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 coachBrandon Misuraca
League National Premier Soccer League
Lone Star Conference7th
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 March 25, 2024 – Present10100.0

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 20 May 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
MF Flag of Brazil.svg  BRA Enzo Jaques
No.Pos.NationPlayer
MF Flag of Belgium (civil).svg  BEL Hugo Staunton
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 Galietero
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 Star1010130007thTBD Third Round
Total2416626226+36502.17
Notes

Honors

NPSL

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">Erie Commodores FC</span> Soccer club

Erie Commodores FC is an American soccer team based in Erie, Pennsylvania which competes in the National Premier Soccer League (NPSL), a nationwide amateur league at the fourth tier of the American Soccer Pyramid. The team plays its home matches at Saxon Stadium on the campus of Mercyhurst University. In 2021, the Commodores added a pro-am women's team to play in United Women's Soccer.

<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">Detroit City FC</span> Professional American soccer club

Detroit City FC (DCFC) men’s team is an American professional soccer club based in Detroit, Michigan, that competes in the USL Championship. The club played in the National Premier Soccer League from 2012 to 2019 and the National Independent Soccer Association in 2020 and 2021. Detroit City plays its home matches at Keyworth Stadium in Hamtramck, an enclave of Detroit.

<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">FC Motown</span> Soccer club

FC Motown is an American soccer club based in Morristown, New Jersey. Founded in 2012, the team currently fields teams in both the National Premier Soccer League (NPSL) and USL League Two. In 2020, the team joined the newly formed Northeast Elite Soccer League (NESL) and formed a U23 team that competed in the EDP 23U league.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Minneapolis City SC</span> American soccer club

Minneapolis City SC is an American soccer club based in Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States. Founded in 2016, the team plays in the USL League Two, the top national league at the fourth tier of the American Soccer Pyramid. The club won three straight NPSL North Conference championships before joining League Two. Their nickname is The Crows, coined by the club's supporters, which comes from the "Mega Murder" of crows that roost in Minneapolis.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">AFC Mobile</span> Soccer club

AFC Mobile is an American soccer club based in Mobile, Alabama, that formerly competed in the National Premier Soccer League. After a hiatus, the club has returned to the Gulf Coast Premier League for the 2024 season.

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nashville SC</span> American soccer club

Nashville Soccer Club is an American men’s professional soccer club based in Nashville, Tennessee. The team began play in Major League Soccer in 2020 as a continuation of the USL club of the same name and plays its home matches at Geodis Park. It is principally owned by John Ingram, owner of Ingram Industries, along with investors and partial owners the Turner family of Dollar General Stores.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cleveland SC</span> Soccer club

Cleveland SC is an American semi-professional soccer club based in the Greater Cleveland, Ohio region. Cleveland competes in the National Premier Soccer League (NPSL) as part of the Midwest Region's Great Lakes Conference. The club was established on February 19, 2018, taking over from the recently defunct AFC Cleveland as the city's representative in the NPSL.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oakland Roots SC</span> American professional soccer team

Oakland Roots Sports Club is an American professional soccer team based in Oakland, California. The club was formed in 2018 by a group of Oakland natives, and began play in the National Independent Soccer Association in the fall of 2019. In 2021, the club joined the second division USL Championship.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">FC Brownsville</span> Football club

FC Brownsville (FCB) is an American soccer team based in Brownsville, Texas, United States. Founded in 2015, FC Brownsville plays in the Lone Star Conference within the National Premier Soccer League and the Texas Central Conference within the United Premier Soccer League. The team uses the Brownsville Sports Park as their home field.

Wolfgang Prentice is an American soccer player who plays for USL League One club Forward Madison, on loan from USL Championship club Oakland Roots.

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

Akron City FC is an American soccer club based in Akron, Ohio, United States.

The 2022 National Premier Soccer League season was the 20th season of the National Premier Soccer League and part of the 110th season of FIFA-sanctioned soccer in the United States.

The 2023 National Premier Soccer League season is the 21st season of the National Premier Soccer League and part of the 111th season of FIFA-sanctioned soccer in the United States. It is also the league's 20th anniversary of its founding in 2003.

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

Annapolis Blues FC is an American soccer club. It currently competes in the Mid-Atlantic Conference of the National Premier Soccer League, considered the fourth tier of the United States soccer league system.

The 2024 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup is the 109th edition of the U.S. Open Cup, the knockout domestic cup competition of American soccer. Houston Dynamo were the defending champions, but were eliminated in the Round of 32 by Detroit City FC.

Arizona Monsoon FC (AMFC) is an American men's professional soccer club located in Glendale, Arizona. AMFC's first season was the 2024 National Independent Soccer Association season.

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.