Monterey Bay Travels to Michigan for Fixture with Detroit City FC

HAMTRAMCK, Michigan (Friday, April 4, 2025) – Monterey Bay FC (3-1-0, 9 points) heads to Hamtramck, Michigan for an early 1:00 p.m. PT kickoff on Saturday against Detroit City FC (2-1-1, 7 points) at Keyworth Stadium in Week 5 of the 2025 USL Championship regular season. Live streaming of the match will be available on ESPN+.

Monterey Bay FC heads to Michigan this weekend riding a three-match win streak in league play with hopes of keeping the momentum rolling with a fourth consecutive victory. Saturday’s match against Detroit City FC is expected to be a good early-season test for the Crisp-and-Kelp against a solid side in a notoriously tough environment. Keyworth Stadium is a compact venue with fans right on top of the pitch and when things are going well, those fans’ rowdiness often creates a fairly intense atmosphere. With that in mind, this weekend’s fixture makes for an ideal proving ground for a Monterey Bay side aiming to show it belongs among the USL Championship’s upper echelon in 2025.

Adding intrigue to the contest, the Union will be up against two familiar faces. Going up against goalkeeper Carlos Herrera and defender Morey Doner – both of whom spent multiple seasons in Seaside – provides an added layer to what is already shaping up to be a tightly-contested match. In addition, Monterey Bay will be chasing its first-ever win over Detroit City FC, having gone 0-2-1 in the all-time series to date, including a 0-1 road loss the last time the two sides met at Keyworth. Monterey Bay has also yet to score against Le Rouge, another box the Seasiders would like to check on Saturday night.

Detroit City FC vs. Monterey Bay FC

Venue: Keyworth Stadium; Hamtramck, Michigan
Date: Saturday, April 5, 2025; 1:00 p.m. PT
Weather: Cloudy and 50°F

Access DETvMB Match Notes

The Adobe PDF version of the 2025 Match Guide in advance of Saturday’s contest between Monterey Bay FC and Detroit City FC can be found here. Media members looking to receive the document as an attachment or have further questions are asked to please contact Steven Vargo in MBFC Communications via email at steven@montereybayfc.com.

2025 Records

Detroit CIty FC (2-1-1, 7 pts, 5th East); Monterey Bay FC (3-1-0, 9 pts, 2nd West)

Monterey Bay FC’s Open Cup Run Ends Abruptly in the Second Round

SEASIDE, California (Tuesday, April 1, 2025) – Monterey Bay FC fell 2-1 to El Farolito SC in the Second Round of the 2025 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup at Cardinale Stadium. Xavi Gnaulati scored from the spot, but the visitors managed to scrap together two goals in the second half to steal the victory from the hosts.

Monterey Bay’s first chance of the match came in the 19th minute after the side won a corner kick on the right side. The corner was whipped in perfectly towards Alex Lara’s head, but his flick on missed just wide of the far post. Gnaulati got into the action with a shot from just beyond the box but his attempt missed over the crossbar. Another opportunity arose just seconds after when Gnaulati skillfully flicked the ball up and over his defender to get around him and into the box. The ensuing shot beat the goalkeeper but was cleared off the line by a defender. Ethan Bryant followed up with a shot of his own, but it ricocheted off the crossbar and Monterey Bay were somehow left without a goal. Then in the 28th minute, the referee pointed to the spot for a handball in the box by El Farolito SC, awarding the hosts a penalty. Gnaulati stepped up to the spot and buried it into the bottom left corner to give Monterey Bay the 1-0 lead. Just before the end of the half, a powerful shot by Mayele Malango forced the goalkeeper into a tough save at the near post and the half ended with the slight advantage to the hosts.

