Reading the tea leaves, it seemed pretty clear that the San Jose Earthquakes and Reno 1868 FC would not be renewing their partnership in 2021, but Reno went a step further on Monday, announcing they were ceasing operations, effective immediately.
The news came completely out of the blue, after Reno had reached the playoffs for a fourth consecutive year and with head coach Ian Russell earning co-USL Championship coach of the Year honors for 2020.
“We would like to thank everyone at Reno 1868 FC for their hard work and commitment to success over the past four seasons,” said Earthquakes general manager Jesse Fioranelli in a team statement.