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Monterey Bay Re-Signs Club’s All-Time Leading Goalscorer

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Monterey Bay Re-Signs Club’s All-Time Leading Goalscorer

SEASIDE, California (Tuesday, December 3, 2024) – Monterey Bay Football Club (Monterey Bay F.C.) announced today that the club has re-signed forward Alex Dixon ahead of the 2025 USL Championship campaign, pending league and federation approval. The club’s record-holder for goals in a single season and one of the league’s all-time leaders in goals, assists, minutes, and appearances returns for his third campaign with the Crisp-and-Kelp and the 15th of his professional career.

“It was important for us to retain Alex Dixon for our 2025 roster,” said Monterey Bay F.C. Head Coach Jordan Stewart. “His 20,000 plus minutes of experience in the league offer invaluable wisdom and insight, making him a valuable mentor both on and off the field.”

Dixon has played over 4,300 minutes for the Union the past two seasons across 57 appearances (53 starts). Not only does the Bay City, Texas native hold the single-season goal-scoring record for Monterey Bay with 12, he shares the top spot in club history for goals scored all-time with 16. Now officially signed on for a third season in Seaside, Dixon is primed to continue one of the best USL Championship careers in the league’s history. Dixon is currently third all-time in USL Championship appearances with 276 – just two appearances away from moving up into sole possession of second – and sits ninth all-time in league history with 20,387 minutes played and counting. In addition, the forward is currently 12th all-time in USL Championship history with 64 goals, and 13th all-time with 34 assists.

“I am super excited to re-sign with Monterey Bay,” said Dixon. “I’ve loved every minute of playing for this club and I’m excited for what’s to come this season. I think that with my experience, I know what it takes to win in this league. And in the locker room, I’m there to lead by example and help bring the younger players along. I can’t say enough how important the community and the fans have been to us since I’ve been here. Pulling on the Crisp and Kelp and playing in front of them again can’t come soon enough.”

TRANSACTION: Monterey Bay has signed Alex DIxon to a one-year contract on December 3, 2024.

The current roster heading into the 2025 season as of December 3 is listed alphabetically as follows: 
Goalkeepers: 
Defenders: Morey Doner, Carlos Guzmán
Midfielders: Mobi Fehr, Pierce Gallaway, Xavi Gnaulati, Adrian Rebollar
Forwards: Alex Dixon, Luther Archimède

Monterey Bay F.C. Communications – @MontereyBayFC

Monterey Bay Football Club and Cardinale Automotive Group Come Together to Volunteer at The Food Bank for Monterey County

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Monterey Bay Football Club and Cardinale Automotive Group Come Together to Volunteer at The Food Bank for Monterey County

Monterey Bay Football Club (Monterey Bay F.C.) and Official Partner Cardinale Automotive Group came together as volunteers at The Food Bank for Monterey County to package Thanksgiving meals in Salinas this week, a helpful start to a desired goal of 50,000 meals ahead of the upcoming holiday. Ray Beshoff, majority owner of Monterey Bay Football Club, led the charge in the first of four shifts over two days and was joined by MBFC players Rafa Baca, Simon Dawkins, Alex Dixon, Chuy Enríquez, Max Glasser, Sam Gleadle, Carlos Herrera, Alex Lara, Ugo Okoli, Adrian Rebollar, Antony Siaha, and Nevello Yoseke, as well as members of the Club’s staff.

“This has been a great experience for all of my guys, they love doing stuff like this,” said Beshoff. “To actually see all of the work involved in an operation like this is terrific. We have four groups of players and staff volunteering over the next two days to help package Thanksgiving meals and it’s amazing how enjoyable it is. You can talk with the person next to you while you work and every time you fill a box you know you have helped somebody. We want to be involved in the community as much as possible, that’s what professional sports is all about. If you aren’t a part of your community and giving back, it’s really a lost cause. We have genuinely great guys who love what they do and enjoy giving back to the fans.”

Monterey Bay F.C. teamed up with multiple staff members from Cardinale Automotive Group, who have been helping the food bank for the past two years. Cardinale’s Blessed to Serve foundation has been around for over 10 years overall and started with a street-level effort to feed the homeless before ultimately expanding to all 26 Cardinale stores.

