Monterey Bay FC adds a women’s team and announces its first coach.

Five years after the tri-county area welcomed Monterey Bay FC, its first professional soccer team, the team announced on Jan. 27 that it will add an amateur women’s team this year. 

The team will join MBFC and U-20, both men’s teams playing in the United Soccer League and the USL Academy League, respectively.

“Launching a USL W team is more than an expansion—it’s a statement of who we are and where we are going,” said Oliver Wyss, chairman and chief soccer officer, in a statement. “This new foundation will strengthen our commitment to the entire 831 community by developing new opportunities for female soccer players. It will bring us closer to our vision of one club—where men’s and women’s teams proudly represent Monterey Bay FC together, on and off the pitch.”

Later, on Feb. 24, the MBFC announced Laura VanWart as the head coach for the women’s team. VanWart is CSUMB women’s soccer team head coach. 

"We are incredibly proud to announce Laura VanWart as the first head coach in our USL W history. Laura is an experienced leader, a proven developer of talent, and someone deeply respected within our community,” Wyss said. “As the head coach at CSUMB, she has demonstrated her ability to build strong cultures and unite players around a shared purpose. She is the ideal person to lead our inaugural season and to bring female players together under a vision of excellence, opportunity and community impact.”

MBFC’s women's team will compete in the NorCal Division of the United Soccer League W, a pre-professional league. MBFC is yet to announce the roster and the team’s branding.