The visitors leveled the match just over 10 minutes into the second half with a goal by Zuluaga. Then at the end of a scramble inside the box that saw the ball hit the bar twice in-between multiple blocks by Monterey Bay FC defenders, El Farolito poked in the go ahead goal in the 83rd minute. Ethan Bryant took a corner for the hosts in the 87th minute that perfectly pinpointed Lara inside the box, but his header missed just over the crossbar. Then in the 5th minute of stoppage time, the ball fell nicely to Lara once again on the right side of the box for one final chance, but the defender’s right-footed shot missed wide of the right post and Monterey Bay FC’s U.S. Open Cup run came to an early end.

Up Next

Monterey Bay takes flight to the Motor City for a fixture this Saturday, April 5 against Detroit City FC at Keyworth Stadium in Week 5 of the 2025 USL Championship regular season. Kickoff is set for 1:00 p.m. PT with live streaming of the match available on ESPN+.

Information

Date: April 1, 2025
Venue: Cardinale Stadium; Seaside, California
Weather: Cloudy and 51°F

Scoring Summary: 1 2 F

Monterey Bay FC  1 0 1
El Farolito SC 0 2 2
MB: Xavi Gnaulati (penalty) 28’
FAR: Andres Zuluaga (Gabriel Arias) 57’
FAR: Edgard Kreye 83’

Lineups

Monterey Bay FC (5-3-2): Sam Gomez; Miles Lyons, Jacob Muir (Ilijah Paul, 80’), Nico Gordon (Carlos Guzmán, 45’), Alex Lara, Joel Garcia Jr.; Pierce Gallaway (Wesley Fonguck, 60’), Ethan Bryant, Mobi Fehr; Mayele Malango (Adrian Rebollar, 45’), Xavi Gnaulati (Luke Ivanovic, 60’)
Subs not used: Dallas Odle, Grant Robinson

Misconduct Summary

MB: Xavi Gnaulati (caution) 14’
FAR: Herlbert Soto (caution) 63’
FAR: Jesus Martinez (caution) 66’
MB: Jacob Muir (caution) 69’
FAR: Andres Zuluaga (caution) 90+5’

Officials

Referee: Esad Omanovic
Assistant Referee: Salvador Reyes
Assistant Referee: Bhavik Dutt
Fourth Official: Turan Ozdemir

Monterey Bay Defeats Phoenix Rising FC 3-1

SEASIDE, California (Saturday, March 29, 2025) – Monterey Bay FC (3-1-0, 9 points) defeated Western Conference foes Phoenix Rising FC (0-2-2, 2 points) 3-1 at Cardinale Stadium in Week 4 of the USL Championship regular season. Carlos Guzmán scored three minutes into the match, and Adrian Rebollar and Anton Søjberg bagged goals of their own in the second half to put the Crisp-and-Kelp over the top for the club’s third league win on the trot, and the fourth in a row in all competitions.

Access the postgame quote sheet here

For the second home match in a row, Monterey Bay hit the back of the net less than three minutes into the match. After earning an early free kick, the Crisp-and-Kelp executed a play developed straight off the training ground. Søjberg played the ball into Ilijah Paul making a run through the left side of the box. With his first touch, Paul turned and fired the ball back across the box toward Guzmán for the tap in, giving Monterey Bay the early 1-0 lead. 90 seconds later, Paul broke into the Phoenix box once again, but this time his cross was cleared away by a defender. Continuing to apply pressure, Monterey Bay earned a free kick from just outside the box in the 6th minute, but Mayele Malango’s attempt missed just over the top of the crossbar. In the 9th minute, Xavi Gnaulati whipped in a corner kick that looked destined to sneak inside the far post directly from the corner flag, but the goalkeeper managed to tip it up and over the bar. In the 17th minute, Phoenix Rising FC leveled the match with a goal by Remi Cabral. The visitors looked to have another when Cabral flicked a header on frame in the 26th minute, but Nico Campuzano kept it out with an incredible diving effort – one that is sure to be a third nomination for Save of the Week already this season – and the half ended even at one apiece.