“We are Blessed to Serve, that’s our foundation and we’re hooked up with the Union,” explained Joe Cardinale, President of Cardinale Automotive Group and member of the Monterey Bay F.C. ownership group. “MBFC is doing great things and every chance we get we want to do more for the community. Seeing Ray [Beshoff] and all of the soccer players here is almost emotional. They are a great group and together with Cardinale, we try to do everything we can.”

The Food Bank for Monterey County is the largest, most comprehensive provider of emergency supplemental food in the area, serving over 160,000 Monterey County residents each month. The Food Bank for Monterey County’s mission is to end hunger and transform the health of the community in Monterey County, while also transitioning the county from one of the hungriest to one of the healthiest counties in all of California.

“It’s all hands on deck to reach our goal this week and we’re so grateful to have Monterey Bay F.C. here, it’s really exciting,” said Melissa Kendrick, CEO of The Food Bank for Monterey County. “This partnership really goes on all year because these soccer players are fabulous. They are at so many of our kids’ school sites, they go out with our produce truck, they go out to other distributions, and they are like rockstars. The kids just love to see them and take pictures with them, and it’s really good for promoting health. One of the biggest problems in the county is that we have such a high level of type 2 diabetes in children here, so we think of this food bank as the largest medicine cabinet in the county for a lot of those that we are serving. I can’t think of a better way to promote a healthy lifestyle than having these professional soccer players here, it’s absolutely wonderful.”

The Food Bank for Monterey County feeds one in three children and one in four Monterey County residents overall. In addition to providing 50,000 meals for this upcoming Thanksgiving holiday, the Food Bank for Monterey County will provide an additional 50,000 for December holidays like Christmas. In total, the Food Bank for MC provides high-quality food, fresh produce, and educational and nutritional resources to over 160 local nonprofit members in its network – all of which is made possible by the dedication and commitment of local volunteers.

“It’s an amazing operation and I’m just happy to be a part of it. I woke up this morning truly excited to help and do my part in giving back to this community,” said Dawkins, MBFC midfielder. “We’ve been packing boxes with different types of foods, canned foods, mashed potatoes, things like that. I know this can be a difficult time of year for some people, so I’m happy to be a part of a project that makes sure everyone in this community is properly fed – it brings me a lot of joy.”

Monterey Bay F.C. was even joined by one of its pillar supporters’ group leaders in Salinas native Osbaldo Lucero. Lucero – who co-founded Fuerza Union, a Salinas-based MBFC supporters’ group – volunteered to help Union players and staff, and the staff from Cardinale, package the meals. Altogether, Lucero’s time, effort, and presence alongside the Club at the food bank this week defined what is special about this community and signified the impact that Monterey Bay F.C. has continued to make in the 831 as a whole.

“This has been a great experience, it’s nice to be able to give back to this community and I know everybody is excited about it,” said Dixon, MBFC forward. “I’ve been on box duty so far, but I’ve been seeing the guys packing up the dinners. It’s just cool to see everybody helping each other out and interacting. As a Club, we’re here to help. We’re happy to be a part of this community and we want to be involved and give back in as many ways as we can.”

MBFC Announces End of Season Awards for 2023

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MBFC Announces End of Season Awards for 2023

Monterey Bay Football Club has announced its annual end of season award winners for 2023 as voted on by local media members and MBFC players. Defender Kai Greene was selected once again as the club’s Defensive Player of the Year, while forward Alex Dixon was voted the club’s Most Valuable Player. In addition, Dixon earned this season’s Golden Boot award and Antony Siaha earned his second-consecutive Golden Glove.

ICYMI: Morey Doner became MBFC’s first Ironman for playing every available minute this season.

MOST VALUABLE PLAYER

Alex Dixon was selected as the Club’s Most Valuable Player for 2023 in his first season with the Crisp-and-Kelp. The Bay City, Texas native started the season with a bang, scoring a first-half hat trick in his debut match for the Club in a 5-3 win over Hartford Athletic at Cardinale Stadium. Not only did Dixon record the first hat trick in Club history in the match, he also scored the first penalty kick in Club history during that performance. Utilized in all three forward positions throughout the campaign, he went on to break the Club record for most goal contributions in a single season with 14. In total, Dixon played 2,401 minutes across 32 matches (29 starts) for the Union in year one.

DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR

Kai Greene was voted as the Club’s Defensive Player of the Year for the second time running for his stalwart performance as a mainstay on the backline. It was a season that saw the centerback start in every match and play in all but 14 available minutes (3,046 total) on the year. Overall, the Jersey City, New Jersey native recorded 138 clearances – up from 107 last season – and added 62 tackles, 29 interceptions, and 16 blocks in 2023.

GOLDEN GLOVE

Antony Siaha earns back-to-back Golden Glove awards with a team-high five clean sheets in just 16 matches this season. There were three standout moments between the sticks for Siaha this season. The first was a 1-0 shutout victory over Major League Soccer side San Jose Earthquakes in the U.S. Open Cup at Cardinale Stadium on April 25, the Club’s first win over an MLS opponent. The second was an impressive 1-0 win that handed the top-seeded Republic FC its first home loss of the season at Heart Health Park in Sacramento on June 17. The third moment came a week later in Seaside against the visiting Miami FC. Scoreless through the hour mark, Miami was awarded a penalty in the match. Siaha saved the penalty with a diving effort, sparking an immediate counter that led to the game-winning goal a mere 15 seconds after the save. In total, Siaha finished the year with 58 saves on 79 shots faced for a quality 73% save percentage and saved two of his four total penalties faced in 2023.

GOLDEN BOOT

Dixon earned this season’s Golden Boot award for scoring a single-season Club record of 12 goals during the campaign, a party that got started with a hat trick on match day one and featured a game-winning goal on the road in Memphis against 901 FC on September 9. Dixon’s 12 goals came from 16 shots on target, tied for the highest mark on the team this season. Breaking down his scoring, the forward hit the back of the net with his right foot on eight of his goals, with his left foot on three of his goals, and added one with his head. He also added two assists on the year.

All-Time Monterey Bay Football Club End of Year Award Recipients

MBFC Most Valuable Player: Alex Dixon (2023), Sam Gleadle (2022)

MBFC Defensive Player of the Year: Kai Greene (2023, 2022)

MBFC Golden Boot: Alex Dixon (2023), Gleadle/Boone (2022)

MBFC Golden Glove: Antony Siaha (2023, 2022)

Monterey Bay Football Club Attends Marina Fire Department’s Annual Fire Prevention Open House

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Monterey Bay Football Club Attends Marina Fire Department’s Annual Fire Prevention Open House

MARINA, Calif. (Thursday, October 12, 2023) – Monterey Bay Football Club attended the Marina Fire Department’s annual Fire Prevention Open house on Tuesday, October 10 in Marina, California. The entire team was in attendance to mingle with local community members, take pictures, sign autographs, and help with fan giveaways. The event was held outside of the Marina Fire Department and gave community members a chance to meet the firefighters, learn hands on CPR, and tour an authentic fire truck. 

In addition, kids had the chance to participate in a firefighter obstacle course and enjoyed face painting, treats such as popcorn, food from local Peregrino Taqueria, music from Monterey DJ John, and more. Monterey Bay players Chase Boone, Mobi Fehr, Max Glasser, and Ugo Okoli even took part in a race to see who could gear up in a firefighter suit the fastest. 

Other local community vendors were also in attendance such as Marina Youth Arts, Friends of Marina Library, Citizens for Sustainable Marina, Red Cross, Save the Whales, Compass Church, Monterey for Maui, the Cub Scouts, Tara Mangan Keni, Cheesecake Dreamations, and Luxury Nutrition.

Quote Sheet: MBFC 0-2 PHX

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Quote Sheet: MBFC 0-2 PHX

Cardinale Stadium; Seaside, California
Saturday, July 29, 2023

Sporting Director & Head Coach Frank Yallop
On initial takeaways from the match:
“It was a really disappointing night for us. If there’s ever a game to try and win, it was tonight, to propel us to try and make the playoffs and move forward from our bad run. We didn’t really create a ton of chances and then to be honest I felt we gave them two goals. If you take the goals out of it, which you can’t, we played some decent football. But in the end it’s won and lost in two boxes. If you can’t defend properly the other team is going to score and if you can’t create a good chance then you’re not going to score. That was our story tonight. Our confidence looks low, and we look a little flat. We’re not sure of ourselves, which I’m not happy about. It’s a difficult one to try and change, because players have to get confidence in themselves. It was not a good night for us.”

