Monterey Bay FC hopes a new plan on and off the pitch pay off as the 2026 season gets underway.

The more things change, the more things stay the same.

It’s trite, but in the case of Monterey Bay FC it’s true – somewhat. After a 2025 campaign that saw the club plummet over the final three months of the season to 11th place in the 12-team USL Championship Western Conference, management once again brought in a new crop of fresh faces for 2026. The goal has not changed.

“To get to the playoffs,” says Eduardo Blancas, newly arrived from USL League One side AV Alta FC.

A year ago, head coach Jordan Stewart’s team jumped out to a 4-1-2 start before hitting some midseason bumps. The promise of playoff contention slipped away when the Union could claim only one win over its final 12 matches to finish with a 7-15-8 record.

“It was very frustrating,” Stewart says. “When you’re not making the playoffs, it’s part of the process to make changes.”

But that’s where the old adage begins to unravel in the case of MBFC. There is a noticeable difference to the team’s approach for 2026.

The revisions extend not only to the roster, but also the front office – and even the football world. Oliver Wyss joined the club as chief soccer officer, a no-nonsense soccer executive determined to set clear standards. Tony Awor, a veteran director of youth academies in England, was added to the front office in the role of director of recruitment.

“The team is every department, from every intern to the ownership,” Wyss explains. “You have to build a winning culture, and you only do that with a strong core.”

In addition to beefing up the front office, MBFC forged partnerships with German side FC Schalke 04 and Mexico’s iconic C.F. Pachuca to expand its presence in the soccer world and – more particularly – to aid in player development.

“This is a statement,” Awor says. “It’s just trying to take the club to the next level.”

From the squad’s inaugural year in 2022, MBFC has never finished better than 11th. Past roster shakeups proved ineffective.

“What we lacked last year was leadership,” Stewart notes, pointing out that the club’s familiar faces did not prepare younger players for the grind of the USL season. So for 2026, management signed league veterans – like Nick Ross, plucked from Sacramento, and potent striker Wesley Leggett, late of Charleston and Loudoun United – to provide a foundation.

“It’s huge,” Ross says of the importance of experience. “This league is so unique. I think it’s the hardest league to play in.”

Ross began his professional career in his native Scotland. He has played in the USL Championship since 2019, with El Paso and Sacramento. As a central midfielder, Ross’ forte is creating chances for the strikers.

Steady midfielder Adrian Rebollar, a Union fixture since 2022, forward Ilijah Paul and defensive stalwart (and team captain) Nico Gordon, are two of the five returnees.

Stewart expects these to mentor a group of young players, many of international pedigree. Striker Omari Glasgow, on loan from MLS side Chicago Fire, is Guyana’s all-time leading scorer despite being 22. Midfielder Giorgi Lomtadze comes to MBFC from Dinamo Tbilisi in Georgia. Defender Stuart Ritchie helped Knoxville to last year’s USL League One title.

Gone are some of 2025’s standouts. Wes Fonguck, an adept distributing midfielder, completed his loan and returned to England. Xavi Gnaulti and Mayele Malango – the latter one of the team’s leading goal scorers with 5 – went on the transfer market, reportedly for significant sums.

According to Wyss, player development is a significant part of a USL club’s purpose and financial stability.

“Player assets are the biggest opportunity,” he explains. “The talent pool in the U.S. is one of the best in the world.”

Perhaps the biggest blow is the loss of Nico Campuzano to Pittsburgh. Despite missing several games due to injury, the Spanish goalkeeper led the entire league with 84 saves in 2025. MBFC exercised its contract option on Campuzano for 2026, but the two sides could not agree on terms.

In his place is 19-year-old Fernando Delgado, a Mexican international who was part of the 2023 Concacaf U-17 championship team. In rebuilding the lineup, MBFC management looked first to strengthen the back line and midfield.

“Defense wins championships,” Stewart says. “If you’re solid, if you can keep clean sheets, you have a better chance of winning.”

Gordon, 23, anchors the defense. A natural leader on and off the pitch, he was named captain despite being new to the team in 2025, a season in which he led the team with 139 clearances, 53 interceptions, 40 tackles and 17 blocks – all four key defense categories.

Joel Garcia also returns to the back line, giving the Union some familiarity in front of the young keeper.

Among the new crop is Zack Farnsworth, a 23-year-old center back signed from the MLS Real Salt Lake organization. Stewart has high expectations for the young defender, in part because of his consistency. Farnsworth completes more than 90 percent of his passes. And he brings some enthusiasm.

“It’s time to win and establish a championship tradition here,” he says.

Stewart points out that partnerships with clubs in Mexico and Europe will benefit MBFC in the long run. For the present, he is pushing the team to gel quickly.

It worked for the first two months of 2025. But Ross dismisses the importance of early success.

“Nobody cares about the start of the season,” he says. “You want to make the playoffs.”

Monterey Bay FC vs Oakland Roots play 7pm Saturday, March 7. Cardinale Stadium, 4111 Second Ave., Seaside. $22-$57. (831) 324-2560, montereybayfc.com