Mexican Pro Soccer Team Trains in New Castle Ahead of Apertura

FC Juárez Femenil is in New Castle for a week. The professional soccer team, known as Las Bravas, is using Coal Ridge High School’s facilities to prepare for the 2026-27 Liga MX Femenil season.

The team occupies the campus from 10 a.m. to noon daily through Sunday, July 19. The public can watch. The facilities are open.

This isn’t just a local high school hosting a youth squad. Las Bravas is a top-tier club in Mexico’s women’s professional league. They are here to train at altitude before the Apertura tournament begins in July. The goal is physical conditioning. The altitude helps. The weather helps.

Jesus Meste, the club’s Director of Administration and Operations, laid out the logic. It was an opportunity to get out of town. The team gets activities. They get the weather. They get the altitude.

The team’s owners are Paul Foster and Alejandra de la Vega-Foster. They run MountainStar Sports Group. They also own a ranch in the Colorado River Valley. That proximity likely influenced the decision. The club will use the high school fields for training and the ranch for downtime.

The schedule is packed. Meste said the players will do more than just kick a ball. They will go horseback riding. They will go fishing. They will ride ATVs. They will take helicopter rides. The facilities at the ranch and the high school allow for a full week of mixed activities.

For the locals, the main draw is visibility. Garfield Re-2 School District Facilities Director John Oldham sees this as a lesson in professionalism.

“This is a great opportunity for kids in our community to see what it takes to be that professional,” Oldham said. “Whether they’re a custodian, a bus driver, a facilities manager or a soccer player, the opportunity for our community to see that level of professionalism demonstrated is incredible.”

Oldham pointed to the condition of the fields. They look good despite the drought and high temperatures. He credited the grounds team. He specifically named Ben Kirk at Coal Ridge for being on site to ensure the team had everything they needed.

“The professional expectations are much higher than that of a high school team, so the fact that we’re able to do this is pretty exceptional,” Oldham said.

The timing is specific. Las Bravas narrowly qualified for the Liguilla playoffs as the eighth seed during the 2025-26 Clausura season. That tournament ran from January to May. Now they are preparing for the Apertura, which runs from July to December. The split-season format means they need to be ready quickly. Training at altitude is part of the strategy to boost performance for the second half of the year.

Meste noted the experience has been positive so far. The weather is amazing. The field is great. The people have been great.

The expense to the district isn’t listed in the announcement. The price for fans is zero. The investment for the players is a week of intense work and sightseeing. The impact on New Castle is visibility. The community gets to see a professional team train on their turf.

Oldham said the district’s ability to host reflects positively on Coal Ridge and the Garfield Re-2 staff. It’s a logistical feat to manage a professional team’s needs alongside a high school’s daily operations. The fields are ready. The staff is ready. The team is here.