On turning things around:
“We have to lift the guys spirits. Listen, nobody didn’t try hard on the team and they are trying their best to get a result. In sports, especially soccer, it’s won or lost in one or two goals or moments, and right now we are not being as dangerous and clinical as we should be. It seems like any good attack that comes from the opposing team they seem to get a good attempt at goal and usually score. Our general football has been okay, but both boxes are everything and right now we are not getting it right.”

On Baca’s impact in future matches:
“It seems like we need someone in the engine room, which is in the middle of the field, to dictate the pace of the game and be active and positive. Some of the players were a little bit defeated before the end of the game, and that’s not right. It’s up to me to change that, but I can’t do a lot from the sidelines. I can do a lot during the week, and I felt this week we built up well to the game. We had a good game plan and I thought the system would go okay, but we just didn’t execute it in the right manner to get a result in this game.” 

Forward Alex Dixon
On the match:
“It was a tough night, we shot ourselves in the foot on both of the goals. It’s kind of how it is right now. We just have to keep on believing and get back to work this week and get a better result next week against Sacramento.”

On the near opportunities:
“Yeah, I feel we were knocking on the door the whole first half, their keeper made a couple good saves. In the second half we had the penalty and a couple more good chances, but it’s just not falling right now.”

On bouncing back next week:
“We have 12 games left, so we are still in a good spot. You win three or four games and you are right back to third or fourth place, whatever it’s going to be. So we just have to take it one game at a time and get back to work on Monday and have a good showing against Sacramento on Saturday.”

Monterey Bay Blanks Miami FC with Stunner in Transition for Fourth Consecutive Win

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Monterey Bay Blanks Miami FC with Stunner in Transition for Fourth Consecutive Win

SEASIDE, California (Saturday, June 24, 2023) – Monterey Bay F.C. (7-4-5, 26 points) shutout visiting Eastern Conference side Miami FC (2-7-7, 13 points) at Cardinale Stadium, presented by the U.S. Women’s Open. Antony Siaha saved a penalty awarded to the visitors in the second half and Christian Volesky scored the game-winning goal – his seventh of the season – immediately afterward in transition to earn the Crisp and Kelp their fourth consecutive win and propel the Club into third place in the Western Conference table. 

Miami FC livened the match with a close chance in the 24th minute following a header from Ben Ofeimu, but the shot was saved with a diving effort by Siaha at the near post. Miami FC’s Paco Craig followed it up with a shot of his own, but his attempt missed wide of the left post. A ball looped into the box for Monterey Bay found Chase Boone in the 37th minute. Boone headed it down into a dangerous area just outside the six yard box, but the Miami FC defender managed to keep Volesky off the ball just enough to disrupt a shot attempt. Miami’s Kyle Murphy got in behind the Union’s back line on the counter in the 42nd minute, but Kai Greene closed the space down quickly to make the end of the run uncomfortable. Murphy managed to get a shot off, but Siaha stuck his foot out just in time to block it away. Then just before the halftime whistle, Alex Dixon fired a shot from the half circle that missed over the top of the crossbar and the sides went scoreless into the halftime break.

Monterey Bay earned a chance in the 56th minute following a long spell of possession deep in Miami FC’s half. Walmer Martínez floated a ball into the box toward Volesky, who redirected it on frame with a backheel flick, but it was pushed up and over the crossbar by the goalkeeper. The referee pointed to the spot for Miami FC in the 65th minute following a foul in the box by the Union and Murphy stepped up to the shot for the visitors. He fired it to his left, but Siaha blanked it at the left post and an attack in transition for the hosts immediately ensued. Morey Doner collected the ball off the save and played it long to Dixon who sped down the right side of the pitch in acres of space. Near the end of his run, Dixon played it across to Volesky inside the box for the go-ahead goal and the Crisp and Kelp jumped on top 1-0 a mere 15 seconds after the penalty save. Miami looked to score the equalizer late in the 88th minute, but the shot by Christian Sorto was blocked by a last second close down from Doner to deny the visitors and the match ended 1-0 in favor of Monterey Bay.

