California is in the midst of a professional soccer boom, with the creation in recent years of new men’s and women’s teams in Oakland, Los Angeles and San Diego. Now, smaller California cities are looking to soccer as a way to spark economic development and boost community pride. That’s why earlier this month I was in the Antelope Valley city of Lancaster, about an hour north of Los Angeles, to attend the inaugural home game of the city’s new soccer team, AV Alta FC.