Pro soccer makes exciting, skillful return to Fresno with Central Valley Fuego
After playing professional soccer in multiple countries and U.S. cities, Villyan Bijev wanted to suit up for his hometown club.
Fans of the Central Valley Fuego, which hosted its first USL League One match Saturday night at Fresno State, are sure glad the 29-year-old made that choice. Because the early returns have been stupendous, both for Bijev and his team.
Despite starting the season with four road games in some of the league’s toughest venues, the Fuego went 2-1-1. In separate US Open Cup matches against teams that play in USL Championship (a level above USL League One), the Fuego hammered El Paso Locomotive 4-1 before losing 2-1 to Sacramento Republic on a 90th-minute penalty kick.
The Fuego played to a 1-1 draw with Greenville (S.C.) Triumph on Saturday night.
All in all, quite an auspicious beginning for an expansion club stocked with Fresno-area talent.
“Maybe the other teams are surprised, but we’re not,” Fuego forward Renato Bustamante said. “We believe in ourselves, we have a lot of good players and we have the best player in the league in Villyan Bijev.”
Unfamiliar with Bijev? Here’s a brief primer: Born in Bulgaria and raised in Fresno, a teenage Bijev made a big splash in 2011 by signing a three-year contract with Liverpool FC while playing for California Odyssey. While the striker/midfielder never made it to the English Premier League, he did carve out a respectable pro career both overseas and at the USL Championship level.
Despite scoring a career-high 12 goals last season for Oklahoma City, Bijev opted to return home when the chance arose. (Fresno and the central San Joaquin Valley have been without pro soccer since 2019 when Fresno FC left town.)
“When I was in Sac(ramento) we had a guy Cameron Iwasa who was from there,” Bijev said. “Talking to him, getting to be around him for a few years and seeing what it was like to play soccer in his hometown was really cool and I thought, ‘Well, it would be a dream one day.’ And now I had the opportunity, so I took it.”
That allure also proved irresistible for other locals who were lacing up their cleats elsewhere. The list includes Reedley native Anthony Velarde, who spent the last three seasons with USL Championship side Pittsburgh Riverhounds; Clovis’ Nathan Smith, a former MLS player who spent 2021 with USL champion Orange County; and Fresno FC alums Christian Chaney, Matias Fernandez and Bustamante.
The local flavor extends to the coaching staff and front office. Fresno soccer fixture Milton Blanco is the top assistant, while brother Nehemias Blanco serves as VP of Futbol and gets credit for assembling the roster. Martin Vasquez, whose resume includes stints with the LA Galaxy, Chivas USA and Bayern Munich, was named head coach April 14 after another fixture, Jaime Ramirez, stepped away.
So far, the formula has produced a slew of highlight-reel goals worthy of ESPN SportsCenter.
There have been absolute rockets, like the one Smith drilled from outside the penalty box against El Paso, to the perfectly placed bouncer Jesus Partida left-footed from 40 yards out against a badly positioned goalkeeper (thanks to Bijev’s pressure) in a 1-0 victory over Forward Madison FC.
‘Those are fun to score’
However, none have been more skillful — or dramatic — than the goal Bijev scored to force a 3-3 draw with Charlotte Independence.
Standing with his back to the goal as the final seconds of extra time ticked away, Bijev one-timed a loose ball from just inside the box that sailed over the goalkeeper’s head and barely under the crossbar.
As the Fuego celebrated a tie that felt to them like a win, the match’s play-by-play announcer bellowed, “The Bulgarian magician pulls the final trick out of his hat in this one!”
“Those are fun to score and pretty rare,” Bijev said. “It was just a situation where a couple things lined up. The keeper was out and touched the ball within reach of me and I got a good foot on it.”
The Fuego drew 4,300 (including 3,800 tickets sold, according to Nini Blanco) for a US Open Cup match at Lamonica Stadium in Clovis on April 5. Otherwise, they’ve been on the road.
Saturday night was the Fuego’s first USL League One home game at the Fresno State soccer/lacrosse field east of Bulldog Stadium, where the team plans to play until building its own facility. Seating capacity is being expanded to 3,500 with the additions of temporary bleachers and an on-field VIP section. Tickets start at $20 and go all the way to $100.
After traveling to two league matches in the Eastern Time Zone and two in the Central Time Zone over the past month, Fuego players are looking forward to enjoying the comforts of home. Most of all hearing the cheers and chants of Fire Squad Fresno, the team’s loyal, raucous supporter club.
“I believe we will have the best home fans in the whole league,” said Bustamante, a Peruvian who has played for Fresno Pacific, the amateur-level Fresno Fuego that competed from 2003-17 as well as Fresno FC. “I’m excited to see them show out and support their local club.”
This story was originally published May 5, 2022 at 5:00 AM.