Up Next: Monterey Bay goes back on the road next weekend with a trip to Southern California for a fixture with Orange County SC at Championship Soccer Stadium on Saturday, July 1 at 7 p.m. PT. The match can be streamed live on ESPN+.

Notes:
– The result is Monterey Bay’s fourth consecutive win, fifth unbeaten, and third shutout in the previous five matches with only two goals conceded in those five.
– Only 15 seconds passed between Antony Siaha’s penalty save to Christian Volesky’s game-winning goal in transition.
– Grant Robinson made his return to the pitch for Monterey Bay as a second-half substitute in the match. The defender missed six of the seven previous matches in all competitions after sustaining a hamstring injury in the Club’s match against Pittsburgh on May 5.
– Missing the match due to injury were Max Glasser (hamstring), Sam Gleadle (ankle) and Alex Lara (ankle).

Match: Monterey Bay F.C. vs Miami FC
Date: June 24, 2023
Venue: Cardinale Stadium; Seaside, California
Weather: Partly cloudy and 59 degrees
Attendance: 3,910

Scoring Summary: 1 2 F
Monterey Bay F.C. 1 0 1
Miami FC 0 0 0
MB: Christian Volesky (Alex Dixon) 67’

Lineups:
Monterey Bay F.C. (3-4-2-1): Antony Siaha; Mobi Fehr, Hugh Roberts, Kai Greene; Walmer Martínez , James Murphy, Adrian Rebollar (Novello Yoseke, 75’), Morey Doner; Chase Boone (Simon Dawkins, 64’), Alex Dixon (Grant Robinson, 82’); Christian Volesky
Subs not used: Carlos Herrera, Chuy Enríquez, Jesse Maldonado, Ugo Okoli

Miami FC (4-4-2): Jake McGuire; Aedan Stanley, Benjamin Ofeimu (Moises Hernandez, 45’), Paco Craig, Curtis Thorn; Christian Sorto , Bolu Akinyode (Ben Mines, 30’), Dennis Dowouna (Michael Salazar, 87’), Mark Segbers; Kyle Murphy, Claudio Repetto (Joaquin Rivas, 81’)
Subs not used: Adrian Zendejas, Lorenzo DiMercurio

Stats Summary: MB / MIA
Shots: 13 / 11
Shots on Goal: 3 / 5
Saves: 4 / 2
Corner Kicks: 3 / 5
Fouls: 16 / 9
Possession: 51.8% / 48.2%

Misconduct Summary:
MB: Kai Greene (caution) 27’
MB: Christian Volesky (caution) 90+2’

Officials: 
Referee: Corbyn May
Assistant Referee 1: Baboucarr Jallow
Assistant Referee 2: CJ Koll
Fourth Official: Turan Ozdemir

Quote Sheet: MBFC 2-2 PIT

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Quote Sheet: MBFC 2-2 PIT

Cardinale Stadium; Seaside, California
Friday, May 5, 2023

Sporting Director & Head Coach Frank Yallop
On the match:
“I thought we were flat in the first half. When you put on guys that have not played together as much, it’s always a weird one – especially against a team that’s decent and difficult to play against. The good news is we scored right at the end of the half, which, thank goodness we did to get us back in it. It was just one of those performances. We have a lot of guys out right now, which is frustrating, but that’s football. You’ve got to get on with it. Guys got to play tonight that normally don’t get to play. Chuy [Enríquez] was really good in the 10 role and out wide he was good as well. We had some decent performances, we just have to look forward to Tuesday now.”

On extending the unbeaten streak:
“If you look at our attitude, we are still trying to do the right things. Maybe we didn’t play particularly well tonight, which we didn’t for us. But I will say Adrian [Rebollar]’s effort to nick it off the defender and a great ball across for Christian – who is hot. He didn’t have many chances tonight, but the one that mattered, he scored. We were off tonight, we weren’t at our best. We’ll lick our wounds and look forward to getting back at it Tuesday night.”

