Central Valley Fuego FC

Last updated

Central Valley Fuego FC
Central Valley Fuego FC logo.svg
Full nameCentral Valley Fuego Football Club
FoundedAugust 12, 2020;4 years ago (2020-08-12)
Stadium Fresno State Soccer Stadium
Capacity1,000
OwnersJuan and Alicia Ruelas [1]
Head coach Jermaine Jones
2024 USL League One, 12th of 12
Playoffs: DNQ
Website https://www.fuegofc.com

Central Valley Fuego FC, also known as CV Fuego FC or simply Fuego FC, is an American professional soccer team based in Fresno, California. [2] The team was founded in 2020, and played its inaugural season in 2022. The team most recently competed in USL League One, the third tier of the US soccer league system and plays its home matches at Fresno State Soccer Stadium.

Contents

After the 2024 USL League One season, the team and league announced that they had come to "a mutual decision to part ways." [3]

History

Foundation

Central Valley Fuego FC became the twelfth professional club in California and the only one in Fresno after Fresno FC withdrew from USL Championship in 2019, [4] the club was announced on December 8, 2020 [5] and the logo was unveiled on January 21, 2021. [6] The team's name is a nod to the former Fresno Fuego that played in USL League Two from 2003 to 2019. [7]

On November 14, 2024, the team and league announced that they had come to "a mutual decision to part ways," [3] and that plans for the future of the club would be made in the near future. [8]

Colors and crest

Fuego colors are black and red. The club's logo is based on a shield shaped like the head of a spade, representing the agricultural laborers of California's Central Valley. Across the top of this shield is the name of the team, while below lie three diagonal stripes of black-green-black which represent agriculture and growth. In base are red flames which represent the team's name and the passion for soccer of the local population. [6]

Players and staff

Roster

As of July 21, 2024 [9]

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No.Pos.NationPlayer
1 GK Flag of the United States.svg  USA Andre Zuluaga
2 DF Flag of France.svg  FRA Gael Mabiala
3 DF Flag of Haiti.svg  HAI Ashkanov Apollon
4 DF Flag of Ghana.svg  GHA Razak Cromwell
5 DF Flag of the United States.svg  USA Jason Ramos
6 MF Flag of Senegal.svg  SEN Mouhamed Dabo
7 FW Flag of Grenada.svg  GRN Shavon John-Brown
8 MF Flag of Australia (converted).svg  AUS Chris Heckenberg
9 FW Flag of Honduras.svg  HON Dembor Benson
10 MF Flag of Mexico.svg  MEX José Carrera-García
11 MF Flag of Mexico.svg  MEX Raúl Mendiola
12 MF Flag of Nigeria.svg  NGA Tirimisiyu Mubarak Opeyemi
13 MF Flag of the United States.svg  USA Moe Espinoza
14 FW Flag of the United States.svg  USA Zahir Vasquez
15 DF Flag of the United States.svg  USA Clayton Torr
No.Pos.NationPlayer
16 DF Flag of Panama.svg  PAN Emmanuel Gómez
17 DF Flag of the United States.svg  USA Omar Lemus
18 FW Flag of the United States.svg  USA Angel Ruelas
19 MF Flag of India.svg  IND Taran Williams
20 MF Flag of Honduras.svg  HON Alfredo Midence
23 GK Flag of Mexico.svg  MEX Carlos Avilez
24 DF Flag of the United States.svg  USA Bryan Bustamante
25 DF Flag of the United States.svg  USA Issa Atcha Yaya
26 MF Flag of the United States.svg  USA Tag Chalmers( [A] )
27 FW Flag of Nigeria.svg  NGA Qudus Lawal
28 FW Flag of the United States.svg  USA Josh Fawole
30 DF Flag of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.svg  COD David Kabamba( [A] )
31 DF Flag of Belize.svg  BLZ Deshawon Nembhard
32 FW Flag of the Philippines.svg  PHI Javier Mariona ( [A] )
  1. ^
    USL Academy Contract

Current Staff

As of February 6, 2024 [10] [11]
Front Office Staff
Managing PartnerJuan Gerardo Ruelas Jr.
Vice President of Fútbol
Technical Staff
Head Coach Jermaine Jones
Sporting Director Adam Smith
First Assistant & Fitness CoachEdison Gonzalez
Assistant CoachMike Elias
Goalkeeper CoachMiguel Martinez

Record

Year-by-year

As of October 26, 2023
Season USL League One Playoffs US Open Cup Top Scorer 1 Head Coach
PWLDGFGAPtsPosPlayerGoals
2022 30111273740408thDid not qualify R3 Flag of the United States.svg Christian Chaney 10 Flag of the United States.svg Martín Vásquez
2023 32621536612312thDid not qualify R2 Flag of El Salvador.svg Alexis Cerritos 9 Flag of the United States.svg Martín Vásquez (3–10–1)
Flag of England.svg Adam Smith (1–6–2)
Flag of the United States.svg Edison Gonzalez (2–5–2)
2024 22514327511812thDid not qualify R2 Flag of Honduras.svg Dembor Benson4 Flag of the United States.svg Jermaine Jones

^ 1. Top Scorer includes statistics from league matches only.

