Denton Diablos FC

Last updated
Denton Diablos FC
Full nameDenton Diablos Football Club
Founded2018;6 years ago (2018)
Stadium Texas Woman's University
Denton, Texas
Capacity1,200
OwnerMichael Hitchcock
Damon Gochneaur
Technical StaffGeneral Manager & Technical Director: Brad Namdar
Head Coach: Ben Clarvis
League National Premier Soccer League
Website Club website

Denton Diablos FC is an American amateur soccer club based in Denton, Texas, which began play in the National Premier Soccer League (NPSL) in 2019. The club made it to their conference's playoffs in their 1st season of competition. Due to Covid in 2020 the entire season was cancelled. In their 2nd season they also made it out of the Conference Playoffs for the 1st time in 2021 and made it all the way to the NPSL National Championship.

Contents

History

The Diablos were announced in September 2018 as an NPSL expansion side to play in the South Region's Lone Star Conference. [1] [2]

The club was founded through a partnership between Damon Gochneaur, owner of the Denton-based Aspiro Agency, and Michael Hitchcock, owner of Playbook Management International and fellow NPSL side Fort Worth Vaqueros FC. [3] On October 2, the team announced Edward S. Marcus High School men's soccer coach Chad Rakestraw as the team's first head coach. [4] [5]

In the team's first season, the club finished second in the Lone Star before falling in the conference semifinals to the Vaqueros. [6]

In January 2020, Denton was announced as one of 14 NPSL clubs that would take part in the 2020 U.S. Open Cup., [7] due to Covid the tournament was canceled in both 2020 and 2021. The NPSL started its season in 2020 but quickly cancelled it until further notice.

On October 23, 2020, Denton announced Ramón Raya as their new head coach. [8]

After the onslaught of Covid the League returned to action in 2021 and this would prove to be The Diablos most successful season to date. They finished 1st on the Lone Star Conference Table 2 points ahead of Laredo Heat finishing the regular season 8-1-1. They went on to win their Conference by beating Laredo in the final. This led to a massively successful playoff run against FC Golden State Force, Cleveland SC, that ultimately led to a Championship matchup against Tulsa Athletic where the Diablos won 5-2 in front of their home crowd in Denton. 2022 turned out to be quite the Championship Hangover year where the team failed to make the playoffs by 1 point finishing the season 7-4-1. Due to previous cancelation of the U.S. Open Cup Denton made their first ever appearance in 2022 where they lost to a local qualifier D'Feeters Kicks Soccer Club in the 1st round. Due to their League title in 2021 the Diablos were chosen to be the NPSL representative in the 2022 Hank Steinbrecher Cup where they lost to USL League Two Flint City Bucks 2-1 in the Cup Final.

Year-by-year results

YearLeagueRegular SeasonPlayoffsU.S. Open Cup
2019 NPSL 2nd, Lone Star Conference Conference Semifinal Ineligible
2020 NPSL Season Cancelled, Competed in Local Roja LeagueNot HeldNot Held
2021 NPSL 1st, Lone Star Conference League Champions Not Held
2022 NPSL 5th, Lone Star Conference Ineligible1st Round

Players & staff

Ownership

General Manager & Technical Director

Head coaches

Honors

Domestic

League

Conference

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">National Premier Soccer League</span> Football league

The National Premier Soccer League (NPSL) is an American men's soccer league. The NPSL is a semi-professional league, comprising some teams that have paid players and some that are entirely amateur. The league is officially affiliated to the United States Adult Soccer Association (USASA) and has automatic qualification for the U.S. Open Cup. It is the successor of the Men's Premier Soccer League, a regional league originally based in the Western United States, which has now expanded nationwide to encompass teams from 29 states. The league's motto is "A National League with a Regional Focus".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sonoma County Sol</span> Soccer club

