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.
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Full name | San Antonio Fútbol Club | ||
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Short name | SAFC | ||
Founded | January 7, 2016; 6 years ago (2016-01-07) | ||
Stadium | Toyota Field | ||
Capacity | 8,296 | ||
Owner | Spurs Sports & Entertainment | ||
Chairman | Peter J. Holt | ||
Head coach | Alen Marcina | ||
League | USL Championship | ||
2021 | 2nd, Mountain Division Playoffs: Conference Final | ||
Website | Club website | ||
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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 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]
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 8,466 for its inaugural home match against the Swope Park Rangers on April 9, 2016.[10]
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.[11]
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.[11]
Season | Kit manufacturer | Shirt sponsor | Ref. |
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2016–2021 | ![]() |
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[12] |
2022– | ![]() |
[13] |
San Antonio was designated as the USL affiliate of New York City FC for the 2017 season.[14] As of 2019, there is no reported affiliation between San Antonio FC and New York City FC.
San Antonio FC shares in-state rivalries with two current USL Championship sides in Texas – El Paso Locomotive FC, Rio Grande Valley FC and formerly Austin Bold FC. Begun in the 2019 USL Championship season, all three teams participate in the Copa Tejas[17] – 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.
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,[18] is one of the most hotly contested matches in lower division US soccer. The two teams are located about 237 miles apart from each other in South Texas. Due to this proximity, the matches tend to draw well and often feature aggressive play for bragging rights.
The club is owned by Spurs Sports & Entertainment.[19]
No. | Pos. | Player | Nation |
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0 | GK | Grant Makela | ![]() |
1 | GK | Jordan Farr | ![]() |
2 | DF | Carter Manley | ![]() |
3 | DF | Mitchell Taintor | ![]() |
4 | DF | Fabien Garcia | ![]() |
5 | MF | Jordy Delem | ![]() |
6 | MF | PC | ![]() |
7 | DF | Saad Abdul-Salaam | ![]() |
8 | MF | Deshane Beckford | ![]() |
9 | FW | Santiago Patiño | ![]() |
10 | MF | David Loera | ![]() |
11 | FW | Justin Dhillon | ![]() |
14 | FW | Samuel Adeniran (on loan from Seattle Sounders) | ![]() |
17 | DF | Jordan Ayimbila (on loan from Accra Lions) | ![]() |
18 | FW | Elliot Collier | ![]() |
19 | MF | Cristian Parano (on loan from F.C. Paços de Ferreira) | ![]() |
20 | FW | Ignacio Bailone | ![]() |
21 | MF | Leo Torres | ![]() |
22 | DF | Shannon Gomez | ![]() |
25 | MF | Mohammed Abu | ![]() |
27 | FW | Jack Lynn (on loan from Orlando City) | ![]() |
31 | DF | Connor Maloney | ![]() |
32 | MF | Ates Diouf | ![]() |
33 | DF | Jasser Khmiri | ![]() |
50 | GK | Jude Bosshardt ([A]) | ![]() |
52 | DF | Kibukila Mbula ([A]) | ![]() |
53 | FW | Kai Louviere ([A]) | ![]() |
54 | MF | Henrik Sakshaug ([A]) | ![]() |
55 | FW | Eduardo Fernandez ([A]) | ![]() |
56 | DF | Giovanni Padilla ([A]) | ![]() |
57 | MF | Matthew Matsuzaki ([A]) | ![]() |
80 | MF | Nicky Hernandez (on loan from FC Dallas) | ![]() |
For recent transfers, see 2022 San Antonio FC season.
Executive | |
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Chairman | ![]() |
CEO | ![]() |
Managing Director | ![]() |
Staff | |
Head Coach | ![]() |
Assistant Coach | ![]() |
SAFC Pro Academy Director & Director of Goalkeeping | ![]() |
Equipment Manager | ![]() |
High Performance Coordinator | ![]() |
Head Athletic Trainer | ![]() |
Assistant Athletic Trainer | ![]() |
Last updated: February 28, 2022
Source: [21]
Year | USL Championship | U.S. Open Cup | Top scorer(s) | Average attendance | |||||||||||
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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 | ![]() ![]() |
5 | 6,170 | N/A |
2017 | 32 | 17 | 11 | 4 | 45 | 24 | 62 | 2nd | 3rd | Conference Semifinals | Third Round | ![]() |
10 | 7,153 | 7,026 |
2018 | 34 | 14 | 8 | 12 | 45 | 48 | 50 | 9th | 15th | Did not qualify | Fourth Round | ![]() |
11 | 6,939 | N/A |
2019 | 34 | 12 | 9 | 13 | 62 | 57 | 45 | 11th | 20th | Did not qualify | Third Round | ![]() ![]() |
9 | 6,765 | N/A |
2020 | 16 | 10 | 3 | 3 | 30 | 14 | 33 | 3rd | 6th | Conference Quarterfinals | Cancelled | ![]() |
8 | 2,448[lower-alpha 1] | 2,175[lower-alpha 1] |
2021 | 32 | 14 | 10 | 8 | 50 | 38 | 52 | 4th | 10th | Conference Final | Cancelled | ![]() |
13 | 4,832[lower-alpha 1] | 7,485 |
2022 | 34 | 24 | 5 | 5 | 54 | 26 | 77 | 1st | 1st | USL Championship Final | Round of 32 | ![]() |
11 | 6,007 | 8,227 |
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See also: List of museums in Central Texas |
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