Forward Alex Dixon
On the result:
“It definitely helps to take a point today instead of dropping all three, but I’m disappointed. I don’t think we had our best game, but we had our moments and everything like that. I think it was important to come away and get a result instead of dropping all three. We got to regroup, rest, recuperate, and get ready for Tuesday, we’ve got a big one then.”

On the physicality of the game:
“It was a physical game for sure. We knew that coming in, they’re going to make it a hard game – It’s a good team. We just need to rest up and take care of our injuries. Hopefully we can get some guys back this coming week, bounce back and hopefully get a good result on Tuesday.”

On how the team responded to two first-half injuries: 
“When one guy goes down the next man steps up. Max [Glasser] and Chuy [Enríquez] had to come in in the first half and we didn’t plan on that, but they both came on and contributed. So I think that’s the mentality we have to have going for the rest of the year. If someone goes down, whoever’s next up has to come in and fill the spot. That’s how we’ll grow as a team.”

On his goal:
“We built up play down the right side. Morey [Doner] put a ball in, Volesky got a touch to it. I kind of anticipated it and was able to bring it down. Then I saw the keeper kind of cheating, so I just dinked it a little bit and luckily it went in. It’s always nice to score against a former team. I know some of the guys over there weren’t happy about it, but it felt good.”

Monterey Bay F.C. Wins 4-2 Over New Mexico United on Youth Soccer Night at Cardinale Stadium

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Monterey Bay F.C. Wins 4-2 Over New Mexico United on Youth Soccer Night at Cardinale Stadium

SEASIDE, California (Saturday, April 8, 2023) – Monterey Bay F.C. (2-2-1, 7 points) defeated New Mexico United (1-2-0, 3 points) 4-2 on Youth Soccer Night at Cardinale Stadium, presented by Monterey Marriott. Christian Volesky led the Union with two goals in the match, while Alex Dixon and Sam Gleadle each added a goal apiece. In total, Volesky (two goals, one assist) and Gleadle (two assists, one goal) each finished the match with three total goal contributions.

Access the postgame quote sheet here

The visitors created an early chance in the 10th minute of the match when Greg Hurst was played in behind the Union back line, but his shot was saved by Carlos Herrera from just outside the six-yard box to keep the match level. It would not last long however, as two minutes later Chris Wehan cashed in on a spill by Herrera in the box to put New Mexico on top 1-0. Monterey Bay F.C. earned a chance in the 29th minute when Morey Doner was played into space down the right sideline, but his pass into the box aimed at Volesky was taken away by the goalkeeper. Monterey Bay F.C. would strike just four minutes later however, when Herrera sparked the counter with a long throw from the box to play in Gleadle. Reminiscent of the Union’s third goal in extra time in U.S. Open Cup play midweek, Gleadle drew in the defense before finding Dixon alone with a defender on the left side of the box. Dixon collected the pass, cut back to right, and fired the ball into the back of the net to even the score at 1-1. Then just before the end of the first half, Herrera booted the ball deep into New Mexico territory. Volesky rose up and flicked the pass on with a header directly to the feet of Gleadle, who then smashed the ball into the left side of goal to put the Crisp and Kelp in front at the break 2-1.

The Union added a third just five minutes into the second half when Mobi Fehr intercepted a pass at midfield and immediately threaded the needle through the New Mexico United defense to Volesky, who found himself all alone and one on one with the goalkeeper. After a few dribbles, Volesky slid the ball under the closing-out goalkeeper’s legs and across the line to put Monterey Bay F.C. up 3-1. Dixon earned another chance in the 54th minute, but his left-footed shot was deflected by the defense and saved at the near post. In the 71st minute, Fehr found Volesky in space at the top of the 18-yard box. With his first touch, Volesky played Gleadle in between two defenders. Then following some fancy footwork to keep possession, Gleadle backheeled a pass between the New Mexico defense to a wide open Volesky for the tap into the open net to extend the Monterey Bay F.C. lead to 4-1. Late in the match following a botched clearance in the box from the defense, New Mexico United’s Amando Moreno added a second goal for the visitors and the match ended 4-2 in favor of the Crisp and Kelp.

Up Next: Monterey Bay F.C. travels to Phoenix, Arizona for a Western Conference matchup with Rising FC on Saturday, April 15. Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. PT at Phoenix Rising Stadium, with live streaming of the match available on ESPN+.

