Oliver TensleyBy Oliver Tensley.
FRESNO, Calif. — Central Valley Fuego FC fell 3-1 to Lexington SC on Friday, Aug. 16 at Fresno State Soccer Stadium. The loss saw Lexington pass Central Valley for 11th in USL League One, moving Fuego FC into last place.
If the standings hold, it would mean the club will finish last in back-to-back seasons.
For fans of the Fresno, Calif. club it was frustrating, but they have stayed loyal through more than one dissolution of a club in their city, a last-place finish is nothing.
The name Fuego has been with Fresno-based soccer since the early 2000s when the Fresno Fuego joined the Player Development League (PDL) (now USL League Two).
Although it took some years, 2016 saw the introduction of the club’s first supporters’ group, the Fire Squad.
The Fire Squad has supported a few iterations of Fresno soccer but never gave up their support. Fresno Fuego existed in the PDL from 2002 to 2020 but became an affiliate club to Fresno FC in 2018.
Fresno FC joined the USL Championship in 2018 but moved to Monterey Bay, Calif. just two years later. That same year it was announced that in 2022 Central Valley Fuego FC would begin play in USL League One.
Since 2016 the Fire Squad has supported the highest level of soccer in Fresno which has been the fourth tier, second tier, and then third tier. All of that change happened in less than three years.
Additionally, long before the Fire Squad started, from 1999 to 2002 there was a club in the United Soccer Leagues – Division Two (since defunct) called the Fresno Dragons. Members of that club helped found the Fresno Fuego.
In its earlier days, the Fire Squad would chant, “Born of dragons, made of fire, Fuego! Fuego!”
Central Valley Fuego FC once had multiple supporters’ groups, but off-the-field issues fractured support. After 2022, a group known as El Escuadrón officially severed its ties with Central Valley Fuego in favor of supporting Valley FC of the United Premier Soccer League. The LAFC-connected group also supports the Fresno State women’s soccer team and will occasionally show up to Fuego FC matches to cheer for the opposition. The three lines visible on the Fuego FC badge can still be seen on the logo of El Escuadrón only with one line changed from green to red.
It is ironic that El Escuadrón would still use the lines as they are crucial to Fuego FC’s identity. In its current form, the club does not carry the name Fresno, instead, it uses “Central Valley.” The Central Valley is a region in California spanning the San Joaquin and Sacramento Valleys which is roughly 450 miles (720 km) north to south. Despite the vast area, the valley is known to be culturally quite similar from top to bottom, thus explaining the all-encompassing identity chosen by the club.
The lines are black on the left and right to represent the mountain ranges to the area’s east and west, but green in the middle to represent the valley’s deep agricultural history. The Central Valley is the largest agricultural exporter in California, which is the largest agricultural exporter in the United States, which is the largest agricultural exporter in the world.
Fresno is a metropolitan pocket in a rural valley. Coming into the city from State Route 41 it can be jarring to see the smog give way to the skyline of a 500,000-person city when the last 100 miles have been small farming communities. If one continues on the road for another 50 miles they will be in Yosemite National Park, firmly removed from civilization once again. Even Fresno’s residents find its identity contradictory, but they embrace the city, unlike many other Californians who belittle it.
Fire Squad founding member, Edward Stewart, said, “In some ways, it’s a big city, we are half a million people, but it’s still got some small town mindsets…we’re not going to be [San Francisco,] we’re not going to be LA because location wise its different, but we are a great space that offers a lot of things to people…we should embrace that. We’ve got culture here, we’ve got so much diversity in population…if you want to eat anything in the world it’s here……there are sports here, there is art here…there’s culture.”
Speaking with supporters of the club it is clear that Fresno’s tendency for ridicule does nothing to diminish the pride its residents have, in fact, it only makes it stronger.
Fellow Fire Squad member, Rigo Ceja, said, “A lot of people have negative connotations about Fresno and that’s alright, but to be able to represent your area and say ‘hey, I’m from Fresno, I’m proud of this area,’ and have a team that fights week in and week out is a great achievement and great representation for this city.”
Stewart said, “It is about my local pride and it’s about ‘this is who we are’…it’s about ‘this is our city’ and all real soccer support is tied to location. Even though I might support a team in London in the Premier League, on a local level I’m here on a Friday, Saturday, or Sunday, or whatever for my local side to do something and I can support…even if these guys are tiers below they’re still important to me because they’re representing who we are.”
Fresno is unique in California. By car it is over three hours from LA and nearly three hours from San Francisco, is not coastal, it is based in agriculture yet is a major city, it is not the capital like Sacramento, nor is it as big as LA, it was incorporated in the 1800s yet had no Spanish Mission nor a gold rush, and in the modern age it’s often on the wrong end of jokes. But, its residents love it. They care for the city, for the people, and for the club that represents it.
Stewart continued, “There’s a certain point in your life where you either choose to leave Fresno or you stay in Fresno and if you choose to stay you’re locked in, you love it for its good and its bad, but you recognize that there’s areas to improve. Something like soccer and sport and community events become a way…to really get involved with the community…everyone lives here, but engaging in living here and having fun living here and embracing your culture, your community, your city, is super important…I could live in San Francisco, I could live in LA, but I live in Fresno and I love Fresno, so I want to be part of Fresno things and this is a Fresno thing…We’re here having fun in Fresno, in our valley, loving who we are, even if we’re not the best in the league, we’re still supporting our guys.”
