Denton Diablos FC

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Denton Diablos
Denton Diablos Logo.png
Full nameDenton Diablos Football Club
Founded2018;7 years ago (2018)
Stadium Texas Woman's University
Pioneer Soccer Park
Denton, Texas
Capacity1,200
OwnerMichael Hitchcock
Damon Gochneaur
Technical StaffGeneral Manager & Technical Director: Brad Namdar
Head Coach: Stewart Flaherty
League USL League Two
Website https://dentondiablos.com/

Denton Diablos FC is an American semi-professional soccer club based in Denton, Texas. Founded in 2018, the club plays in the Mid South Division of USL League Two (USL2). [1]

Contents

History

In September 2018, the Diablos were announced as an National Premier Soccer League (NPSL) expansion side to play in the South Region's Lone Star Conference. [2] [3]

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. [4] On October 2, 2018, the team announced Edward S. Marcus High School men's soccer coach Chad Rakestraw as the team's first head coach. [5] [6]

In the team's first season, the club finished second in the Lone Star Conference before falling in the conference semifinals to the Vaqueros. [7]

In January 2020, Denton was announced as one of 14 NPSL clubs that would take part in the 2020 U.S. Open Cup, [8] but due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the tournament was canceled along with the 2020 NPSL season.

On October 23, 2020, Denton announced Ramón Raya as their new head coach. [9]

In 2021, the Diablos finished first on the Lone Star Conference table with an 8-1-1 record, 2 points ahead of the Laredo Heat. The team won the conference finals against Laredo and would go on a successful playoff run, winning against FC Golden State Force and Cleveland SC. This ultimately led to the championship matchup against Tulsa Athletic, which the Diablos won 5-2 in front of their home crowd in Denton.

In the 2022 season, the team failed to make the playoffs by 1 point, finishing the season 7-4-1. Due to the previous cancelation of the 2020 U.S. Open Cup, Denton made their first appearance in the competition in 2022, losing to a local qualifier (D'Feeters Kicks Soccer Club) in the 1st round. Additionally, the Diablos were chosen to be the NPSL representative in the 2022 Hank Steinbrecher Cup as a result of their 2021 NPSL championship. They lost to USL2 member 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
2023 NPSL 6th, Lone Star Conference IneligibleIneligible
2024 NPSL 3rd, Lone Star Conference Conference Final Ineligible
2025 USL2 4th, Mid South Division IneligibleIneligible

Players & staff

Ownership

General Manager & Technical Director

Head coaches

Honors

Domestic

League

Conference

References

  1. ↑ "Denton Diablos move to USL-2". 3rd Degree. January 22, 2025. Retrieved May 29, 2025.
  2. ↑ "Denton Diablos FC Joins the NPSL". National Premier Soccer League. September 13, 2018. Retrieved January 18, 2020.
  3. ↑ Carrick, Buzz (September 14, 2018). "Denton Diablos FC joins NPSL as 2019 expansion team". Dallas News. Retrieved January 18, 2020.
  4. 1 2 3 Brown, Jordan (September 17, 2018). "New Soccer Club for Denton: The Diablos". THE DENTONITE. Retrieved January 18, 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).
  5. 1 2 "Head Coach Chad Rakestraw". Denton Diablos. October 4, 2018. Retrieved January 18, 2020. On Tuesday October 2nd the Denton Diablos named Chad Rakestraw their first head coach in the clubs history.
  6. ↑ "Rakestraw Thrown into the Fire with Denton Diablos". National Premier Soccer League. November 20, 2018. Retrieved January 18, 2020.
  7. ↑ Lenard, John (July 12, 2019). "8-round shootout sees Fort Worth Vaqueros advance to conference final over Denton Diablos". Dallas News. Retrieved January 18, 2020.
  8. ↑ "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 January 18, 2020.
  9. ↑ 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 October 23, 2020. Retrieved December 4, 2022– via Twitter.
  10. ↑ "Denton Diablos name Stewart Flaherty as new head coach". www.3rddegree.net. Retrieved March 28, 2025.
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