Man of the Match: Christian Volesky and Sam Gleadle earned tonight’s Co-Man of the Match honors with three goal contributions apiece in the match. Volesky scored two goals, including the game-winner, and added an assist. Gleadle scored a goal of his own and added two assists on the night. In total, Gleadle created three chances and blocked one shot and Volesky added a blocked shot of his own.

Notes:
– Grant Robinson made his 2023 regular season debut for the Union in the match after missing the first four with a preseason hamstring injury. Robinson made his official return in the Club’s midweek U.S. Open Cup match on April 5.
– Simon Dawkins (knee) missed the match due to injury as he continues to ramp up for a return in the near future.
– Coming off of a one goal, one assist appearance in the Club’s U.S. Open Cup win midweek, Christian Volesky followed it up with his first two goals in league play and another assist. In total, the striker has contributed to five of the Union’s seven goals this week.
– After signing with the club on Friday, Nevello Yoseke made his debut for the Crisp and Kelp as a second half substitute in the 84th minute of the match.

Match: Monterey Bay F.C. vs New Mexico United
Date: April 8, 2023
Venue: Cardinale Stadium; Seaside, California
Weather: Mostly sunny and 56 degrees
Attendance: 3,548

Scoring Summary: 1 2 F
Monterey Bay F.C.  2 2 4
New Mexico United  1 1 2
NM: Chris Wehan 12’
MB: Alex Dixon (Sam Gleadle) 33’
MB: Sam Gleadle (Christian Volesky) 40’
MB: Christian Volesky (Mobi Fehr) 50’
MB: Christian Volesky (Sam Gleadle) 71’
NM: Amando Moreno 77’

Lineups:
Monterey Bay F.C. (4-2-3-1): Carlos Herrera; Grant Robinson, Hugh Roberts, Kai Greene, Morey Doner; James Murphy, Mobi Fehr; Adrian Rebollar (Nevello Yoseke 84’); Sam Gleadle (Walmer Martínez 73’), Alex Dixon (Jason Johnson 74’), Christian Volesky (Chase Boone 73’)
Subs not used: Antony Siaha, Alex Lara, Jesus Enriquez

New Mexico United (4-2-3-1): Alex Tambakis; Harry Swartz (Austin Yearwood 66’), Will Seymore, Kalen Ryden, Josh Suggs; Sam Hamilton (Daniel Bruce 67’), Sergio Rivas, Amando Moreno; Chris Wehan, Santi Moar (Alexander Waggoner 86’), Greg Hurst (Josh Dolling 52’)
Subs not used: Ford Parker, Kyle Colonna, Jose Sosa

Stats Summary: MB / NM
Shots: 7 / 8
Shots on Goal: 5 / 5
Saves: 3 / 1
Corner Kicks: 2 / 2
Fouls: 8 / 10
Possession: 45.1% / 54.9%

Misconduct Summary:
MB: Grant Robinson (caution) 18’
NM: Zach Prince (manager, caution) 84’
MB: James Murphy (caution) 86’

Officials:
Referee: Brandon Stevis
Assistant Referee 1: Bennett Savage
Assistant Referee 2: CJ Koll
Fourth Official: Michael Zapata

Monterey Bay F.C. Douses Central Valley Fuego FC with 3-1 Victory in the Second Round of U.S. Open Cup

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Monterey Bay F.C. Douses Central Valley Fuego FC with 3-1 Victory in the Second Round of U.S. Open Cup

FRESNO, California (Wednesday, April 5, 2023) – Monterey Bay F.C. defeated USL League One side Central Valley Fuego FC 3-1 at Fresno State Soccer Stadium in the second round of the 2023 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup. The match remained at a scoreless deadlock after 90 minutes, pushing the match into extra time for the first time in Club history. Christian Volesky scored the breakthrough goal of the match in the 97th minute, followed by goals from Alex Dixon (110’) and Sam Gleadle (120+1’) to seal the second round victory for the Crisp and Kelp and a second first for the Club, the first-ever Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup win for Monterey Bay.

