Coachella FC: Life In The Desert

By  Oliver Tensley .

THERMAL, Calif. — Coachella Football Club kicked a ball for the first time just a month ago in USL League Two yet already dreams big.

“I can take this club to the top of MLS,” owner Rolando Inostroza said. “In the Coachella Valley there is too much talent…it would be a dream come true, that’s why I came here and got this franchise…I will do it for the city of Coachella.”

Rolando Inostroza is Chilean, yet chose to found a club in California due to belief in the Coachella Valley.

“This club is special because the people are special, they are working class people who…by playing here have the opportunity to get out and be recognized all over the US,” he added.

The Coachella Valley is small and much eclipsed by the presence of Los Angeles and San Diego in Southern California, yet big dreams have a home in the small valley.

It is impossible to mention the word “Coachella” without an elephant in the room — the music festival. But, Coachella FC does not shy away from any aspect of where it’s from. In fact, every bit of the valley is a badge of honor to the club.

At home, one can feel the area’s festive presence. Despite the loss, their match on Tuesday, June 11, against the Ventura County Fusion felt more like a party than a football match.

Ventura County opened the scoring in just the second minute, led 2-1 at half-time, were 3-2 up late, the hosts equalized in the 90th minute, then the Fusion found two in stoppage time to run out 5-3 winners .

But, the atmosphere in the stadium was as entertaining as the match itself. Coachella FC do not have a permanent home stadium, as today they rotate between local schools (this is largely due to plans to build their own stadium in the coming years).

Tuesday’s match was played at Coachella Valley High School in Thermal, Calif.

No home stadium, however, does not mean no home traditions. A DJ set up at the bottom middle of the high school bleachers and played music throughout the match. It was not constant, but the presence of techno music during the game was certainly unique to Coachella.

Furthermore, the club seemed to have a tongue-in-cheek attitude about it. When Ventura County was slow to take a corner-kick the DJ began to play music from the show, Jeopardy to imply it was time to hurry up. The music was met with laughter from the crowd.

This does not mean the club does not value the traditions of the sport, quite the contrary. Most important to those at Coachella FC was giving local kids the chance to play.

“It brings us great pride to be able to be here and have this team out here in Coachella,” said head coach Joseph Aldape.

“We have a team mostly made out of locals…and we’re giving them the opportunity to come out and show what they have.”

Local players are the identity of Coachella FC, but not just on the pitch.

“The identity of the club is the sporting values ​​that make better people in society,” Inostroza said.

The love is reciprocated from all corners of the area. At one point in the match, a man could be heard yelling, “Cabazon,” the name of a nearby town, presumably as a way to represent it.

Leyver Guzmán lives in the Coachella Valley city of Cathedral City, Calif., and has two kids, Eric Guzmán and Leyver Guzmán Jr., who play for the club.

He said, “This [club] is a dream for everybody, that is why we try to stay together and support this new project for this area.”

Watching Coachella FC it is unmistakable where one is. The logo may feature a palm tree (the club’s shorts even subtly do as well) but the heat will not let one forget either.

Sitting on the bleachers, it was 100 °F (38°C) for the club’s 7 PM kick-off. As fans returned to their cars for full-time, now past 9 PM, the temperature had dropped to a still quite warm, 88°F (31°C) (the day’s high was 108°F or 42°C).

Palm trees and barren mountains encircle the high school stadium quite closely as well. As one watches Coachella FC it is clear that the Colorado Desert is underfoot.

Coachella FC is football in the desert, but not a footballing desert. Goal-kicks are taken with mountain peaks peering over the goalkeeper’s head, throw-ins are thrown with palm fronds drooping behind, and the second half was accompanied by the infamous beauty of a desert sunset.

Joshua Tree National Park is not 45 minutes away by car, and the Salton Sea is not even 25.

This is Southern Californian football. As Southern Californian as In-n-Out or a pair of Vans, but a different SoCal.

Closer to the California-Arizona border than the Santa Monica Pier, but as proud as any other region. Never believe there is no life in the desert, Coachella Football Club is alive and well.