Wikipedia

San Antonio FC

San Antonio FC is a professional soccer club based in San Antonio, Texas. It competes in the USL Championship, the second-highest level of the United States soccer league system, as a member of the Western Conference.

San Antonio FC
Full nameSan Antonio Fútbol Club
Short nameSAFC
FoundedJanuary 7, 2016; 8 years ago (2016-01-07)
StadiumToyota Field
Capacity8,296
OwnerSpurs Sports & Entertainment
ChairmanPeter J. Holt
Head coachCarlos Llamosa
LeagueUSL Championship
20249th, Western Conference
Playoffs: D.N.Q.
Websitesanantoniofc.com
Current season

History

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San Antonio FC was awarded the thirty-first USL franchise on January 7, 2016. The establishment of the club, along with the concurrent purchase of Toyota Field by the City of San Antonio and Bexar County, was part of a plan by local officials to obtain an expansion franchise in Major League Soccer.[1] As a result, the San Antonio Scorpions franchise of the North American Soccer League was shut down. The first head coach in club history was former Elon University men's soccer coach and Orlando City SC Pro Academy Director, Darren Powell.[2] Carlos Alvarez was the club's first player signing on February 2, 2016.[3]

After failing to make the playoffs in its inaugural season, San Antonio FC finished the 2017 USL regular season with a 17–11–4 (W-D-L) record, finishing second in the USL Western Conference standings and earning their first playoff berth in club history. SAFC advanced to the Western Conference semifinals before being eliminated.[4] San Antonio failed to make the playoffs in consecutive years in 2018 and 2019 by a combined 4 points in the conference table.

 
San Antonio FC playing at Detroit City FC

San Antonio FC parted ways with head coach Darren Powell on October 30, 2019, after four seasons with the club. He accumulated an overall competition win-draw-loss record of 59–39–44. He led the club to its only playoff appearance in 2017, but failed to make the playoffs in the other three seasons under his management.[5] His assistant coach, Alen Marcina, was named to replace Powell on December 9, 2019, in preparation for the 2020 USL Championship season. He led the former San Antonio Scorpions to their only NASL championship in the 2014 season.[6] On October 20, 2021, Marcina led the club to their second consecutive post-season berth – the first back-to-back playoff appearance in club history.[7] San Antonio would advance to the Western Conference finals for the first time in club history, losing to eventual league champions Orange County SC in penalty kicks.[8]

Marcina led the club back into the playoffs for a third consecutive time, part of the most successful season in club history. San Antonio captured five trophies in 2022; the Copa Tejas, Copa Tejas Shield, USLC regular season title, the Western Conference championship, and the USL Championship having beaten Louisville City FC 3–1 in the 2022 USL Championship Final. Marcina mutually parted ways with the club on October 31, 2024. In his five years with the club, Marcina had led the team to a 81-42-42 record.[9]

Stadium

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Main articles: Toyota Field and STAR Soccer Complex
 
Toyota Field during Soccer Bowl 2014

San Antonio plays its home matches at Toyota Field in San Antonio, Texas. Toyota Field is an 8,296-seat soccer-specific, natural grass stadium designed to be expandable to over 18,000 seats. Originally built for the former San Antonio Scorpions, the stadium was sold by its owner, Gordon Hartman, to the City of San Antonio and Bexar County in November 2015. San Antonio FC set a Toyota Field attendance record of 8,534 for the 2022 USL Championship Final, a 3–1 victory against Louisville City FC on November 13, 2022.[11]

Crest and colors

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San Antonio's club colors are black and silver, showing strength and unity with the other SS&E franchises. Red is an accent color that is from the same red in the Texas state flag signifying the pride the club has in Texas.[12]

The shape of San Antonio FC's badge was derived from a variety of traditional national and international club crests. The heart of the badge contains two prominent elements: the five diagonal stripes, which were inspired by the armed forces' service stripes, are a salute to San Antonio's rich military history and their upward movement signifies the club's goal to play at the highest level; and the rowel of the Spur symbolizes the direct link between San Antonio FC and its parent company, Spurs Sports & Entertainment. Binding all of the interior elements is a single "S"—a subtle nod to the hometown heritage and how it unites the community.[12]

Kit manufacturers and sponsors

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Season Kit manufacturer Shirt sponsor Ref.
2016–2021 Nike Toyota [13]
2022–2023 Puma [14]
2024–present Community First Health Plans [15]

Culture

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Partnerships

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San Antonio was designated as the USL affiliate of New York City FC for the 2017 season.[16] As of 2019, there is no reported affiliation between San Antonio FC and New York City FC.

