A Santa Cruz soccer club plans to expand to Monterey County and bring a pro soccer team.

Over the past couple of years, Monterey County has become the home of Monterey Bay F.C., a USL pro soccer team, and Monterey Bay F.C.2, a developmental team. Within the next couple of years, it might have a second pro team out of Moss Landing.

Breakers F.C., an amateur soccer club based in Watsonville, was the highest bidder for Moss Landing Middle School, one of the three surplus properties from North Monterey County Unified School District. (It is valued at $485,806, according to Redfin; the parties say the deal is now in escrow.)

The club plans to build a soccer academy at the former middle school. “We’ve been excluding a huge pool of talent that we believe exists here,” says Leppa Galeb-Roskopp, Breakers F.C.’s board president. Galeb-Roskopp says they have a big dream: to turn pro by 2025.

The Moss Landing academy would include soccer fields and dormitories, and would help build a college pathway for student-athletes as well as partnerships with first-division Mexican soccer teams.

Galeb-Roskopp says they hope to complete the project to build the academy within 18 months or less: “We don’t have three or four years. We want a professional team by 2025.” In 2026, North America will host the men’s soccer World Cup and nearby Santa Clara is one of the hosting cities.

Galeb-Roskopp doesn’t worry about the pre-existence of pro soccer teams in the county, noting they hope to join MLS, not USL, which Monterey Bay F.C. plays in. “You’re looking at a heavily Hispanic community who loves soccer and are very family-oriented and very loyal,” she adds. “I think it’s going to be a huge, huge following.”