In the 62nd minute, Phoenix’s Pape Boye received a second yellow card and was ejected from the match. Two minutes later, Rebollar buried a left-footed volley following a scramble in the box to put Monterey Bay in front 2-1. In the 68th minute, Carl Sainte received a straight red for a wreckless near the corner flag, leaving Phoenix with an improbable nine men for the final 22 minutes. Monterey Bay ramped up the pressure straight away. Luke Ivanovic drove down the left sideline before cutting into the middle of the pitch in the 71st minute. He played the ball to Rebollar on the right side, who then flicked it back into the box towards Søjberg. The Danish forward perfectly chested the ball up to himself and attempted a bicycle kick that would have brought the house down, but it was caught by the keeper. Two minutes later, Miles Lyons added his second assist in as many games with a beautifully cross into Søjberg, who this time made it count with a powerful header to the goalkeeper’s left to extend the lead to the final scoreline of the night, 3-1 in favor of the Crisp-and-Kelp.

Up Next

Monterey Bay FC returns to 2025 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup play with a Second Round matchup against El Farolito SC at Cardinale Stadium on Tuesday, April 1. The match kicks off at 7 p.m. PT, with live streaming available on ESPN+.

Additional Notes

• Ilijah Paul faced off against his former team Phoenix Rising FC, where he previously became the youngest player in club history to sign a professional contract at just 16 years old.
• Missing the match due to injury was Alex Dixon (lower body), Diego Gutiérrez (lower body), and Adam Larsson (lower body).

Information

Date: March 29, 2025
Venue: Cardinale Stadium; Seaside, California
Weather: Mostly cloudy and 58°F
Attendance: 3,210

Scoring Summary: 1 2 F

Monterey Bay FC 1 2 3
Phoenix Rising FC 1 0 1
MB: Carlos Guzmán (Ilijah Paul) 3’
PHX: Remi Cabral (Ihsan Sacko) 17’
MB: Adrian Rebollar 64’
MB: Anton Søjberg (Miles Lyons) 73’

Lineups

Monterey Bay FC (4-1-3-2): Nico Campuzano; Grant Robinson, Carlos Guzmán, Nico Gordon, Miles Lyons (Joel Garcia Jr., 76’); Wesley Fonguck (Pierce Gallaway, 84’); Mayele Malango (Luke Ivanovic, 59’), Xavi Gnaulati (Ethan Bryant, 59’), Adrian Rebollar; Ilijah Paul, Anton Søjberg (Mobi Fehr, 85’)
Subs not used: Sam Gomez, Alex Lara

Phoenix Rising FC (4-3-3): Triston Henry; Collin Smith, Pape Boye, Braxton Montgomery, Harvey Neville; Carl Sainte, Noble Okello (Jamison Ping, 77’), Hope Avayevu (Pierce Rizzo, 86’); Ihsan Sacko (Cyrus Kowall, 86’), Jearl Margaritha (Dariusz Formella, 77’), Remi Cabral (Darnell King, 69’)
Subs not used: Patrick Rakovsky, Zachary Dasilva, Jan Villegas, Damian Rivera

Stats Summary: MB / PHX

Shots: 17 / 6
Shots on Goal: 8 / 3
Saves: 2 / 5
Corner Kicks: 5 / 1
Fouls: 16 / 20
Possession: 55.1% / 44.9%

Misconduct Summary

PHX: Noble Okello (caution) 2’
MB: Miles Lyons (caution) 15’
PHX: Jearl Margaritha (caution) 21’
PHX: Pape Boye (caution) 26’
MB: Xavi Gnaulati (caution) 40’
PHX: Harvey Neville (caution) 43’
MB: Anton Søjberg (caution) 55’
PHX: Pape Boye (caution, dismissal) 62’
PHX: Carl Sainte (dismissal) 68’
PHX: Jamison Ping (caution) 89’

Officials

Referee: Brandon Stevis
Assistant Referee: Eric Krueger
Assistant Referee: Alexander Arita
Fourth Official: Andrew Hanks

