San Antonio FC

San Antonio FC
Full name San Antonio Fútbol Club
Short name SAFC
Founded January 7, 2016 (2016-01-07)
Stadium Toyota Field
Capacity 8,400
Owner Spurs Sports & Entertainment
Chairman and CEO Julianna Hawn Holt
Head coach Darren Powell
League United Soccer League
2017 2nd, Western Conference
Playoffs: Conference Semifinals
Website Club website

San Antonio FC is a professional soccer team based in San Antonio, Texas that competes in the United Soccer League (USL), the second highest level of American Soccer as a member of the Western Conference. The team was awarded the thirty-first USL franchise on January 7, 2016 and are a United Soccer League (USL) affiliate of New York City FC.[1]

History

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.[2] As a result, the San Antonio Scorpions franchise of the North American Soccer League was shut down. The first head coach in club history is former Elon University men's soccer coach and Orlando City SC Pro Academy Director, Darren Powell.[3] Carlos Alvarez was the club's first player signing on February 2, 2016.[4]

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.[5]

Stadium

Toyota Field during Soccer Bowl 2014

San Antonio plays its home matches at Toyota Field in San Antonio, Texas. Toyota Field is an 8,400-seat soccer-specific, natural grass stadium, which is 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 8,466 for its inaugural home match vs Swope Park Rangers on April 9, 2016.[6]

Crest and colors

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.[7]

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.[7]

Kit manufacturers and sponsors

Season Kit manufacturer Shirt sponsor Ref.
2016– Nike Toyota [8]

Culture

Affiliation

San Antonio is designated as the USL affiliate of New York City FC for the 2017 season.[1] The partnership will result in organizational collaboration for on and off the field initiatives between the two clubs.

Rivalries

San Antonio shares an in-state rivalry with fellow 2016 USL newcomer, RGV FC, from Edinburg, Texas. The Toros serve as a hybrid affiliate of the Houston Dynamo of Major League Soccer. The two clubs play the South Texas Derby. San Antonio also shares regional rivalries with the Oklahoma City Energy and the Tulsa Roughnecks.[9]

Supporters

  • 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."[10]
  • The Crocketteers are the largest organized independent soccer supporters group based in San Antonio. The group was founded in March 2009 by Michael Macias.[11]

Ownership

The club is owned by Spurs Sports & Entertainment.[12]

Players and staff

Current roster

Where a player has not declared an international allegiance, nation is determined by place of birth. Squad correct as of August 24, 2018.[13]

No. Position Player Nation
0 Goalkeeper Matt Cardone  United States
2 Defender Darnell King  United States
3 Defender Ryan Felix  United States
4 Defender Cyprian Hedrick  Cameroon
5 Midfielder Mikey Lopez  United States
6 Defender Moises Hernandez (on loan from FC Dallas)  Guatemala
7 Midfielder Lance Laing (on loan from FC Cincinnati)  Jamaica
8 Midfielder Pecka  Brazil
10 Forward César Elizondo  Costa Rica
11 Midfielder Ryan Roushandel  United States
12 Forward Mike Seth  United States
14 Defender Gianluca Cuomo  United States
15 Defender Stephen McCarthy  United States
16 Midfielder Rafael Castillo  Colombia
17 Forward Kyle Murphy  United States
18 Midfielder Ethan Bryant  United States
20 Defender Greg Cochrane  United States
21 Midfielder Maxi Rodriguez  United States
22 Midfielder Charlie Ward  England
23 Midfielder José Escalante (on loan from Olimpia)  Honduras
24 Goalkeeper Diego Restrepo  United States
27 Midfielder Connor Presley  United States
28 Forward Alex Bruce  England
33 Midfielder Sonny Guadarrama  United States
91 Midfielder Owayne Gordon (on loan from Montego Bay United)  Jamaica
99 Forward Éver Guzmán  Mexico

For recent transfers, see 2018 San Antonio FC season.

Team management

Executive
Chairman and CEO United States Julianna Hawn Holt
Managing Director United States Tim Holt
Technical staff
Head Coach England Darren Powell
Assistant Coach/SAFC Pro Academy Director Wales Nick Evans
Assistant Coach/Goalkeeping Director Mexico Juan Lamadrid
Medical staff
Head Athletic Trainer United States Adam Quigley
Equipment Manager United States Rashad Moore

Last updated: August 17, 2018
Source: [14]

[15]

Year-by-year

As of October 8, 2018
Year USL Regular season Position Playoffs U.S. Open Cup Top scorer
P W D L GF GA Pts Conf. Overall Player Goals
2016 30 10 8 12 36 36 38 10th 17th Did not qualify Fourth round Colombia Rafael Castillo
United States Franck Tayou		 5
2017 32 17 11 4 45 24 62 2nd 3rd Conference Semifinals Third round Turks and Caicos Islands Billy Forbes 10
2018 34 14 8 12 45 48 50 9th 14th Did not qualify Fourth round Mexico Éver Guzmán 11

Head coaches

  • Includes USL Regular season, USL Playoffs, and Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup matches
San Antonio FC Coaching Stats
CoachNationalityStartEndGamesWinDrawLossWin %Honors
Darren Powell  England January 7, 2016 present 105 46 29 30 043.81

Average attendance

San Antonio FC Average Attendances
YearReg. SeasonPlayoffs
2016 6,170 N/A
2017 7,153 7,026
2018 6,934

Club captains

San Antonio FC Club Captains
DatesPlayerNationality
2016 Josh Ford  United States
2017 Michael Reed  United States
2018–present Ryan Roushandel  United States

References

  1. 1 2 http://www.sanantoniofc.com/news_article/show/755810?referrer_id=2436046
  2. ↑ 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.
  3. ↑ "Meet Darren Powell". uslsanantonio.com. January 7, 2016. Retrieved January 7, 2016.
  4. ↑ http://uslsanantonio.com/2016/02/usl-san-antonio-signs-midfielder-carlos-alvarez/
  5. ↑ http://www.sanantoniofc.com/news_article/show/860465?referrer_id=2436046
  6. ↑ "SAN ANTONIO FC EARN 1-1 DRAW IN FRONT OF RECORD CROWD". San Antonio FC. 9 April 2016. Retrieved 9 April 2016.
  7. 1 2 "We Are San Antonio FC". San Antonio FC. February 4, 2016. Retrieved February 4, 2016.
  8. ↑ "San Antonio FC". Archived from the original on March 12, 2016.
  9. ↑ "San Antonio FC". Archived from the original on March 3, 2016.
  10. ↑ http://i.cdn.turner.com/nba/nba/.element/media/2.0/teamsites/spurs/PDFs/2017%20SAFC%20Media%20Guide.pdf
  11. ↑ "About Us". Crocketteers.
  12. ↑ "Spurs Sports & Entertainment Closes in on USL Club". www.uslsoccer.com. Archived from the original on December 23, 2015. Retrieved December 22, 2015.
  13. ↑ "San Antonio FC roster". sanantoniofc.com. San Antonio. Archived from the original on February 19, 2016. Retrieved February 16, 2016.
  14. ↑ "San Antonio FC Staff". sanantoniofc.com. March 17, 2016. Archived from the original on March 17, 2016. Retrieved March 14, 2018.
  15. ↑ https://www.sanantoniofc.com/news_article/show/942548
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