On July 23, 2024, in accordance with the renewal of the sister city agreement between the cities of San Antonio and Darmstadt, Germany originally created in 2017, the leading soccer clubs in both cities, San Antonio FC and SV Darmstadt 98, entered into a "comprehensive partnership designed to elevate the clubs both on and off the pitch".[17]

Supporter Groups

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  • The Crocketteers are the largest organized independent soccer supporters group based in San Antonio. The group was founded in March 2009 by Michael Macias.[18]
  • Mission City Firm is an independent football organization whose mission is to give 100% of their support to San Antonio FC. They are a very diverse group of individuals and "welcome any and all persons who share the same passion for the game and for what professional football here in San Antonio will do for our community."[19]
  • FTC de San Antonio
  • 210 Alliance is a nonprofit organization based in San Antonio. "We are one of the supporters groups for San Antonio FC. While supporting our local club is our primary function, and supporting soccer across the city of San Antonio, as well as the United States National Teams is secondary, we also look to support our local communities as well."

Rivalries

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Copa Tejas

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Main article: Copa Tejas

San Antonio FC shares an in-state rivalry with USL Championship side – El Paso Locomotive FC, and formerly with Rio Grande Valley FC and Austin Bold FC. Begun in the 2019 USL Championship season, all three teams participate in the Copa Tejas[20] – a head-to-head competition during the USL regular season schedule. The team with the most points at the end of the season wins the trophy. San Antonio won its first Copa Tejas in 2022, going 3-1-0 against their opponents while also capturing the Copa Tejas Shield.

South Texas Derby

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Main article: South Texas Derby

Since 2016, the annual rivalry with Rio Grande Valley FC, who served as a hybrid affiliate of the Houston Dynamo of Major League Soccer from 2016 until 2020,[21] was one of the most hotly contested matches in lower division US soccer. The two teams were located about 237 miles apart from each other in South Texas. Due to this proximity, the matches tended to draw well and often featured aggressive play for bragging rights. The derby ended on December 18, 2023 when RGV FC officially ceased soccer and business operations.[22]

Ownership

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The club is owned by Spurs Sports & Entertainment.[23]

Players and staff

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Current roster

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As of December 17, 2024[24]

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
3 DF   USA Mitchell Taintor
4 DF   SLV Nelson Blanco
6 MF   CAN Mohamed Omar
7 MF   USA Luke Haakenson
8 MF   FRA Sofiane Djeffal
No. Pos. Nation Player
9 FW   USA Jake LaCava
10 MF   MEX Jorge Hernández
17 FW   USA Juan Agudelo
22 DF   TRI Shannon Gomez
23 DF   USA Rece Buckmaster
  1. ^
    USL Academy Contract
    2.

For recent transfers, see 2024 San Antonio FC season.

Team management

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Executive
Chairman   Peter J. Holt
CEO   R. C. Buford
Sporting Director   Marco Ferruzzi
Staff
Head Coach   Carlos Llamosa
Assistant coach   Victor Lonchuk
Assistant coach   Dario Pot
SAFC Pro Academy Director & Director of Goalkeeping   Juan Lamadrid
Equipment Manager   Rashad Moore
Head athletic trainer   Jesse Lowrance
Assistant Athletic Trainer   Alex Saldana

Last updated: April 4, 2022
Source: [25]

Year-by-year

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As of November 3, 2024
Year USL Championship U.S. Open Cup Top scorer(s) Average attendance
P W D L GF GA Pts West Conf. Overall Playoffs Player Goals Reg. Playoffs
2016 30 10 8 12 36 36 38 10th 17th Did not qualify Fourth round   Rafael Castillo
  Franck Tayou 		5 6,170 N/A
2017 32 17 11 4 45 24 62 2nd 3rd Conference Semifinals Third round   Billy Forbes 10 7,153 7,026
2018 34 14 8 12 45 48 50 9th 15th Did not qualify Fourth round   Éver Guzmán 11 6,939 N/A
2019 34 12 9 13 62 57 45 11th 20th Did not qualify Third round   Jack Barmby
  Éver Guzmán 		9 6,765 N/A
2020 16 10 3 3 30 14 33 3rd 6th Conference Quarterfinals Cancelled   Luis Solignac 8 2,448[a] 2,175[a]
2021 32 14 10 8 50 38 52 4th 10th Conference final Cancelled   Nathan 13 4,832[a] 7,485
2022 34 24 5 5 54 26 77 1st 1st Champions Round of 32   Samuel Adeniran 12 5,980 8,329
2023 34 14 14 6 63 38 56 4th 7th Conference semifinals Third round   Tani Oluwaseyi 18 7,190 7,304
2024 34 6 9 15 36 49 39 9th 20th Did not qualify Round of 32   Juan Agudelo 8 6,714 N/A

^ 1. Top scorer(s) includes all goals scored in league, league playoffs, U.S. Open Cup, CONCACAF Champions League, FIFA Club World Cup, and other competitive continental matches.

