The Manteca Futbol Club is debuting its semiprofessional men’s team Saturday night at Ripon Christian.
The MFC Rebels, spearheaded by coach James Burns, is among the 400-plus clubs in the United Premier Soccer League. It’s the largest pre-professional adult league in North America that gives players another pathway to higher levels of the sport.
The opener against Eclipse Soccer Academy out of Santa Cruz kicks off at 6 p.m. Admission is $5 cash and $6 via Venmo. Youth players wearing their club jerseys enter for free.
“I saw an opportunity for some of our college-aged kids to continue playing, training and competing at a high level, so I pitched the idea to the club and gave them a three-year plan to grow it from a grass-roots level,” Burns said. “They supported it from the very jump.
“I’ve watched some other clubs do it with success, I figured, ‘Why not here?” We’ve always been competitive, at least the teams I’ve coached, so I came up with this plan and pitched it to the board.”
Burns, who teaches and coaches the varsity boys soccer team at Manteca High, previously led the Academica SC (Turlock) women’s pre-professional team for a season in the United Soccer League’s ‘W’ League.
With his involvement as coach at the high school, club and junior college levels, he used his connections to gather more than 60 prospects to try out for the Rebels’ fledgling UPSL squad at Woodward Park back on Jan. 18 and 25. Now, up to 32 players train three times per week at Woodward Park, and 20 of them will be selected to the match-day rosters.
The Rebels are comprised of high school- and college-aged players from all over San Joaquin County and Modesto. There are no age restrictions in UPSL.
“All these players are at different points in their careers,” Burns said. “For college-aged players, especially the ones at the junior colleges, it’s another chance for them to get tape and compete against players at their caliber. For the young guys, it’s about experience and exposure to a faster and more physical game and, again, to get tape. Having footage to show these (college) coaches is important.”
MFC Rebels were assigned to the Division I NorCal South Conference for the 2025 spring season. The 10-game regular season ends in June. Division I teams can earn a promotion to the Premier Division by finishing at the top of the table or winning the promotional playoffs, which includes the runners-up and third-place teams in the NorCal North and NorCal South conferences. The Rebels plan on competing in the fall season, as well.
The Division I NorCal South includes Aria FC (Concord), Azteza FC (Merced), Madera Evolution FC, Eclipse Soccer Academy (Santa Cruz), Suisun City Rush and Soccer Without Borders Academy (Oakland).
Though “exhausting, at times,” as he put it, orchestrating this project has been as rewarding for Burns.
“I’ve had to wear many hats,” he said. “I market the program as well as coach. I have had
He gave a nod to MFC board members Kristin Baker, Christian Loduca and Jay and Nicole Mamorno for their efforts in helping him with finance, jerseys and much more. Burns is also thankful to Ripon Christian administrators for allowing his team use their splendid stadium facilities for home games.
The Rebels landed kit sponsorship deals with Raymus Homes (match-day jerseys) and West Orthodontics (warm-ups). Raising Cane’s is offering rewards for “Player of the Game” recipients, and Signarama will add to the game-day atmosphere with stadium signage. Souza’s Heating and Air Conditioning, Ripon Print, California Landscape, Diesel Direct, Soccer Post and Costco are sideline supporters.
Providing a professional environment and experience for players with big aspirations is paramount to Burns.
“This isn’t a Sunday league, this is something more,” Burns said. “What this is is defined by them — what are you looking to get out of it? I approached this like it’s a legitimate and serious and professional outfit. They’re going to ultimately define what this experience is about, I just want to try and get them to their next step, whatever step that may be.”
