 | |||
| Full name | San Antonio Fútbol Club | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Short name | SAFC | ||
| Founded | January 7, 2016; 9 years ago (2016-01-07) | ||
| Stadium | Toyota Field | ||
| Capacity | 8,296 | ||
| Owner | Spurs Sports & Entertainment | ||
| Chairman | Peter J. Holt | ||
| Head coach | Carlos Llamosa | ||
| League | USL Championship | ||
| 2024 | 9th, Western Conference Playoffs: D.N.Q. | ||
| Website | sanantoniofc.com | ||
 Current season | |||
San Antonio FC is a professionalsoccer club based inSan Antonio, Texas. It competes in theUSL Championship, the second-highest level of theUnited States soccer league system, as a member of theWestern Conference.
San Antonio FC was awarded the thirty-first USL franchise on January 7, 2016. The establishment of the club, along with the concurrent purchase ofToyota Field by theCity of San Antonio andBexar County, was part of a plan by local officials to obtain an expansion franchise inMajor League Soccer.[1] As a result, theSan Antonio Scorpions franchise of theNorth American Soccer League was shut down. The first head coach in club history was formerElon University men's soccer coach andOrlando 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 the2017 USL regular season with a 17–11–4 (W-D-L) record, finishing second in theUSL Western Conference standings and earning their first playoff berth in club history. SAFC advanced to theWestern 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.
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San Antonio FC parted ways with head coachDarren 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 the2020 USL Championship season. He led the formerSan Antonio Scorpions to their onlyNASL championship in the2014 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 championsOrange 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; theCopa Tejas,Copa Tejas Shield,USLC regular season title, theWestern Conference championship, and theUSL Championship having beatenLouisville City FC 3–1 in the2022 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 an 81-42-42 record.[9]
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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 formerSan 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 the2022 USL Championship Final, a 3–1 victory againstLouisville City FC on November 13, 2022.[11]
San Antonio's club colors are black and silver, showing strength and unity with the otherSS&E franchises. Red is an accent color that is from the same red in theTexas 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 richmilitary 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]
| Season | Kit manufacturer | Shirt sponsor | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016–2021 | Nike | Toyota | [13] |
| 2022–2023 | Puma | [14] | |
| 2024 | Community First Health Plans | [15] | |
| 2025–present | Charly[16] |
San Antonio was designated as theUSL affiliate ofNew York City FC for the 2017 season.[17] As of 2019,[update] there is no reported affiliation between San Antonio FC and New York City FC.
On July 23, 2024, in accordance with the renewal of thesister city agreement between the cities ofSan Antonio andDarmstadt, Germany originally created in 2017, the leading soccer clubs in both cities, San Antonio FC andSV Darmstadt 98, entered into a "comprehensive partnership designed to elevate the clubs both on and off the pitch".[18]
San Antonio FC shares an in-state rivalry withUSL Championship side –El Paso Locomotive FC, and formerly withRio Grande Valley FC andAustin Bold FC. Begun in the2019 USL Championship season, all three teams participate in theCopa Tejas[21] – 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.
Since2016, the annual rivalry withRio Grande Valley FC, who served as a hybrid affiliate of theHouston Dynamo ofMajor League Soccer from 2016 until 2020,[22] 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.[23]
The club is owned bySpurs Sports & Entertainment.[24]
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined underFIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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For recent transfers, see2024 San Antonio FC season.
| 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:[26]
| 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 CastilloFranck 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 BarmbyÉver 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.
Head coaches[edit]
| Club captains[edit]
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| 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 |
| Preceded by | USL Championship Winner 2022 | Succeeded by |