Sonoma County Sol is an American soccer team based in Santa Rosa, California, United States. Founded in 2004, the team plays in the National Premier Soccer League (NPSL), a national amateur league at the fourth tier of the American Soccer Pyramid, in the West Region, Golden Gate Conference.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chattanooga FC</span> Soccer club

Chattanooga Football Club is an American professional soccer team based in Chattanooga, Tennessee, United States. Founded in 2009, the team is in MLS Next Pro starting in 2024. Prior to joining MLS Next Pro, the club played in the National Independent Soccer Association and the Southeast Division of the National Premier Soccer League (NPSL), a national amateur league at the fourth tier of the American Soccer Pyramid.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Miami FC</span> American soccer team

Miami FC is an American professional soccer team based in Miami, Florida that competes in the USL Championship, the second tier of the American soccer pyramid.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eoin Wearen</span> Irish footballer

Eoin Patrick Wearen is a retired Irish footballer who played as a midfielder/defender for various clubs in both the UK and Ireland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Miami Dutch Lions FC</span> Soccer club

Miami Dutch Lions FC is an American professional soccer club based in the Miami metropolitan area. The Lions competes in National Premier Soccer League, as a member of the Sunshine Conference. The club was founded in Conroe, Texas in 2011, before relocating to Olympia Heights, Florida in 2019. They are owned by Martin Kroeze.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tulsa Athletic</span> Soccer club

Tulsa Athletic is an American soccer team and are based in Tulsa, Oklahoma, United States. The 2023 NPSL National Champion, 2013 was their inaugural season in the National Premier Soccer League (NPSL), which is a national league at the fourth tier of the American soccer pyramid. They compete in the NPSL's Heartland Conference. The team maintains amateur status under NPSL rules, allowing college players to participate without losing their collegiate eligibility. The club currently plays at Athletic Community Field at Hicks Park since the 2022 season, having previously played at Veterans Park (2018–21), LaFortune Stadium (2017) and Drillers Stadium (2013–16), the former home of the Tulsa Drillers baseball team.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fort Worth Vaqueros FC</span> Soccer club

Fort Worth Vaqueros FC is an American amateur soccer club based in Fort Worth, Texas, which began play in the National Premier Soccer League (NPSL) in May 2014. The Vaqueros play in the Lone Star Conference of the South Region. The club is based at Farrington Field, a facility owned by the Fort Worth Independent School District. The team's name was announced at the Fort Worth Livestock Exchange Building on February 13, 2014, after a name the team contest. The team's official logo was selected by the fans then revealed by the team on March 20, 2014. The team played its inaugural 2014 season at historic LaGrave Field but had to relocate in 2015 after the Fort Worth Cats, from whom the Vaqueros had been subletting the field, lost their lease.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Demize NPSL</span> American amateur soccer club

Demize NPSL, formerly known as Joplin Demize, is an American amateur soccer club based in Springfield, Missouri, which began play in the fourth-tier National Premier Soccer League (NPSL) in May 2014. The team competes within the Heartland Conference in the NPSL's South Region and plays home games at Lake Country Soccer's Cooper Stadium. It formerly played in the now dissolved South Central Conference.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">FC Wichita</span> Soccer club

FC Wichita is a soccer club based in Wichita, Kansas that plays in USL League Two's Heartland Conference. The club was a member of the Heartland Conference in the National Premier Soccer League, a national semi-professional league at the fourth tier of the American soccer pyramid, up until the end of the 2019 season.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Napa Valley 1839 FC</span> Soccer club

Napa Valley 1839 FC is a men's and women’s soccer club based in Napa, California. The men compete in the NPSL Golden Gate Conference. The women compete in the Women’s Premier Soccer League. The club's colors are green and white.

The 2018 National Premier Soccer League season was part of the 106th season of FIFA-sanctioned soccer in the United States and the 16th season of the National Premier Soccer League (NPSL). Elm City Express was the defending champion.

The 2020 Hank Steinbrecher Cup was planned to be the eighth edition of the United States Adult Soccer Association's (USASA) tournament whose winner is recognized with the title of U.S. National Amateur Champions. This edition was canceled in April due to the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States.

