Seven and a half months ago, John Smelzer — a longtime sports and media executive who began his career on the 1994 World Cup organizing committee — announced he was bringing professional soccer to the Antelope Valley.
But that was about all he announced because his team had no name, no logo, no coach and no players. Those blanks are now being filled in with the hiring of former Galaxy youth coach Brian Kleiban as manager and Nehemias Blanco as general manager. Blanco previously served as vice president for Central Valley Fuego FC in USL League One, the third-tier league Antelope Valley will be joining in 2025.