Jump to content

Central Valley Fuego FC

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Central Valley Fuego FC
Full nameCentral Valley Fuego Football Club
FoundedAugust 12, 2020; 4 years ago (2020-08-12)
StadiumFresno State Soccer Stadium
Capacity1,000
OwnersJuan and Alicia Ruelas[1]
Head coachJermaine Jones
2024USL League One, 12th of 12
Playoffs: DNQ
Websitehttps://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.

After the 2024 USL League One season, the team and league announced that they had come to "a mutual decision to part ways."[3] The League for Clubs, an amateur league, later announced that the Fuego's U23 team would be joining for the 2025 season.[4]

History

[edit]

Foundation and early years

[edit]

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,[5] the club was announced on December 8, 2020[6] and the logo was unveiled on January 21, 2021.[7] The team's name is a nod to the former Fresno Fuego that played in USL League Two from 2003 to 2019.[8]

The team's first permanent head coach was Martín Vásquez,[9] as Milton Blanco took the reins for the first three matches in club history following Jaime Ramirez's unexpected departure.[10][11]

The club kicked off its inaugural season with a 2–0 victory over Greenville Triumph SC, and finished the 2022 season in eighth place with 11 wins, 12 draws, and seven losses.[12]

Struggles and leaving League One

[edit]

The 2023 season was disastrous for the Fuego, however. The team finished last in League One,[13] and Vásquez was fired midway through the season on July 3, replaced by Adam Smith on an interim basis.[14] Smith himself would be replaced by Edison Gonzalez, also on an interim basis, less than two months later.[15]

Ahead of the 2024 season, the Fuego hired former United States men's national soccer team star Jermaine Jones as its new head coach.[16] Jones's tenure at the helm was controversial, however, with the Fuego again struggling on the pitch. In October of 2024, Jones was suspended by the USL for the remainder of the 2024 season after an independent investigation revealed Jones had harassed and threatened his players on multiple occasions.[17] The Fuego ultimately finished last for the second consecutive season.[18]

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.[19]

On January 31, 2025, upstart amateur division The League for Clubs announced that the Fuego's U23 team would be joining for the 2025 season.[4]

Colors and crest

[edit]

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.[7]

Players and staff

[edit]

Roster

[edit]
As of July 21, 2024[20]

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

Current Staff

[edit]
As of February 6, 2024[21][22]
Front Office Staff
Managing Partner Juan Gerardo Ruelas Jr.
Vice President of Fútbol
Technical Staff
Head Coach Jermaine Jones
Sporting Director Adam Smith
First Assistant & Fitness Coach Edison Gonzalez
Assistant Coach Mike Elias
Goalkeeper Coach Miguel Martinez

Record

[edit]

Year-by-year

[edit]
As of October 26, 2023
Season USL League One Playoffs US Open Cup Top Scorer 1 Head Coach
P W L D GF GA Pts Pos Player Goals
2022 30 11 12 7 37 40 40 8th Did not qualify R3 United States Christian Chaney 10 United States Martín Vásquez
2023 32 6 21 5 36 61 23 12th Did not qualify R2 El Salvador Alexis Cerritos 9 United States Martín Vásquez (3–10–1)
England Adam Smith (1–6–2)
United States Edison Gonzalez (2–5–2)
2024 22 5 14 3 27 51 18 12th Did not qualify R2 Honduras Dembor Benson 4 United States Jermaine Jones

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

Head coaches

[edit]
  • Includes USL Regular Season, USL Playoffs, U.S. Open Cup. Excludes friendlies.
Coach Nationality Start End Games Win Loss Draw Win %
Jaime Ramirez[11]  United States January 1, 2022 February 1, 2022 0 0 0 0 !—
Milton Blanco (interim)[10]  United States February 2, 2022 April 14, 2022 3 2 0 1 066.67
Martín Vásquez[9]  United States April 14, 2022 July 3, 2023 44 13 24 7 029.55
Adam Smith (interim)[23] England England July 3, 2023 August 30, 2023 9 1 6 2 011.11
Edison Gonzalez (interim)[24] United States United States August 30, 2023 November 5, 2023 9 2 5 2 022.22
Jermaine Jones[25] United States United States November 6, 2023 present 24 6 15 3 025.00

Honors

[edit]

Player honors

[edit]
Year Player Country Position Honor
USL League One
2024 Alfredo Midence Honduras Honduras Forward Golden Playmaker
Young Player of the Year
All-League Second Team

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  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. ^ a b "United Soccer League Statement" (Press release). USL League One Staff. November 14, 2024. Retrieved November 14, 2024.
  4. ^ a b "FUEGO U23 TO JOIN THE LEAGUE FOR CLUBS". The League for Clubs. Retrieved February 1, 2025.
  5. ^ 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.
  6. ^ 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.
  7. ^ a b "Central Valley Fuego FC Unveils Crest, Merchandise". USL League One. Archived from the original on June 24, 2021. Retrieved June 24, 2021.
  8. ^ "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.
  9. ^ a b 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.
  10. ^ a b 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.
  11. ^ a b 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.
  12. ^ "2022 Standings". uslleagueone.com. Retrieved February 1, 2025.
  13. ^ "Standings". uslleagueone.com. Retrieved February 1, 2025.
  14. ^ "Central Valley Fuego FC Announces Technical Staff Update - Central Valley Fuego FC". Central Valley Fuego FC. Archived from the original on July 4, 2023. Retrieved February 1, 2025.
  15. ^ "Central Valley Fuego FC Announces Technical Staff Update - Central Valley Fuego FC". Central Valley Fuego FC. Archived from the original on February 10, 2024. Retrieved February 1, 2025.
  16. ^ "Central Valley Fuego FC Welcomes Jermaine Jones as New Head Coach - Central Valley Fuego FC". Central Valley Fuego FC. Archived from the original on August 10, 2024. Retrieved February 1, 2025.
  17. ^ Rueter, Jeff. "USL suspension of Jermaine Jones reveals fractures within team and even wider discord". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved February 1, 2025.
  18. ^ "Prinx Performance Standings". uslleagueone.com. Retrieved February 1, 2025.
  19. ^ "Statement From Central Valley Fuego FC". Central Valley Fuego FC (Press release). November 14, 2024. Retrieved November 14, 2024.
  20. ^ "Roster". fuegofc.com. Fuego FC. Archived from the original on April 19, 2022. Retrieved May 3, 2022.
  21. ^ "Front Office". fuegofc.com. Archived from the original on June 24, 2021. Retrieved December 16, 2020.
  22. ^ "Technical Staff". fuegofc.com. Archived from the original on December 8, 2023. Retrieved February 5, 2024.
  23. ^ "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.
  24. ^ "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.
  25. ^ "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.
[edit]
Retrieved from "https://wiki.riteme.site/w/index.php?title=Central_Valley_Fuego_FC&oldid=1273277550"