Alta

AV Alta FC has no rival on record yet. What it has instead is a claim on a patch of Southern California: the Antelope Valley, the high-desert stretch north of Los Angeles that gave the club its name. AV stands for Antelope Valley; Alta nods both to the desert terrain and to the old Spanish name for the region, Alta California.

The club was founded on 4 October 2023 as an expansion side for USL League One, with its crest and colours unveiled the following May: Joshua Green, drawn from the trees scattered across the valley floor, Desert Sand, and an alternate Poppy Orange used across merchandise. It played its first competitive match in 2025, finishing eighth in the regular season and missing the play-offs. Forward Eduardo Blancas led the scoring with nine goals.

The clearest statement of what the club wanted to be came in December 2024, when it made its first-ever signing: midfielder Miguel Ibarra, a former US international, and a Lancaster native. Bringing him home mattered more than the transfer itself.

In the US Open Cup, Alta won through three rounds before running into FC Dallas in the round of 32 on 7 May 2025, losing 3-1 to the MLS side. In the League One Cup, they got past Oakland Roots SC on penalties on 31 May but didn't advance beyond the group stage.

Home matches are played at Lancaster Municipal Stadium, a converted baseball ground known locally as the Hangar, holding 5,300 for football. It is where the story so far has actually happened.