Monterey Bay Welcomes Phoenix Rising FC to Cardinale Stadium

SEASIDE, California (Friday, March 28, 2025) – Monterey Bay FC (2-1-0, 6 points) welcomes Phoenix Rising FC (0-1-2, 2 points) for a 7 p.m. PT kickoff on Saturday at Cardinale Stadium in Week 4 of the 2025 USL Championship regular season. The match will be broadcast locally via KION on FOX35 (46.2 over the air, 35 Dish, 47 DirecTV and 3/702 HD Xfinity), with live streaming available on CBS Sports Golazo Network via Paramount+, the CBS Sports app, CBSSports.com, and Pluto TV.

Monterey Bay FC is riding a small wave of momentum in the midst of a three-game winning streak in all competitions and will look to extend its unbeaten run in the club’s return home on Saturday night. A major factor in Monterey Bay’s early success this season has been the team’s scoring prowess. In the past week alone, the Crisp-and-Kelp scored 10 goals combined, showcasing a real glimpse of their attacking potential this season. Now – as they prepare to host a surprisingly winless Phoenix Rising FC squad that is better than their record suggests – Monterey Bay will aim to solidify its strong start with a fourth win on the trot. Another electric outing would go a long way in demonstrating that the club’s early success is more than just a fast start.

The Seasiders’ recent performances have also garnered significant recognition league-wide. For his two goal, one assist performance against Orange County, forward Ilijah Paul earned USL Championship Player of the Week honors. In addition, Head Coach Jordan Stewart was named the league’s Coach of the Week, while forward Anton Søjberg and goalkeeper Nico Campuzano were also honored by joining Paul and Stewart on the USL Championship Team of the Week.

Historically, Monterey Bay FC and Phoenix Rising FC have played to an even 2-2-2 head-to-head record all-time, including a 1-1-1 record at Cardinale Stadium. However, Phoenix holds a slight edge via goal differential through six encounters, with an 11-9 advantage. On Saturday, Monterey Bay will look to tip the scales in their favor with a strong performance on home turf.

Monterey Bay FC vs. Phoenix Rising FC

Venue: Cardinale Stadium; Seaside, California
Date: Saturday, March 29, 2025; 7:00 p.m. PT
Weather: Mostly cloudy and 58°F

Access MBvPHX Match Notes

The Adobe PDF version of the 2025 Match Guide in advance of Saturday’s contest between Monterey Bay FC and Phoenix Rising FC can be found here. Media members looking to receive the document as an attachment or have further questions are asked to please contact Steven Vargo in MBFC Communications via email at steven@montereybayfc.com.

2025 Records

Monterey Bay FC (2-1-0, 6 pts, 2nd West); Phoenix Rising FC (0-1-2, 2 pts, 10th West)

Monterey Bay Overpowers Orange County, Earns 3-0 Victory in Irvine

IRVINE, California (Saturday, March 22, 2025) – Monterey Bay FC (2-1-0, 6 points) put on quite the display in a demonstrative 3-0 victory away from home over Orange County SC (1-1-1, 4 points) at Championship Soccer Stadium in Irvine. Ilijah Paul stole the show having his hand in all three goals for the Crisp-and-Kelp (two goals, one assist) and Luke Ivanovic capped off some impressive minutes of his own with a late goal in his USL Championship debut. Both sides of the ball came together perfectly for Monterey Bay in this one, with Nico Campuzano and the defense earning its first clean sheet of the season.

