Santa Clara Home to Professional Men's and Women's Soccer

With the naming of the new Bay Area Women's Professional Soccer entry, FC Gold Pride, Santa Clara is now home base for both professional men's and women's soccer. FC Gold Pride will begin league play in April, 2009. Like Major League Soccer's (MLS) San Jose Earthquake's men's soccer team, FC Gold Pride's home games will be played in Santa Clara at Santa Clara University's Buck Shaw Stadium.

Current U.S. national team members on the team include Nicole Barnhart, Rachel Buehler, and Tracy Hamm. Other players of note include Canada's all-time leading scorer Christine Sinclair, Brazilian midfielder Formiga, Japanese forward Eriko Arakawa and Brazilian defender Erika. FC Gold Pride will be coached by former Santa Clara University star Albertin Montoya.