Brandon Jantz is ready to earn some serious hardware.
Jantz is the founder and owner of Temecula FC, an elite men’s amateur soccer team that holds four Riverside County Cups but has lacked that championship feeling since 2021.
“It’s hard to understand how important this would be to our club to win this tournament,” said Jantz, a Temecula native and Temecula Valley High graduate.
A new trophy and bragging rights are on the line when Temecula FC plays Westminster-based Problems FC in the SoCal Premier League’s Raul Briones Cup final at Biola University in La Mirada on Saturday, June 7.
“It should be a very special day for both clubs, but we want to win,” Jantz said. “It could be one of the biggest days in the history of Temecula FC since its founding, to be honest.”
On an upward trajectory since bouncing back from the COVID-19 pandemic, Temecula FC’s men’s first team has a pair of runner-up league finishes and produced a league MVP over the last two years but no team titles.
“All the credit goes to our coaches, including our current coach John Oliver, for bringing in really committed players,” Jantz said. “They work in the community and fight for the club, and the work that’s been done can’t be overstated.”
The club recently produced an autobiographical documentary, with a sold-out debut at 8 Bit Brewing Company in Murrieta on May 13.
“It was very well received and great to show to other people,” Jantz said. “‘8 Bit Brewery’ was happy and thankful that we didn’t have more people show up because they were at their limits. The attendance was great. They were bursting at the seams.”
The documentary focused on the first team’s history of on-field managers, the club’s place in the community and its dedicated volunteers.
“People don’t see what goes on day-in and day-out to operate a club,” Jantz said. “What it takes to do it, and who is behind it are so many volunteers that make it work and the doc tried to show that. The passion that they show is unbelievable.”
Temecula FC breezed through the Briones Cup’s group stages with nine points from three matches. The Quails then shut out Hacienda Heights’ La Familia FC 2-0 in the knockout round, defeated Buena Park FC 6-4 over two legs in the quarterfinals, and cruised past Irvine-based AMSG Elite 6-2 over two legs in the semifinal round.
“There’s been tension in every match and who could ask for anything more, really,” Jantz said.
The Raul Briones Cup is named after the founder of the SoCal Premier League (formerly Coast Soccer League). Dating to 2010, the tournament is the oldest continuously-operating men’s amateur competition in Southern California.
Since leaving the National Premier Soccer League (NPSL) in 2019, Temecula FC has found a home in the SoCal Premier League.
“(President) Matt Morse and his team have taken care of us,” Jantz said. “We left NPSL under not-so-good circumstances and we’ve been able to stabilize and grow a lot in the SoCal Premier League.”
“Brandon and Temecula FC are a model club at the amateur level because they do so many things the right way,” SoCal Premier League president Matt Morse said. “The club’s results on the field are a byproduct of the quality of the people running the club.”
Also on Saturday, June 7 at Biola’s Al Barbour Stadium, San Bernardino’s I.E. Republic FC plays Artesia DES FC in the SoCal Premier League 2nd Division championship game at 2 p.m. The winner earns promotion to the SoCal Premier League 1st Division for the 2025-26 season.
REDLANDS FC WINS SEASON OPENER
A pair of players with Riverside roots had impressive goals as Redlands Football Club began its third season in USL-League Two with a 3-2 victory at Dodge Stadium on Saturday night.
UC Riverside alum Luka Lukic got Redlands FC on the scoreboard first, and Arlington High graduate Javier Hernandez made his debut with two goals in a Man-of-the-Match performance.
Redlands FC does not host another league match until Thursday, June 19, playing its next five league matches on the road. The team hosts a friendly against “KickballPod” on Saturday, May 31.
THREE STRYKERS MAKE USA TEAM
The Empire Strykers had three players from its current roster selected by the U.S. minifootball national team for the 2025 World Minifootball Federation (WMF) World Cup.
Goalkeeper Brian Orozco, midfielder Justin Stinson and defender/midfielder Andy Reyes will be in Baku, Azerbaijan for the event, scheduled for May 21 to June 1.
The seven-a-side competition was first held in and won by the United States in 2015. The Czech Republic (’17), Mexico (’19) and Romania (’23) have won the tournament’s previous iterations.
PRESTIGE FC EARNS DRAW IN UPSL DEBUT
With its elite amateur women’s team now in its second year, Jurupa Valley’s Prestige FC will play in both the SoCal Premier League and the United Premier Soccer League this season.
San Gorgonio High graduate Clarissa Santiago scored the club’s first UPSL goal in a 1-1 draw against Calabasas-based Phenom Performance FC at Ayala Park in Chino on Saturday, May 10.
Prestige FC hosts Los Angeles SC on May 31.