The first opportunity of the night arrived for the hosts in the form of a set piece in the 9th minute, but the dangerous ball into the box was cleared away by Carlos Guzmán. A few minutes later, OC broke out on a counter that ended with a shot by Ryan Doghman, but the attempt was saved by Nico Campuzano. Monterey Bay responded with a nearly 10 minute attacking spell that forced Orange County SC onto their heels. Three consecutive dangerous opportunities for the Crisp-and-Kelp led to corner kicks, but Monterey Bay saw multiple shots blocked to deny them the opening goal of the night despite the exciting onslaught of pressure. Orange County looked likely to score on the end of another dangerous set piece in the 33rd minute, but an incredible, save-of-the-week-esque stop by Campuzano with his outstretched left hand denied the hosts once again. Xavi Gnaulati fired a dipping ball on frame just before the end of the half from the top of the box, but it was pushed up and over the crossbar by the goalkeeper and the sides went scoreless into the break.

Monterey Bay started the second half with a solid spell of possession that led to a shot by Anton Søjberg in the 48th minute, but the opportunity was saved at the near post by the OC keeper. Orange County’s first corner of the match resulted in a header inside the box in the 55th minute, but the shot missed over the crossbar. Four minutes later, Mayele Malango let go of a grass burner aimed at the bottom left corner, but the goalkeeper managed to keep it out. A minute later, pressure from Paul led to a turnover by Orange County SC, but the shot from Søjberg missed over the top. The dam finally broke for Monterey Bay just seconds later when Søjberg found himself on the ball once again. This time, the Dane floated the ball over the top to Paul on the left side of the box, who fired the ball across the line on his second touch with the left foot to put the Crisp-and-Kelp up 1-0 in Irvine. 

Then, receiving a pass from Wesley Fonguck inside the half circle, Adrian Rebollar found himself on the wrong side of a high boot from Doghman in the 65th minute. The referee showed an immediate red card and the hosts were left with 10 men for the final half hour. Just nine minutes later, Miles Lyons dribbled right through the heart of the defense before sliding it through to Paul for his second goal of the night and a 2-0 lead. Still in full control of the match, Monterey Bay looked poised with the lead. In the 84th minute, Pierce Gallaway played a speeding Ivanovic into the box with a nice ball over the top, but Ivanovic’s low cross towards Paul was snuffed out at the near post. Ivanovic had another look just a minute later, but his shot was saved by Colin Shutler. Then, after Paul rounded his defender down the left sideline in the final minute of the ninety, the ball found its way to Ivanovic once again – and this time the Australian forward buried it to put the stamp on an impressive 3-0 win away from home for Monterey Bay.

Up Next

Monterey Bay returns home to face Phoenix Rising FC in a 7 p.m. PT kickoff at Cardinale Stadium. The match will be broadcast locally via KION on FOX35 (46.2 over the air, 35 Dish, 47 DirecTV and 3/702 HD Xfinity), with live streaming available on CBS Sports Golazo Network via Paramount+, the CBS Sports app, CBSSports.com, and Pluto TV.

Additional Notes

• Arizona natives and fellow Barça Residency Academy alums Miles Lyons and Ilijah Paul teamed up for the second goal of the night.
• Missing the match due to injury were Diego Gutiérrez (lower body), Adam Larsson (lower body), and Jacob Muir (lower body). Joel Garcia Jr. was unavailable for selection to serve a one-match suspension for the red card he received in the club’s previous league match.

Information

Date: March 22, 2025
Venue: Championship Soccer Stadium; Irvine, California
Weather: Sunny and 63°F

Scoring Summary: 1 2 F

Orange County SC 0 0 0
Monterey Bay FC 0 3 3
MB: Ilijah Paul (Anton Søjberg) 60’
MB: Ilijah Paul (Miles Lyons) 74’
MB: Luke Ivanovic (Ilijah Paul) 90’

Lineups

Orange County SC (4-2-3-1): Colin Shutler; Pedro Guimaraes (Ben Barjolo, 64’), Tom Brewitt, Ashton Miles, Grayson Doody (Mouhamadou War, 81’); Kyle Scott, Nico Benalcazar; Ryan Doghman, Chris Hegardt, Roberto Molina (Ousmane Sylla, 64’); Ethan Zubak (Lyam MacKinnon, 90+1’)
Subs not used: Tetsuya Kadono, Daniel Garcia, Gavin Karam, Oliver Kurnik, Bryce Jamison

