Outdoor Professional Soccer is finally returning to El Paso this weekend after a hiatus of 15 years when El Paso Locomotive (The Locos) begins play in the United Soccer League Championship (USL). The only previous professional team to play outdoor … Continue reading Outdoor Professional Soccer Returns to El Paso After an Absence of 15 Years
After a busy offseason, San Antonio FC (SAFC) begins their fourth season in the United Soccer League Championship (USL) this weekend. Since the 2018 season ended (with Louisville City FC crowned as USL champions), the league has launched a new division to provide opportunities for professional soccer in cities that are not big enough to support a USL or MLS team (USL League One). They also rebranded the entire league and its top level is now called USL Championship. The league added seven expansion teams, saw four teams move to either MLS or League One and will begin 2019 regular9 … Continue reading Interview with San Antonio FC Managing Director Tim Holt
San Antonio FC, who begin their fourth season in the United Soccer League (USL) Championship in a few weeks, hosted their annual media day at Toyota Field yesterday. A few notes and observations from the event: The Stadium and Pitch Look Ready to Start the Season It will be interesting to see how the field holds up when the typical summer turf challenges present themselves. New USL expansion side and local rival Austin Bold have made it a point to emphasize how much attention they will pay to the quality of the playing field at Circuit of the Americas. Comparisons between how the two stadiums manage their turf this … Continue reading Notes from San Antonio FC Media Day
2018 began with high hopes for San Antonio FC. A solid base of returning players expressed a quiet confidence during preseason that they were ready to improve on the successful second place 2017 finish. Unfortunately, the season never really got untracked. An early 3-0 home loss to Orange County SC pointed to concerns, especially on the defensive side of the field, that persisted over the course of the season. Consistency was also an issue all year. A four game winning streak in July and early August was followed by a four game losing streak. SAFC then went on another winning … Continue reading San Antonio FC Begin Preseason with Plans to Return to the Postseason in 2019
USL expansion team Austin Bold FC began their inaugural preseason on Monday and held the first Media Day at their Circuit of The Americas (COTA) location yesterday. A few random takeaways from the event: The Bold Will Operate From One of the Most Unique Soccer Facilities in the World This first becomes evident when you enter the facility grounds and try to navigate your way through the more than 30,000 onsite parking spaces to get to the proper lot, far more than will needed to handle any soccer crowd. The Bold will also be able to take advantage of the … Continue reading Notes from Austin Bold Media Day
Austin Began 2018 with Zero Pro Soccer Teams and Ended with Two A book would be needed (and probably should be written) about the soap opera year in Austin professional soccer. After Columbus Crew owner Anthony Precourt announced late last year that he was exploring a relocation of his team to Austin, it set off a sequence of events that created front page news in both Austin and Columbus throughout the year. The first two stadium sites preferred by Precourt Sports Ventures (PSV) never got off the ground because of negative community reaction to the use of Austin parkland for … Continue reading Austin’s Professional Soccer is TSJ’s Top Texas Story of 2018
First, Clint Dempsey announced his retirement from soccer on August 29. The Nacogdoches native is certainly the best male player ever to come from Texas and, arguably, also the best male player in U.S. Soccer history. During his career in MLS and England, Dempsey scored 129 goals. He also finished with 57 goals for the U.S. Mens National Team, tied for first all-time, and is the only American to score goals in three FIFA World Cups. Second, the 2026 FIFA World Cup was awarded to the joint bid from the U.S., Mexico and Canada in June. 17 finalist cities in … Continue reading Top 10 2018 Texas Soccer Stories: # 10-6
Over the course of the year I watch, read and consume a lot of soccer related information. This post will attempt to highlight some of my favorite Texas soccer related media of all varieties from 2018. I obviously can’t read or watch everything and make no assertions that the media I highlight in this article are the “Best” of anything….because they are only my opinions and reflect my own taste. There will also invariably be a southern part of Texas slant because that it where I typically watch live soccer. Nevertheless, here goes and if I missed anything that readers … Continue reading 2018 Favorite Texas Soccer Media
Like my favorite Goal of the Year post, I can’t pretend to have seen all of the saves over the course of the year in Texas. These are some of the saves that caught my attention. The winner was the double save by FC Dallas goalkeeper Jimmy Maurer against Philadelphia on April 21. The Contenders Houston Dynamo’s Joe Willis save against Portland in July https://www.houstondynamo.com/post/2018/11/02/joe-willis-nominated-mls-save-year Matt Cardone’s USL Save of the Week in September Diego Restrepo Save of the Week in May The Favorite Save of the Year Continue reading Favorite Texas Saves of 2018
2018 produced outstanding goals from all over the State, including the NPSL Goal of the Year. My favorite was a cheeky effort from San Antonio FC’s Ever Guzman in July, that ended up being one of the easiest goals scored this year by the time it was in the net. I can’t pretend to have seen every goal scored in the thousands of matches played in Texas this year, but I have identified some of the goals that made an impression on me here. My apologies to the goal scorers I may have missed. The Contenders The Favorite Goal of the Year Continue reading Favorite Texas Goals of 2018
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