24 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY JUNE 12-18, 2025 www.montereycountynow.com runners-up in Division II and Division V. Everett Alvarez also won the CIF Soccer Championships in 2025. There are even more success stories. David Estrada, who played at Alisal High School, started his professional career with Seattle Sounders FC in 2010. Goalkeeper Emi Ochoa, 20, is a Salinas native who started his professional career at 16 with the Quakes and is now playing with Cruz Azul, a Mexico City-based team. On the girls’ side, 17-year-old Vanessa Aguilar from Soledad plays for the Mexican U-17 national team. Seeking to attract local talent, a year after MBFC’s first season, the team launched Monterey Bay FC 2, a pre-professional team; hundreds of players from Monterey County and beyond signed up for the tryouts and slots were filled within a few hours. “There’s an exceptional amount of talent here at the youth level,” said Neil Diaz, then MBFC’s development officer, when they were developing the team. During its first season, MBFC2 played at Rabobank Stadium in Salinas. The team won the USL League Two NorCal division. Gallaway and Garcia both played for the team at that time. Since then, MBFC has launched an Under 18 team in 2024, a developmental academy that transitioned into Under 20 this year, a team that will provide younger players the opportunity to play games and join tournaments. MBFC Technical Director Simon Dawkins says the U-20 team will focus on players who are 16 to 17 years old. The goal is to develop the players and train them under MBFC’s playing style and structure. Starting young is crucial, Dawkins adds: “It’s important to do that. Get yourself in environments like this right now, and the earlier you do that, the better.” And opportunities are still expanding. Monterey County Soccer Club has different teams including the Jaguars, part of the amateur Women’s Premier Soccer League. MCSC President Jorge Rojas says the men’s Jaguars evolved into MBFC2; now, they are seeking to do something similar with their women’s counterpart. “We are looking at transferring the women’s Jaguars into Monterey Bay FC and starting a women’s professional soccer team,” Rojas says. “That’s kind of the goal that we’re shooting for.” Professional ambitions aside, soccer is popular because people love it, both to play and to watch. MCSC started in 2013 with four teams and today has 400 teams across the county, for both children and adults. They play at venues across the county including Salinas Soccer Complex, school district facilities, Rabobank Stadium in Salinas and Cutino Park in Seaside, yet Rojas says they don’t have enough fields to keep up with the demand. The tri-county area has a large Latino population, many of Mexican descent, and soccer is part of their everyday life and culture. It’s common for kids to get a soccer ball for Christmas, or kick balls with their cousins or friends at the park. Recreational play is simply part of life. Rojas says local interest in soccer has grown, but it isn’t because of the growth of professional development opportunities. The main factor, he says, is the FIFA World Cup 2026 that Canada, United States and Mexico will host next year. Those who do have professional ambitions may have some unrealistic ideas, even if they do have the skills. Thinking of players like Cristiano Ronaldo, Leonel Messi or Karim Benzema—and the multi-million-dollar contracts they’ve signed—suggests professional soccer is a lucrative and long career, but that isn’t always the case. “They think they’re going to become professional and get millions. It’s not that way. It doesn’t work that way,” says Sergio Herrera, director of coaching for ECFC Salinas. Compensation varies depending on different factors including which team the player plays for, which league they are in, what position they play and their experience. According to the MLS Players Association, players under contract with the Quakes have a base salary from $71,401 to $1.8 million as of September 2024. Under a 20212025 collective bargaining agreement with the USL Players Association, the minimum monthly compensation is $3,100 (or $37,200 per year). There are a few reasons coaches recommend scholastic players keep good grades and pursue post-secondary education. The chances of being recruited to a four-year college increase, for one thing—and attending college helps them develop the credentials and skills to have a Plan B in place. (If young players sign a professional contract, it automatically disqualifies them from playing soccer in a four-year college since it violates the National Collegiate Athletic Association’s rules.) According to a 2022 article from the Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport, the average career length for elite soccer players is between eight and 11 years, with many of them retiring between the ages of 31 and 35. Injuries are another factor that may derail a player’s career. Rebollar, Gallaway and Garcia all attended college and played soccer at their universities. Gallaway played at Willamette University and Old Dominion University and has a bachelor’s in exercise and health science and a master’s in business administration. Rebollar graduated with a bachelor’s in mathematics from CSUMB; he skipped his graduation because of work. That day, he was in Kentucky where he played the full game for MBFC against Louisville FC, winning 2-0. “Louisville, at the time, was Number 1 in the Eastern Conference, so it was super cool to win on my graduation day,” he says. Garcia says he debated whether or not to go pro after high school. His parents, both ag workers, convinced him to stay in school. They told him he could get the best of both worlds: playing soccer and getting an education. “I was a little bit stubborn when I was younger and just wanted to continue to play with the Quakes,” he says. He made the choice to attend San Jose State, where he went on a full ride. He graduated in 2024. “Now I have a bachelor’s in communications, and I’m able to play soccer every day, so I don’t regret it at all,” Garcia says. He loves talking with younger kids and encourages them both to play hard and strive to get good grades in school, noting it’s a requirement for student athletes—and a smart plan for the future. “This career is so short, and thinking about your next step after [soccer] is very important as well,” Garcia says. Garcia works year-around. When he was younger, he worked in the fields removing weeds and in cooling facilities. He is also a certified forklift driver. These days, he is a landscaper in the off-season and coaches kids. Even at the pro level, glamorous moments are relatively few. Adrian Rebollar has played with Monterey Bay FC since its first season in 2022. Staff from El Camino believe he has the skills to transition onto an MLS soccer team. Joel Garcia, who grew up in Salinas, is a defender for Monterey Bay FC. He’s a versatile player, which is one reason the professional team recruited him. Pierce Gallaway of Carmel was the first local player from Monterey County to transition from the second to the first team in 2024 for Monterey Bay FC. CELIA JIMÉNEZ DANIEL DREIFUSS DANIEL DREIFUSS
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