Some are old, some are new and all will be wearing baby blue when the Riverside County Elite, an expansion soccer team of the D3 Pro League, plays its first regular-season game tonight against the Chico Rooks at Chico State University.

The 24 players on the roster range in age from 19 to 35 and come from as far away as Scotland and Afghanistan and as close as San Jacinto and Redlands.

While a few players are hoping to continue their careers a little longer, most are playing on their first professional team.

For those players, they are taking the first step in a long journey to the top, Major League Soccer in this country or the top club teams in Europe, Mexico or South America.

Most will not make it, although that has not diminished their enthusiasm or determination.

"My goal is to start at third (division) and work my way up slowly," said Sergio Cuevas, 19, of Los Angeles. "Maybe some day I'll move up to second level or MLS."

The D3 Pro League has 24 teams playing in four conferences -- Western, Central, Northern and Atlantic -- and is rated as Division III or third division. The A-League is the next level, followed by MLS in a structure that resembles major and minor league baseball.

The Elite, co-owned by Moreno Valley resident Jack Fielding, is a "farm" team for the San Diego Flash of the A-League with the purpose of developing players for the next level. That is why 17 players are first-year pros.

"Our goal is to take these younger players and take a straight line from D3 (and) get them up to a level where they can make the A team," Elite coach Tom Evans said.

Developing players is great, but it is important to put people in the stands for home games at West Valley Stadium in Hemet, so Evans has brought in some talented veterans.

Players such as forward Antonio Robles, 30, a starter for the Flash the past two years, and Mauricio Bertello, 25, who played for Argentina's well-known club Boca Juniors.

The "old" guys, defender Neil Armour, 33, and midfielder Pompeyo Aguilera, 35, as Evans calls them, serve as player-coaches.

"We could have gone basically all 19-year-olds, 20-year-olds if we wanted to, but that wouldn't have solved the problem of being competitive," Evans said. "They got to have some success. We have a real good combination. Things are really coming together to us."

As with any expansion team, Evans will not know what kind of team he has until the opener. The Elite has fared well in the preseason, tying the Flash, 1-1, twice in exhibitions.

"The goal is obviously we want to do the best we can, but I'd like to be .500 or better," Evans said. "But we want to see from game to game the progression of learning, which takes some of the pressure off.

"You want to win every game you can, but if you stay like this you haven't done (anything) for next year."

Evans said the Elite has several players he expects to make the Flash in a couple of years, notably Bertello, Cuevas, midfielder Bryan Hill, a former No. 1 pick of the Flash, Oscar Romo, a midfielder from Monterrey, Mexico, and goalkeeper Tim Gorman.

Most of the players are from Southern California, with a few from the area.

Defender Craig Dean is a San Jacinto High graduate and was an All-America at Cal State San Bernardino. Forward Danny Mann starred at Riverside Poly High and UC Santa Barbara. Goalkeeper Eric Kenas played at the University of Redlands.

Published 4/8/2000