The 2020 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup was planned to be the 107th edition of the U.S. Open Cup, a knockout cup competition in American soccer. Atlanta United FC were the defending champions after defeating Minnesota United FC in the 2019 final. The competition was suspended on March 13, 2020, before the first round fixtures, because of the COVID-19 pandemic, and later canceled on August 17. Despite the tournament's cancelation, the spot for the 2021 CONCACAF Champions League was awarded to the defending champions, Atlanta United FC.

The 2020 National Premier Soccer League season was part of the 108th season of FIFA-sanctioned soccer in the United States and the 18th season of the National Premier Soccer League (NPSL). Miami FC, the defending league champions, left in the off-season and joined the National Independent Soccer Association and later the USL Championship.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Appalachian FC</span> Semi-professional soccer team in Boone, North Carolina

Appalachian Football Club is an American soccer team based in Boone, North Carolina, that currently plays in the National Premier Soccer League, on the fourth tier of the United States soccer league system. The team plays its home games at the ASU Soccer Stadium.

The 2021 National Premier Soccer League season was the 19th season of the National Premier Soccer League and part of the 109th season of FIFA-sanctioned soccer in the United States. The 2020 season was cancelled after five weeks of play due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Miami FC, the defending league champions from 2019, left in the previous off-season and joined the National Independent Soccer Association and later the USL Championship.

Trevor Amann is an American professional soccer player who currently plays for USL Championship club Sacramento Republic.

The 2022 Hank Steinbrecher Cup was the eighth edition of the United States Adult Soccer Association's (USASA) tournament whose winner is recognized with the title of U.S. National Amateur Champions. The two previous editions where canceled due to COVID-19 pandemic in the United States.

Lubbock Matadors SC is an American soccer club in Lubbock, Texas. It currently competes in the Lonestar Conference of the National Premier Soccer League, considered the fourth tier of the United States soccer league system.

References

  1. "Denton Diablos FC Joins the NPSL". National Premier Soccer League. 13 September 2018. Retrieved 18 January 2020.
  2. Carrick, Buzz (14 September 2018). "Denton Diablos FC joins NPSL as 2019 expansion team". Dallas News. Retrieved 18 January 2020.
  3. 1 2 3 Brown, Jordan (17 September 2018). "New Soccer Club for Denton: The Diablos". THE DENTONITE. Retrieved 18 January 2020. Denton Diablos FC is owned by a partnership between the Denton-based Aspiro Agency (a marketing agency owned by Damon Gochneaur) and Playbook Management International (a sports management company owned by Michael Hitchcock out of Frisco, TX).
  4. 1 2 "Head Coach Chad Rakestraw". Denton Diablos. 4 October 2018. Retrieved 18 January 2020. On Tuesday October 2nd the Denton Diablos named Chad Rakestraw their first head coach in the clubs history.
  5. "Rakestraw Thrown into the Fire with Denton Diablos". National Premier Soccer League. 20 November 2018. Retrieved 18 January 2020.
  6. Lenard, John (12 July 2019). "8-round shootout sees Fort Worth Vaqueros advance to conference final over Denton Diablos". Dallas News. Retrieved 18 January 2020.
  7. "Record-Setting 100 Teams Confirmed for 2020 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup, 107th Edition of U.S. Soccer's National Championship". www.ussoccer.com. Retrieved 18 January 2020.
  8. Denton Diablos FC⭐️ [@DentonDiablos] (October 23, 2020). "We are thrilled to announce the Diablos new head coach, @RAMONRAYA23 Ramon has led Mexico🇲🇽 National teams, played professionally throughout Mexico, & is now ready to lead the Diablos to new heights in @LeagueRoja action this winter & @opencup action next Spring! #SomosDiablos https://t.co/7zTowi4Caa" (Tweet). Archived from the original on 23 October 2020. Retrieved 4 December 2022 via Twitter.