Honors

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San Antonio FC honors
Type Competition Titles Seasons
Domestic USL Championship 1 2022
USLC Players’ Shield 1 2022
Western Conference Playoffs 1 2022
Western Conference Regular Season 1 2022
Copa Tejas Shield 2 2022, 2023
Copa Tejas Division 2 2 2022, 2023

Notes

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  1. ^ a b c Capacity limited due to the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States.

References

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  1. ^ Staff (December 22, 2015). "Spurs Sports & Entertainment reaches agreement with Bexar County and City of San Antonio to play soccer at Toyota Field in 2016" (Press release). San Antonio: Spurs Sports & Entertainment. Retrieved January 7, 2016.
  2. ^ "Meet Darren Powell". uslsanantonio.com. January 7, 2016. Archived from the original on January 10, 2016. Retrieved January 7, 2016.
  3. ^ "USL San Antonio". Archived from the original on February 5, 2016. Retrieved September 15, 2017.
  4. ^ Communications, San Antonio FC (November 27, 2017). "SAN ANTONIO FC RE-SIGNS USL GOALKEEPER OF THE YEAR DIEGO RESTREPO". San Antonio FC.
  5. ^ Communications, San Antonio FC (October 30, 2019). "SAN ANTONIO FC MUTUALLY AGREES TO PART WAYS WITH HEAD COACH DARREN POWELL". San Antonio FC.[permanent dead link‍]
  6. ^ Communications, San Antonio FC (December 9, 2019). "SAN ANTONIO FC NAMES ALEN MARCINA HEAD COACH". San Antonio FC.[permanent dead link‍]
  7. ^ "San Antonio Fc Clinches Playoff Berth for Second Consecutive Season". October 20, 2021.
  8. ^ "San Antonio Fc Falls in Penalty Kicks After 120 Minutes of Play in Orange County". November 21, 2021.
  9. ^ "San Antonio mutually parts ways with Head Coach Alen Marcina". USLChampionship.com. USL Championship. Retrieved October 31, 2024.
  10. ^ "Data" (PDF). www.nba.com. Retrieved August 26, 2020.
  11. ^ "SAN ANTONIO FC WINS USL CHAMPIONSHIP FINAL FOR FIRST TIME IN CLUB HISTORY". San Antonio FC. November 13, 2022. Retrieved November 16, 2022.
  12. ^ a b "We Are San Antonio FC". San Antonio FC. February 4, 2016. Retrieved February 4, 2016.
  13. ^ "San Antonio FC". Archived from the original on March 12, 2016.
  14. ^ "San Antonio Fc Signs Apparel Deal with Puma". January 14, 2022.
  15. ^ "San Antonio Fc Announces Community First Health Plans as Official Jersey Partner".
  16. ^ Communications, San Antonio FC (February 9, 2017). "SAN ANTONIO FC AND NEW YORK CITY FC ANNOUNCE PARTNERSHIP". San Antonio FC. Archived from the original on February 7, 2018. Retrieved August 26, 2020.
  17. ^ https://www.sanantoniofc.com/news/2024/07/23/san-antonio-fc-and-sportvererin-darmstadt-98-announce-landmark-partnership/ [bare URL]
  18. ^ "About Us". Crocketteers.
  19. ^ "Info" (PDF). i.cdn.turner.com. 2017. Retrieved August 26, 2020.
  20. ^ Tejas, Copa (February 26, 2007). "Who is the best in Texas?". Copa Tejas. Retrieved August 26, 2020.
  21. ^ "Houston Dynamo, RGVFC scale back relationship". December 24, 2020.
  22. ^ "OFFICIAL STATEMENT: Rio Grande Valley FC Cease Operations". www.RGVFC.com. Rio Grande Valley FC. December 18, 2023. Archived from the original on December 18, 2023. Retrieved December 18, 2023.
  23. ^ "Spurs Sports & Entertainment Closes in on USL Club". www.uslsoccer.com. Archived from the original on December 23, 2015. Retrieved December 22, 2015.
  24. ^ "San Antonio FC Roster". sanantoniofc.com. San Antonio FC. Retrieved June 4, 2024.
  25. ^ "San Antonio FC Staff". sanantoniofc.com. Retrieved September 28, 2020.
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Preceded by USL Championship Winner
2022 		Succeeded by
Phoenix Rising FC
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