Over Monterey Bay FC’s first three seasons, there have been points where the club appeared to have hit its stride.

There were consecutive runs of four-game winning streaks in the 2023 regular season, which took the side into the mix for a first postseason berth, only for lengthy winless runs after each that brought the campaign to an early end.

Last season, the side made a positive start with 14 points from its opening seven games, only for defensive struggles and an injury-hit attack to result in another disappointment.

The start of the 2025 season has provided another opportunity for liftoff. The side equaled its mark for the fewest games to reach four wins in the campaign, doing so in its first seven games. And while there have been some stumbles in recent games, there’s a belief around the club that good things are on the horizon at Cardinale Stadium.

“We usually had a [few] similar faces all around, basically, in the locker room,” longtime defender Adrian Rebollar told USLChampionship.com recently. “This year, obviously there’s been a big change in that. New coaching staff, obviously a lot of new players, but you know, I think we’ve done a pretty good job at getting everyone to buy in and create a locker room where everyone gets along.

“I think that’s obviously the hardest thing to do when you bring a bunch of new players, coming from different leagues and countries. I think we've done really well on that.”

A native of nearby Watsonville, Calif,. Rebollar was one of the holdovers retained by Technical Director Simon Dawkins and new Head Coach Jordan Stewart, who took the helm in his first head coaching position last August.

The presence of Gordon on the back line, fellow arrival Wesley Fonguck in midfield and the exploits of goalkeeper Nico Campuzano have helped Monterey Bay become a more solid group defensively. This season the side is allowing 1.22 Expected Goals Against per 90 in the Championship, a notable drop from its mark of 1.50xGA/90 in the 2024 season prior to Stewart’s appointment last year.

Stewart’s pedigree – having competed in the Premier League as a player before ending his career with Phoenix Rising FC in 2017 – and the new structure he’s implemented has helped Monterey Bay stabilize. A first-time head coach, he’s also brought new energy to the training field that has, according to Rebollar, helped create a unit where everyone is bought in to work for each other whatever their position on the field.

“I think that’s one of the biggest things,” said Rebollar. “If I make a mistake on the field, I know the players around me are willing to work for me and help me out. And they enjoy working, so it’s not even so much about being on the field and laughing but just being able to work and enjoy that work, you know? Making those extra runs, playing for each other, and doing everything that we can to help our teammates succeed.”

That’s the attitude Monterey Bay is aiming to bring into its debut on Wednesday night in the USL Jägermeister Cup. Having been the odd team out of Group 1’s seven teams in the tournament’s opening round, it faces a home tie against USL League One leader Spokane Velocity FC at Cardinale Stadium aiming to get its campaign off to a positive start.

For the players, there’s intrigue for the tournament. Primarily, it offers another avenue to success, something Monterey Bay and its fanbase have hunted for over the club’s first three seasons.

“This whole new cup I think is also great for the league in general,” said Fehr. “It’s more competition that the fans can come watch, and I think it’s a great integration for the USL League One [clubs] to also prove themselves that they’re good enough to become USL Championship [clubs]. I think it’s a great tournament that the USL has come up with.”

“It’s another piece that potentially we could win, obviously if we do well,” added Rebollar. “It just gives us another challenge, and like I mentioned, seeing new faces is always fun. You get to face a new opponent, so I think it keeps it a little interesting, definitely fun.”

As two of the club’s older heads, there’s also a desire to pay Monterey Bay back for what it’s offered each of them. For Rebollar, having grown up not far from Cardinale Stadium, becoming one of the faces of the club in front of friends and family has been a blessing.

“I love being at this club,” he said. “To be able to play all these years and seasons in front of family, friends and my community has been, I always say, a dream come true. I just want to do everything that I can to help the team and help my teammates succeed. I take it game by game. Obviously, this career isn’t forever, but I’m enjoying every part of it.”

Fehr feels the same as he approaches his 100th appearance for the club this season, with Monterey Bay having provided a firm foundation for him to grow after competing on either side of the Pacific Ocean professionally.

As enjoyable as that landmark might be for Fehr individually, the bigger milestone of helping Monterey Bay achieve its potential and reward its support with a first trip to the postseason is front and center.

“It’s very great that Monterey has trusted me this far,” said Fehr. “They helped me grow as a player, but in the past three seasons we haven’t made playoffs, obviously. So [with] me being one of the old heads and leaders and more mature guys, now I definitely think that we have the team to make playoffs.

“Our goal is definitely to make playoffs. For the community, we want to give them a playoff game. That’s our main goal.”