Lubbock Matadors SC

Last updated
Lubbock Matadors SC
Full nameLubbock Matadors Soccer Club
FoundedDecember 2021;2 years ago (December 2021)
StadiumLowery Field
Lubbock, TX
Capacity8471
OwnersMichael Hitchcock
Brent McCarty
David Joyner
Eric Cunningham
Lance Patton
General ManagerDustin McCorkle
Head coachVacant
League National Premier Soccer League
Lone Star Conference5th
Website Club website
Soccerball current event.svg Current season

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.

Contents

The team's home field is returning to Lowery Field in Lubbock after spending their second season at Lubbock-Cooper High School's Pirate Stadium due to renovations to their typical home pitch.

History

On December 14, 2021, the National Premier Soccer League announced a new expansion team would be placed in Lubbock for the 2022 season. [1] The ownership effort was led by former DC United and FC Dallas front office member Michael Hitchcock, along with Texas Tech alumni Brent McCarty, David Joyner, Eric Cunningham, and Lance Patton. [2]

The Matadors announced Paul Gilbert as the team's first head coach on December 20. [3]

The team's first game was an NPSL matchup against Fort Worth Vaqueros FC on Monday, May 9 at Lowery Field. Their first game of the season ended in a 3–1 loss drawing in 4,239 fans for the first NPSL game in Lubbock. [4]

On Tuesday July 11, 2023, the Matadors set a franchise record attendance with 5,422 fans in attendance for their first NPSL home playoff game in club history. [5] This attendance also put the Matadors at the No. 9 spot for highest attendance in NPSL history at the time. [6] [7]

Lubbock qualified for its first U.S. Open Cup in 2024 based on its league results from the previous season. [8] [9]

Stadiums

StadiumCapacityLocationYear(s)Notes
Lowery Field8,471 Lubbock, Texas 2022, 2024
Lubbock-Cooper Pirate Stadium5,6192023
LCU Soccer & Track Facility2,0002024Hosted the First and Second Round of the 109th Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup

Players and staff

Head Coaches

NameNationalityTenureGWLTWin %
Paul GilbertFlag of the United States.svg  United States December 21, 2021 – April 16, 202427187266.6
Brandon MisuracaFlag of the United States.svg  United States April 17, 2024 – August 16, 20241054150.0

Staff

Executive
Owner Flag of the United States.svg Michael Hitchcock
Owner Flag of the United States.svg Brent McCarty
Owner/Investor Flag of the United States.svg David Joyner
Owner/Investor Flag of the United States.svg Eric Cunningham
Owner/Investor Flag of the United States.svg Lance Patton
General Manager Flag of the United States.svg Dustin McCorckle
Business Ops Manager Flag of the United States.svg Eleni Hitchcock
Community Outreach Manager Flag of the United States.svg Alexandrea Torrez
Marketing & Operations Manager Flag of the United States.svg Thomas Wolf
Coaching staff
Manager Flag of the United States.svg Brandon Misuraca

Current Squad

As of 04 June 2024

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No.Pos.NationPlayer
— GK Flag of Spain.svg  ESP Eduard Hurtado
— GK Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg  CAN Tyler Kaeppeli
— GK Flag of Israel.svg  ISR Adam Salama
— DF Flag of the United Kingdom.svg  GBR Adam Thompson
— DF Flag of the United States.svg  USA Dennis Erdmann
— DF Flag of Chile.svg  CHI Diego Vasquez
— DF Flag of Paraguay.svg  PAR Ezequiel Fidabel
— DF Flag of Japan.svg  JPN Kodai Kobayashi
— DF Flag of Croatia.svg  CRO Lovro Horvat
— DF Flag of Cyprus.svg  CYP Pana Georgiou
— DF Flag of Mexico.svg  MEX Roberto Hernandez
— DF Flag of Brazil.svg  BRA William Rodriguez
— DF Flag of Jamaica.svg  JAM Tremain Simpson
— MF Flag of Brazil.svg  BRA Enzo Jaques
— MF Flag of the United States.svg  USA Daniel Reiter
No.Pos.NationPlayer
— MF Flag of Belgium (civil).svg  BEL Hugo Staunton
— MF Flag of Brazil.svg  BRA Iago Luiz
— MF Flag of Wales (1959-present).svg  WAL Jack Pascoe
— FW Flag of the United States.svg  USA Nako Amare
— FW Flag of France.svg  FRA Adonis Igouwe
— FW Flag of England.svg  ENG Evan Howard
— FW Flag of Morocco.svg  MAR Saad Faiz
— FW Flag of England.svg  ENG Elhadj Diaoune
— FW Flag of Switzerland (Pantone).svg  SUI Diogo Silvestre
— FW Flag of Italy.svg  ITA Francesco Pettinaroli
— FW Flag of Spain.svg  ESP Pablo Diez
— FW Flag of Australia (converted).svg  AUS Miguel Da Silva
— FW Flag of Australia (converted).svg  AUS Pedro Gallardo
— FW Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg  CAN Quintin Benn-John

