In 1937 the first international soccer tournament in Texas was played at the Cotton Bowl as part of the Greater Texas & Pan American Exposition. Continue reading The First International Soccer Tournament in Texas
San Antonio Thunder began their second and final NASL season in 1976 with a refreshed business strategy and roster. Though results improved over a challenging 1975 season, the club fell short of a playoff spot, and owner Ward Lay moved … Continue reading San Antonio Thunder Final Season
“This is professional hockey, right?” This tentative question came from a fan seated behind a columnist from the San Antonio Express during the San Antonio Thunder’s 2-1 victory over Dallas Tornado in their inaugural North American Soccer League match 45 … Continue reading San Antonio Thunder 45th Anniversary-Inaugural Match vs. Dallas Tornado
In 1974 the San Antonio Thunder became the 17th team in the North American Soccer League (NASL). Between the awarding of the franchise in June and late summer, the club established offices, named the team, began to staff the front … Continue reading San Antonio Thunder 45 Year Anniversary-Roster Build and Preseason
In April 1975, San Antonio and Central Texas joined nineteen other cities and regions in the United States with a professional first-division soccer team when the San Antonio Thunder played their first match in the North American Soccer League (NASL). On Friday April 18th, 1975, the Thunder opened their inaugural season at North East Stadium (now Comalander Stadium) in San Antonio against the other team from Texas in the league, the Dallas Tornado. How a city with no previous experience with top-level professional soccer became part of this league is an interesting story, which unfortunately ended much too soon when … Continue reading This Week Marks the 45 Year Anniversary of San Antonio’s First Pro Soccer Team
Central Texas will soon enjoy first division professional soccer when Austin FC joins Major League Soccer at the beginning of the 2021 MLS season. Amid all the excitement the new club is generating in Austin, most soccer fans in the … Continue reading 45 Year Anniversary of the First Central Texas Professional Soccer Club
Texas Soccer Journal now has a monthly newsletter. The November edition of the newsletter is featured below, and if you’d like to sign up to receive future updates, you can sign up on our newsletter page. An archive of all … Continue reading Texas Soccer Journal Newsletter – November 2019
The 2019 Texas College Soccer season is underway with preseason play beginning last week. College Soccer programs (both 4-year and Community Colleges) generally play a compressed 15-20 game regular season that just recently began and ends in late October. Conference and National playoffs, in the respective governing organizations (e.g., NCAA, NAIA), are concluded by early December. Some universities, especially in Division I and II, also play abbreviated spring exhibition schedules. Brief History of College Soccer in Texas In simplistic terms, the first serious organized soccer leagues in the country originated in Northeast universities more than 100 years ago. College soccer … Continue reading 2019 Texas College Soccer Season Underway
United Soccer League Two (USL 2), formerly known as the Premier Development League (PDL), begins play tonight in Grand Prairie when defending champion Brazos Valley Cavalry travel to face Texas United. United has played a unique and challenging preseason schedule that featured matchups against USL Championship sides. Brazos Valley, fielding a roster primarily composed of Houston Dynamo Academy players, comes off of a tough 1-0 loss to Laredo Heat in U.S. Open Cup action Tuesday night in Laredo. USL 2 consists of 74 teams playing in four regional conferences throughout the U.S. and Canada. The league is part of what … Continue reading Rebranded USL League Two Begins 2019 Mid South Division Season Tonight
On Saturday afternoon Houston Dynamo defeated FC Dallas 2-1 at Houston’s BBVA Compass Stadium in the first iteration of the 2019 Texas Derby. Since this year’s version of the Derby is played over two matches, FC Dallas will get a second chance to return the favor and retain the coveted El Capitan cannon, awarded to the winner of the series each year, when the two MLS clubs meet in August. On a smaller scale, Tuesday night in Laredo will provide a fascinating amateur lower league version of the Texas Derby. But since this match is part of the Lamar Hunt … Continue reading Lower League Texas Derby Featured in Tuesday’s U.S. Open Cup First Round
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