Monterey Bay F.C. earned its first chance of the night in the 6th minute of the match. Following a run down the right sideline, Morey Doner played the back to Walmer Martínez in space above the 18-yard box. Martínez’ shot from was deflected to the right of the post and out for a corner. The ensuing corner kick found Hugh Roberts II in the box, but the header missed over the top of the crossbar. Shortly after following a turnover for Fuego FC in a dangerous part of the pitch, Martínez found himself with a second opportunity – this time inside the box – that resulted in the second corner of the night for the Union to no avail. In the 37th minute, Grant Robinson made a run forward and found Jason Johnson in the center of the pitch. Johnson played the ball right back on the give-and-go to a streaking Robinson, but his left-footed shot was saved at the near post. Fuego FC saw its first look of the half in the 42nd minute, but the shot was denied by Carlos Herrera at the near post and the half ended level at 0-0.

The Union were given a scare seven minutes into the second half as Central Valley looked to score the opener on a header, but the goal was waived off for offside. A minute later, Jesús Enríquez took possession and drove down the middle of the field. He played the ball to Doner on the right side of the box, but the chance was thwarted by the Fuego FC defense. The Crisp and Kelp came close to scoring in the 57th minute, but Johnson’s header inside the box was caught by the goalkeeper to stall the chance. As time wound down in the match in the 84th minute, Fuego FC fired a shot from just outside the box, but a brilliant diving save by Herrera at the far post kept the hosts off the board and brought the match into extra time.

Monterey Bay F.C. found the long-awaited breakthrough seven minutes into extra time when second-half substitute Volesky slipped past the defense and slid the ball into the back of the net to give the Crisp and Kelp the 1-0 lead. The Union extended the lead in the 110th minute of the match with a screamer from outside the 18-yard box by Dixon to put Monterey Bay F.C. in front by a score of 2-0. Central Valley Fuego FC pulled one back in the 116th minute of the match to bring the score to 2-1. Then in the first of three final added minutes in the match, Gleadle sprung the Union on the counter and started a two-on-one break. With the defender stuck in between decisions, Gleadle played the ball to Dixon. Once the defender committed to Dixon, he played it patiently back to Gleadle who then found himself one-on-one with the goalkeeper before slotting it home to seal the 3-1 victory for Monterey Bay.

Match: Monterey Bay F.C. at Central Valley Fuego FC
Date: April 5, 2023
Venue: Fresno State Soccer Stadium; Fresno, California
Weather: Partly cloudy and 62 degrees

Dixon Earns USL Championship Team of the Week Honors in Week 1

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Dixon Earns USL Championship Team of the Week Honors in Week 1

SEASIDE, Calif. (Tuesday, March 14, 2023) – In addition to his Player of the Week nod, Monterey Bay F.C. forward Alex Dixon has been named to the USL Championship Team of the Week for Week 1 of the 2023 regular season following the Union’s 5-3 victory over Hartford Athletic at Cardinale Stadium on Saturday.

Dixon had himself a night a firsts in his MBFC debut recording his first goal in Crisp and Kelp less than two minutes into the match (1:31, the fastest goal in Club history) and with his penalty in the 45th minute, he converted the first penalty in Club history to secure his first career hat trick (first in Club history). He also recorded the 49th, 50th and 51st goals of his USL Championship career in the match.

Below is USL Championship’s full Team of the Week for Week 1 lined up in a 4-3-3 formation:
Goalkeeper – Yannik Oettl (IND)
Defenders – Amadou Dia (LOU), Lamar Batista (SA), Jackson Kasanzu (SD), Alex Crognale (BHM)
Midfielders – Zach Ryan (LDN), Florian Valot (MIA), Kalil ElMedkhar (LDN)
Forwards – Alex Dixon (MB), Price Saydee (HFD), Brian Ownby (LOU)
Bench – Michael Nelson (TUL), Paco Craig (MIA), Edgardo Rito (OAK), Joe Corona (SD), Robbie Mertz (PIT), PC (SA), Russell Cicerone (SAC)

NEXT UP: Monterey Bay F.C. welcomes Dia, Nelson and the defending Eastern Conference champions Louisville City FC to Seaside on Saturday, March 18. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. PT at Cardinale Stadium. Fans can watch the match live on KION via Central Coast CW, or stream it live on ESPN+.

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