Head coaches

CoachNationalityStartEndGamesWinLossDrawWin %
Jaime Ramirez [12] Flag of the United States (23px).png  United States January 1, 2022February 1, 20220000!—
Milton Blanco (interim) [13] Flag of the United States (23px).png  United States February 2, 2022April 14, 20223201066.67
Martín Vásquez [14] Flag of the United States (23px).png  United States April 14, 2022July 3, 20234413247029.55
Adam Smith (interim) [15] Flag of England.svg England July 3, 2023August 30, 20239162011.11
Edison Gonzalez (interim) [16] Flag of the United States.svg United States August 30, 2023November 5, 20239252022.22
Jermaine Jones [17] Flag of the United States.svg United States November 6, 2023present246153025.00

See also

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References

  1. ↑ Warszawski, Marek. "Fresno soccer club has ambitious plan for downtown stadium. Here's why it won't fly[.]". Fresno Bee. Archived from the original on June 24, 2021. Retrieved June 24, 2021.
  2. ↑ "Tioga-Sequoia, Fuego FC, host postponed block party". YourCentralValley.com. June 19, 2021. Archived from the original on June 24, 2021. Retrieved June 24, 2021.
  3. 1 2 "United Soccer League Statement" (Press release). USL League One Staff. November 14, 2024. Retrieved November 14, 2024.
  4. ↑ Warszawski, Marek (December 8, 2020). "New Fuego Futbol Club rekindles Fresno's soccer past, and offers redeveloped Selland Arena". The Fresno Bee . Archived from the original on June 30, 2021. Retrieved June 24, 2021.
  5. ↑ Parmer, John (December 8, 2020). "Soccer is back: United Soccer League announces the Central Valley Fuego Futbol Club for 2022". YourCentralValley.com (KSEE/KGPE). Archived from the original on June 24, 2021. Retrieved June 24, 2021.
  6. 1 2 "Central Valley Fuego FC Unveils Crest, Merchandise". USL League One. Archived from the original on June 24, 2021. Retrieved June 24, 2021.
  7. ↑ "Fresno FC Places U23s and Ladies Team on Hiatus". OurSports Central. February 1, 2019. Archived from the original on December 25, 2021. Retrieved December 25, 2021.
  8. ↑ "Statement From Central Valley Fuego FC". Central Valley Fuego FC (Press release). November 14, 2024. Retrieved November 14, 2024.
  9. ↑ "Roster". fuegofc.com. Fuego FC. Archived from the original on April 19, 2022. Retrieved May 3, 2022.
  10. ↑ "Front Office". fuegofc.com. Archived from the original on June 24, 2021. Retrieved December 16, 2020.
  11. ↑ "Technical Staff". fuegofc.com. Archived from the original on December 8, 2023. Retrieved February 5, 2024.
  12. ↑ Marden, Andrew (December 16, 2020). "FPU's Jaime Ramirez named 'Sporting Director' for Central Valley Fuego FC". YourCentralValley.com. KSEE/KGPE. Archived from the original on June 24, 2021. Retrieved June 24, 2021.
  13. ↑ Fuego FC Staff (April 13, 2022). "Fuego FC Announces Technical Staff Update". fuegofc.com. Central Valley Fuego FC. Archived from the original on April 14, 2022. Retrieved April 14, 2022.
  14. ↑ Fuego FC Staff (April 14, 2022). "Central Valley Fuego FC Announces Martín Vásquez As New Head Coach For USL League One Team". fuegofc.com. Central Valley Fuego FC. Archived from the original on April 14, 2022. Retrieved April 14, 2022.
  15. ↑ "Central Valley Fuego FC Announces Technical Staff Update". FuegoFC.com. Central Valley Fuego. Archived from the original on July 3, 2023. Retrieved July 3, 2023.
  16. ↑ "Central Valley Fuego FC Announces Technical Staff Update". Central Valley Fuego FC. August 30, 2023. Archived from the original on August 30, 2023. Retrieved August 30, 2023.
  17. ↑ "Central Valley Fuego FC Welcomes Jermaine Jones as New Head Coach". FuegoFC.com. Central Valley Fuego. Archived from the original on November 6, 2023. Retrieved November 6, 2023.
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