Lancaster is a charter city in northern Los Angeles County, in the Antelope Valley of the western Mojave Desert in Southern California. As of the 2020 census, the population was 173,516, making Lancaster the 153rd largest city in the United States and the 30th largest in California. Lancaster is a twin city with its southern neighbor Palmdale; together, they are the principal cities within the Antelope Valley region.
Fresno Football Club U-23, formerly Fresno Fuego FC, was an American soccer team based in Fresno, California, United States. Founded in 2003, the team played in USL League Two, the fourth tier of the American Soccer Pyramid. The club drew an average home attendance of 3,951 in 2016, including league matches, divisional playoffs and exhibitions against professional clubs.
The Hangar, also known as Lancaster Municipal Stadium and formerly known as Clear Channel Stadium, is a stadium in Lancaster, California, United States. From its opening in 1996 to 2020, the stadium was the home field of the Lancaster JetHawks, a now-defunct minor league baseball team of the Advanced A California League. In 2005, Clear Channel Communications entered into a 10-year, $770,000 naming rights deal with the JetHawks and the City of Lancaster, who divided the revenue between them. The deal was planned to run through the 2014 season, but Clear Channel Stadium signage was removed in 2012. The stadium was then renamed The Hangar, its nickname since the stadium opened in 1996, as well as Lancaster Municipal Stadium. The Hangar is located near State Route 14 west of downtown Lancaster. The Lancaster Sound Breakers of the Pecos League played their 2023 season at the Hangar. The Hangar is planned to be reconfigured into a soccer-specific stadium for USL League One's AV Alta FC from 2025 onward.
Martín Vásquez Gómez is an American former professional soccer player. The first of five players to have played for both the United States and Mexico, he has served as a coach since retiring. He is currently an assistant coach for USL Championship club Sacramento Republic.
North Carolina FC is an American professional soccer team in Cary, North Carolina, a suburb of Raleigh, and member of the USL Championship. Founded in 2006, the team previously was named the Carolina Railhawks.
FC Santa Clarita (FCSC) is an American soccer team based in Santa Clarita, California, United States. FC Santa Clarita also known as the Santa Clarita Storm make just north of Los Angeles home, as they compete in the United Premier Soccer League (UPSL). Santa Clarita FC announced they joined the UPSL’s Western Conference November 5, 2014. The team is owned by American businessman Gary Brunner, President and CEO of United Sports International Inc. The team is Santa Clarita’s only sports franchise calling the area home with the encouragement and support of the city.
The USL Championship (USLC) is a professional men's soccer league in the United States that began play in 2011. The USL is sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation as a Division II league since 2017, placing it under Major League Soccer in the hierarchy. The USL is headquartered in Tampa, Florida.
Orange County Soccer Club is an American soccer team based in the Orange County, California city of Irvine. Founded in 2010 as the Los Angeles Blues, the team currently plays in the Western Conference of the USL Championship, the second tier of the American soccer system.
The expansion of the National Women's Soccer League began with the league's sophomore season in 2014, when the league expanded to a ninth team in Houston, and is an ongoing process that currently has seen five expansions, three direct or indirect relocations, and one contraction. The National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) was established as the top level of professional women's soccer in the United States in 2013 in the wake of the defunct Women's United Soccer Association and Women's Professional Soccer.
The University of Antelope Valley (UAV) was a private, for-profit university in Lancaster, California. It offered master's, bachelor's, and associate degrees as well as certificate programs and continuing education courses. The university was accredited by the WASC Senior College and University Commission, but it was placed on accreditation probation in 2023 for failing to meet several of the accreditor's standards following the university's 2022 purchase by Genius Group Limited, a Singaporean technology company.
USL League One (USL1) is a professional men's soccer league in the United States that had its inaugural season in 2019. The Division III league is operated by United Soccer League, the same group that operates the Division II USL Championship and other leagues. As of 2024, the league has 12 teams who play 22 regular season games, followed by playoffs. All teams also participate in the USL Cup, adding an additional eight games, followed by knockout rounds.
Oakland Roots Sports Club is an American professional soccer team based in Oakland, California. The club was formed in 2018 by a group of Oakland natives, and began play in the National Independent Soccer Association in the fall of 2019. In 2021, the club joined the second division USL Championship.
Milan Iloski is an American professional soccer player who plays as a forward or winger for Danish Superliga club FC Nordsjælland.
Monterey Bay Football Club is an American professional soccer team based in Monterey County, California. The club was established on February 21, 2021, and is a member of the USL Championship, the second tier of the American soccer league system. It began playing during the 2022 USL Championship season as a member of the league's Western Conference.
Daniel "Danny" Trejo is a Mexican professional footballer who plays as a attacking midfielder for Polish club Korona Kielce.
The USL W League (USLW) is a pre-professional women's soccer league in the United States which began play in May 2022. It follows the USL W-League, a similar league that existed from 1995 to 2015.
Central Valley Fuego FC, also known as CV Fuego FC or simply Fuego FC, is an American professional soccer team based in Fresno, California. The team was founded in 2020, and played its inaugural season in 2022. The team competes in USL League One, the third tier of the US soccer league system and plays its home matches at Fresno State Soccer Stadium.
The USL Super League (USLS) is a future Division I professional women's soccer league in the United States. The league will be owned and operated by the United Soccer League. Originally planned to launch in August 2023, it is now slated to begin play in August 2024.
Lexington Sporting Club is an American professional soccer team based in Lexington, Kentucky. Founded in 2021 as an expansion side in USL League One, the team currently plays its home matches at Toyota Stadium at Georgetown College in Georgetown, Kentucky, while its permanent stadium is being constructed.
Santa Barbara Sky FC is a planned American professional soccer team based in Santa Barbara, California. First announced in 2022, the team plans to play in USL League One beginning in 2025.