Club culture

Mascot

The Mascot of the Lubbock Matadors is a bull named Notorious. He was officially unveiled on February 25, 2023 at the Two Docs Brewing Company, the main kit sponsor for the Matadors. Notorious has since been a key part of the marketing efforts for the Matadors both at games and at different events throughout the community.

Supporters

The Lubbock Matadors' officially recognized supporters group is the Mozos. The group consists of fans that play different instruments, have chants and songs prepared for throughout the game, and smoke bombs that go off following a Matadors Goal.

Rivalries

The Lubbock Matadors' main rivalry is with West Texas FC in El Dustico. The two teams compete for the Golden Tumbleweed, symbolic of the two teams - who are separated by just 118 miles.

Record

Year-by-year

SeasonLeaguePositionPlayoffs U.S. Open Cup
LeagueConferencePldWLDGFGAGDPtsPPGConf.Overall
2022 NPSL Lone Star126422515+10201.666th36thDNQDNE
2023 NPSL Lone Star111010368+28302.721st3rdConference FinalsDNE
2024 NPSL Lone Star105412219+8161.605th41stDNQ Third Round
Total3321938342+39662.00

Top All-Time Goalscorers

As of 06 July 2024
Active player name(s) in bold
#NameCareerNPSLNPSL PlayoffsU.S. Open CupTotal
1Pablo Diez2022 - Present152017
2Ethan Giwa-McNeil20237209
Luke Jones2022-2023900
4Evan Howard2024 - Present6006
5Markus Krogstad20235005
Mitar Mitrovic2023500
7Francesco Pettinaroli2024 - Present4004
Saad Faiz2024 - Present400
9Iago Luiz2024 - Present3003
10Andres Realis20222002
Anthony Vargas2022200
Nico Riveros2022200
Salvador Martinez2024002
Shuma Sasaki2024002
Stephan Moreira2023200
Will Rodrigues2022 - Present200

Honors

NPSL

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References

  1. ↑ "Lubbock Matadors Join the NPSL for the 2022 Season". Lubbock Matadors SC. Retrieved 2023-07-07.
  2. ↑ "OWNERSHIP". Lubbock Matadors SC. Retrieved 2023-07-07.
  3. ↑ "Lubbock Coaching Staff to Lead Matadors in Inaugural Season". Lubbock Matadors SC. Retrieved 2023-07-07.
  4. ↑ "Matadors Fall Short In Historic Home Opener". Lubbock Matadors SC. Retrieved 2023-07-07.
  5. ↑ "Tweet". Twitter. Retrieved 2023-07-12.
  6. ↑ "Tweet". Twitter. Retrieved 2023-07-07.
  7. ↑ Hadorn, Christopher (10 July 2023). "NPSL: Lubbock rolls past West Texas FC in regular season finale". Midland Reporter-Telegram. Retrieved 15 February 2024.
  8. ↑ "Full Slate of 32 Open Division Underdogs Set for 2024 Open Cup | U.S. Soccer Official Website". www.ussoccer.com. 11 December 2023. Retrieved 12 January 2024.
  9. ↑ Soliz, Brandon (12 December 2023). "Lubbock Matadors selected to play in Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup tournament". KCBD NewsChannel 11 Lubbock. Retrieved 15 February 2024.
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