz Breakers during the2018 USL PDL season.[14] General manager Frank Yallop was also named head coach on April 22, 2021, with Ramiro Corrales as assistant coach.[15]
The club announced their first signing,Walmer Martinez, on December 22, 2021. Born inSanta Cruz, Martinez had previously played with fellow USL Championship sideHartford Athletic but was brought in by Monterey Bay, through a transfer for an undisclosed fee, to play professionally at the same campus he had featured collegiately withCSUMB.[16] The club's ever first match was a pre-season encounter away toMLS clubSan Jose Earthquakes. Monterey Bay ended up losing the encounter 4–2.[17] The club's final signing before the season started was another local product and CSUMB alum,Adrian Rebollar. Rebollar, a native of Watsonville, was a trialist during the preseason and made it to the first team.[18] Due to the timing of the renovation of Cardinale Stadium, the team started the regular season with seven consecutive league road matches.[19] The club's first ever professional win occurred on March 26, 2022, in their third ever match, away to nearby Northern California sideOakland Roots SC. Club captainHugh Roberts scored the winning goal of the 2–3 victory in the final minute of regulation.[20] Another away match was added to their schedule for theirUS Open Cup debut, an away match against NISA clubBay Cities FC. Monterey Bay ultimately suffered an upset, losing 2–1 against the 3rd division side.[21] The club had their first ever home match on May 7, 2022, defeatingLas Vegas Lights FC 1–0 on a goal by Walmer Martinez in the 56th minute.[22][23] After a late playoff push, the Union ultimately finished their inaugural season in 12th place, second to last in the Western Conference and seven points away from qualifying for the playoffs.[24]
In preparation for their second season, Monterey Bay brought back 17 players from their inaugural squad.[25][26] NewcomerAlex Dixon scored the club's first everhat trick in the2023 USL Championship season opener againstHartford Athletic. The hat trick's first goal featured the fastest goal in club history (91 seconds) and the third goal was the first penalty scored by the club. His performance also earned him USL Championship Player of the Week honors, another first for a player from the club.[27] The club won their first everU.S. Open Cup match on April 5, 2023, away toCentral Valley Fuego FC, the club which filled the professional soccer void inFresno afterFresno FC folded to eventually become Monterey Bay FC itself.[28][29] In the following round Monterey Bay achieved their most important win in club history, upsetting localMLS clubSan Jose Earthquakes 1–0. It was their first competitive match against a first division club in their history.[30] The club would once again host MLS competition in the US Open Cup, but this time they fell in a penalty-shootout againstLos Angeles FC.[31] The match against LAFC featured the club's highest ever attendance, just shy of a sellout with 5,808 fans on hand.[32] Despite a hot start to the season, Monterey Bay would ultimately finish the season in 11th place, once again 2nd to last in the Western Conference and six points away from qualifying for the playoffs.[32]
Following the 2023 season, Monterey Bay FC Principal Owner Ray Beshoff stated that the club's goals for the offseason were to broaden their developmental side Monterey Bay FC 2 into a year-round program as well as to expand their academy's development to reach more youth in the community.[33] The club announced their initial roster decisions ahead of the 2024 season on November 28, 2023. The most notable departures were the club's first captainHugh Roberts as well as the club's all-time leading goal scorerChristian Volesky.[34] The club announced a U-18 Development Academy on February 5, 2024. The program would identify young talent in theMonterey,Santa Cruz, andSan Benito tri-county area and allow them to train at the club's facilities and with their staff throughout the year.[35] Three Monterey Bay FC 2 players were added to the roster ahead of the2024 USL Championship season: Pierce Gallaway, Miguel Guerrero, and Anthony Orendain.[36][37] In March 2025 the club revealed that if they were able to make proposed upgrades to Cardinale Stadium and its facilities, they would have the ability to host a women's team in one or both of the professionalUSL Super League orUSL W League.[38]
The team finished the 2025 season in 11th place for the third consecutive season, and second to last for the fourth season in its four year history.[39] The lack of playoff qualification saw the club give season ticket holders a 20-percent refund, based on a guarantee the club had given entering into the season.[40][41] On September 18, 2025, club president Mike DiGuilo announced he would resign at the conclusion of the regular season. The following day, Mike Sheehan was announced as the club's new CEO.[42] On November 13, 2025, the club announced Oliver Wyss as the new Chairman and Chief Soccer Officer of the club. He had most recently been the Head of Global Football Development and Sporting Director of theUnited Soccer League. In his previous club role in the front office ofOrange County SC, he helped lead the club to their first ever USL Championship league title.[43]
