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American soccer team
the American soccer team

California Gold was an American soccer team which began playing under the Gold moniker in 2002. The club was founded in 1997 as the Stanislaus County Cruisers. The team was a member of the United Soccer Leagues Premier Development League (PDL), the fourth tier of the American Soccer Pyramid, until 2006, when the team left the league and the franchise was terminated. They team played its games at the stadium on the grounds of Peter Johansen High School in the city of Modesto, California. The team's colors were gold, red and white.

YearDivisionLeagueReg. SeasonPlayoffsOpen Cup20023USL D 3 Pro League4th, WesternDid not qualifyDid not qualify20033USL Pro Select League2nd, WesternRegional FinalsDid not qualify20043USL Pro Soccer League3rd, WesternDid not qualifyDid not qualify20054USL PDL7th, SouthwestDid not qualifyDid not qualify20064USL PDL9th, SouthwestDid not qualifyDid not qualify

Prior to 2002 the team was known as the Stanislaus United Cruisers, owned by a different management group, and playing in the USL Pro league. The Cruisers' first season was 1997, and their inaugural coach was Dave DeHart, who was fired after 14 games. The Cruisers were generally successful, making a final in 1998 and averaging 1,568 fans and finishing third in league attendance in 1999, averaging crowds of over 2,000. They played matches at Central Catholic High School. Stanislaus hosted the San Jose Earthquakes in the U. S. Open Cup in 2000. The Cruisers lost the game 5 0.

California Gold entered the USL D 3 Pro League in 2002 after a rebrand of the Cruisers. They finished their first year in competition with a commendable 9–10–1, still fourth in the Western Conference behind divisional champs Utah Blitzz, but still with enough of a foundation on which to build. Jon Gordon was the top scorer in Gold's debut year, with 7 goals and 9 assists. Gold had a decent season in the Pro Soccer League in 2003, finishing second in the Western Region behind Utah Blitzz. Despite starting the season with a four game winless streak, they broke their duck with a 4–0 home win over Nevada Wonders featuring 2 goals from Martin Sims, and followed that up with four solid victories in May, including a 6–1 demolition of BYU Cougars on the road in Utah in which Sims hit another brace. Gold were generally reliable the entire year, and although they ended their regular season campaign with two defeats to Utah, the final stats were a comfortable 11–6–3 record, and into the post season. Unfortunately for Gold, they lost their regional final 1–0 to the Blitzz. Gold had less success in 2004 due to injuries and player transfers. They won just two of their 20 games in the year – a 4–0 victory over BYU Cougars in mid June off a hat trick from Gabriel Cuomo and a 3–2 win over Nevada Wonders in early July – The team scored just 18 goals all year. Gold ended the season with a four game winless streak.

Following their professional 2004 campaign, Gold found themselves in the fourth tier Premier Development League in 2005. The team had been sold to a new management group, but the new group could not replicate the success of the founding partners, and as a result gave up their fully professional status.