Monterey Bay FC (4-1-3-2): Nico Campuzano; Grant Robinson, Carlos Guzmán, Nico Gordon, Miles Lyons; Wes Fonguck (Pierce Gallaway, 84’); Mayele Malango, Xavi Gnaulati (Mobi Fehr, 84’), Adrian Rebollar (Ethan Bryant, 74’); Anton Søjberg (Luke Ivanovic, 67’), Ilijah Paul
Subs not used: Sam Gomez, Alex Lara, Alex Dixon

Stats Summary: OC / MB

Shots: 4 / 17
Shots on Goal: 3 / 7
Saves: 4 / 3
Corner Kicks: 5 / 6
Fouls: 7 / 16
Possession: 50.2% / 49.8%

Misconduct Summary

MB: Miles Lyons (caution) 32’
MB: Nico Gordon (caution) 53’
OC: Ryan Doghman (dismissal) 65’
MB: Wes Fonguck (caution) 70’
MB: Ilijah Paul (caution) 78’

Officials

Referee: Corbyn May
Assistant Referee: Noah Kenyawani
Assistant Referee: Bruno Rizo
Fourth Official: Abdu Razzaq Juma

Monterey Bay FC Communications – @MontereyBayFC

Monterey Bay Travels Down the Coast for League Fixture with Orange County SC on Saturday

IRVINE, California (Friday, March 21, 2025) – Monterey Bay FC (1-1-0, 3 points) hits the road down the coast to Irvine for its third match in seven days on Saturday against Orange County SC (1-0-1, 4 points). Kickoff is set for 7:00 p.m. PT at Championship Soccer Stadium in Week 3 of the 2025 USL Championship regular season, with live streaming of the match will be available on ESPN+.

Monterey Bay FC enters the weekend on the heels of two consecutive wins in all competitions. After winning a 3-2 thriller in the club’s home opener over rival Oakland Roots SC on March 15 and securing a first round win in this season’s U.S. Open Cup with a 4-0 score just four days later, Monterey Bay FC is now prepared to play its third game in seven days. With seven goals in all competitions this week alone, the Crisp-and-Kelp have showcased a potent offense to start the campaign and aims to take that momentum on the road. 

The club’s seven goals this week were produced by six different players, with all but a penalty being assisted as well. On the weekend, Mayele Malango, Ilijah Paul, and Anton Søjberg led the way. Then In the midweek cup match, Mobi Fehr – in his 2025 debut – set the tone early, scoring the fastest goal in club history just 71 seconds into the game. Xavi Gnaulati added a first-half brace in the match, and Paul buttoned up the contest with a late goal of his own. In addition, Alex Dixon, Adam Larsson, Grant Robinson, Luke Ivanovic, and Adrian Rebollar all contributed with assists – marking 10 different players involved in the attack so far this season.

Historically, Monterey Bay FC and Orange County SC have faced each other a total of six times, with OC currently holding a slight edge in the series (2-3-1 head-to-head record overall). Monterey Bay will have a chance to even things up in the all-time series on Saturday, but 100 percent of the team’s focus will be on extending the club’s winning streak to three matches.

Orange County SC vs. Monterey Bay FC

Venue: Championship Soccer Stadium; Irvine, California
Date: Saturday, March 22, 2025; 7:00 p.m. PT
Weather: Clear, 63°F

Access OCvMB Match Notes

The Adobe PDF version of the 2025 Match Guide in advance of Saturday’s contest between Monterey Bay FC and Orange County SC can be found here. Media members looking to receive the document as an attachment or have further questions are asked to please contact Steven Vargo in MBFC Communications via email at steven@montereybayfc.com.

2025 Records

Orange County SC (1-0-1, 4 pts, 3rd West); Monterey Bay FC (1-1-0, 3 pts, 7th West)