Monterey Bay FC plays their games at what was Freeman Stadium on the campus ofCalifornia State University, Monterey Bay. The stadium was renovated with private funds and holds 6,000 fans.[44] Ground breaking for the stadium renovations took place on September 16, 2021. The team entered into a multi-year partnership with the Cardinale Automotive Group for the stadium naming rights. The venue was renamedCardinale Stadium, which opened on May 7, 2022.[45] As of the 2025 season, the stadium hosts both the USL Championship team as well as the club'sUSL League Two side, Monterey Bay FC 2. In March 2025, Monterey Bay FC and CSUMB proposed a stadium upgrade project that would improve the facilities in and around the stadium which would allow for more events to be hosted at the stadium. The upgrades include permanent men's and women's locker rooms, which would open the door to Monterey Bay potentially hosting a women's team.[38]
On February 28, 2023, the club announced their first local broadcast deal, withKION-TV to broadcast Monterey Bay's 17USL Championship home matches on their affiliated FOX 35 orCentral Coast CW channels.[46]
Monterey Bay Football Club's official colors are Crisp Blue, Kelp Blue, Dune Yellow and White.[1]
| Seasons | Kit manufacturer | Shirt sponsor |
|---|---|---|
| 2022–2024 |  Puma[47] | Montage Health[48] |
| 2025–present |  Charly |
Fogdog Footy are the mainsupporters group of Monterey Bay FC. They typically are found in the bleacher seats behind the East goaline.[citation needed] The Rising Tide are another supporters group for the club.[49]
On February 6, 2023, the club announced Monterey Bay FC 2, a development team joiningUSL League Two as part of the newly formed Nor Cal Division. The team began play in summer 2023 primarily based inSalinas, California. The head coach for the first season was current Monterey Bay F.C. assistant Ramiro Corrales, who took on the role in addition to his first-team duties.[50] Mark Christie and Monterey Bay goalkeeperCarlos Herrera served as his assistant coaches.[51][52] In its inaugural season, the team played four of their six home matches atRabobank Stadium and the remaining two matches at the senior team's home,Cardinale Stadium inSeaside, California.[53][54] Outside of local scouting and player development, the goal of the team in the words of club owner Ray Beshoff is also to be a "good bridge that we need" from the professional team to the community of Salinas.[55] The club's initial open tryouts saw 85% of the players either currently based in or originally fromMonterey County, with the largest amount of registrants coming fromSalinas.[56][57]
On April 22, 2023, the team played its first match, a preseason match againstMLS Next Pro sideSan Jose Earthquakes II.CSUMB student José Jesús Madrigal scored the club's first goal in what ended as a 1–1 draw at Rabobank Stadium.[58] The team's first regular season match was on May 6, 2023, a 2–1 win againstSan Francisco City FC.[59][60] Monterey Bay clinched their first League Two playoff appearance and first Nor Cal division title in their inaugural season.[61][62] They lost their playoff appearance 1–0 away to then defending league championsVentura County Fusion.[63]
On October 28, 2023, Monterey Bay FC Principal Owner Ray Beshoff stated that one of the club's goals is to develop MBFC2 into a year-round program.[33] On February 5, 2023, the club announced a U-18 Development Academy. This program would lead straight into MBFC2, which is seen as a U-23 program.[64] On February 22, 2024, Pierce Gallaway became the first MBFC2 player to be signed to a first-team contract.[36] On March 13, 2024, two more MBFC2 players, Miguel Guerrero and Anthony Orendain, were added to the first team's roster ahead of the 2024 USL Championship season.[37] The fourth MBFC2 alum joined the first team on April 12, 2024, whengoalkeeper Fabian Narez was signed to a 25-day contract.[65] Ahead of the team's second season, Monterey Bay playerSimon Dawkins took over as head coach from Ramiro Corrales.[66]
Ahead of the 2025 USL League Two season, MBFC2 moved to Cardinale Stadium as their full-time home stadium after playing the majority of their matches in Salinas' Rabobank Stadium the previous two seasons.[38]
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined underFIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
|
|
| Front office | |
|---|---|
| Owner | Ray Beshoff |
| Chairman and Chief Soccer Officer | Oliver Wyss |
| Chief executive officer | Mike Sheehan |
| Vice-President, Corporate Partnerships | Carly Eggers |
| Technical staff | |
|---|---|
| Technical Director | Simon Dawkins |
| Head coach | Jordan Stewart |
| Assistant coach | Jeremy Clark |
| Strength & Conditioning | Emmanuel Espinoza |
| Athletic Trainer | Kelly Luekens |
| Season | Record | Position | Playoffs | USOC | Average attendance | Top goalscorer(s) | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Div | League | Pld | W | L | D | GF | GA | GD | Pts | PPG | Conf. | Overall | Name | Goals | ||||
| 2022 | 2 | USLC | 34 | 12 | 18 | 4 | 42 | 59 | –17 | 40 | 1.18 | 12th | 21st | Did not qualify | R2 | 3,643 | Chase Boone Sam Gleadle | 8 |
| 2023 | USLC | 34 | 11 | 15 | 8 | 42 | 53 | –11 | 41 | 1.21 | 11th | 19th | Did not qualify | R3 | 3,963 | Alex Dixon | 12 | |
| 2024 | USLC | 34 | 8 | 16 | 10 | 29 | 44 | –15 | 34 | 1.00 | 11th | 22nd | Did not qualify | Ro32 | 4,107 | Tristan Trager | 8 | |
| Coach | Nationality | Start | End | Games | Win | Loss | Draw | GF | GA | Win % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Frank Yallop |  Canada | April 22, 2021 | July 31, 2024 | 95 | 33 | 45 | 17 | 116 | 152 | 034.74 |
| Simon Dawkins (interim) |  Jamaica | August 1, 2024 | August 5, 2024 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 000.00 |
| Jordan Stewart[70] | England | August 5, 2024 | present | 12 | 1 | 7 | 4 | 8 | 15 | 008.33 |
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
