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El Paso Patriots

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El Paso Patriots
Full nameEl Paso Patriots Soccer Club.
Nickname(s)The Patriots
Founded1989
Dissolved2013
StadiumSISD Student Activities Complex
El Paso, Texas
Capacity11,000
OwnerEnrique Cervantes
Head CoachJavier McDonald
LeaguePremier Development League
20136th, Mid South
Playoffs: DNQ
Websitehttp://elpasopatriots.com/
Current season
Original Chivas El Paso Patriots logo

El Paso Patriots was an American soccer team based in El Paso, Texas, United States. Founded in 1989, the team played in the Premier Development League (PDL), the fourth tier of the American Soccer Pyramid, in the Mid South Division of the Southern Conference.

The team played its home games at the soccer-specific Patriot Stadium, where they played since 2005 until 2012, when they played their last season (2013) home schedule at the SAC. The team's colors were red, navy blue and white.

Prior to their stadium being completed in 2005, the Patriots played at the Sun Bowl Stadium on the campus of the University of Texas at El Paso, and at Dudley Field, the former home of the El Paso Diablos baseball team. They were one of the more long-serving franchises in American soccer, having previously played in the first division A-League until 2003.

History

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Founded in 1989 as the El Paso Sixshooters and owned and coached by Dan Guard, the team competed in the Southwest Indoor Soccer League. The season was a disaster from the start, as they allowed 179 goals in 12 games (including a 27-3 blowout against the Austin Sockadillos) while scoring only 44.[1] (Fittingly, the infamous footballer/con artist Carlos Kaiser was listed on the El Paso roster, but never got in a game.) In January 1990, the 0-12 Sixshooters (who drew about 300 fans total to two home contests at the El Paso County Coliseum) ceased operations and forfeited their remaining games, finishing with an official record of 0-24.[2]

The team resumed operations in the fall of 1990 as the El Paso Spurs. Before the 1991 season, the Spurs were sold to a group which included primary investor Enrique Cervantes as well as Jaime Monardes. The new ownership group renamed the team the Patriots to capitalize on the Patriot missile's recent success in the Gulf War and hired Brazilian Marinho Chagas as head coach.[3][4] In 2003, the team played in the Sun Bowl.

Prior to the 2010 PDL season the Patriots signed a formal agreement with Mexican Premier Division team Guadalajara, and were officially rebranded as the Chivas El Paso Patriots. In addition to cross-promotion, sponsorship and player development, the agreement will also see the U-20, Division 1A and Division II Chivas teams playing regular games in El Paso.[5] In 2012, the club rebranded to their original name El Paso Patriots.

Players

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Notable former players

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This list of notable former players comprises players who went on to play professional soccer after playing for the team in the Premier Development League, or those who previously played professionally before joining the team.

Year-by-year

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Year Division League Regular Season Playoffs Open Cup
1989/90 N/A SISL Indoor 4th, Cactus did not qualify N/A
1990/91 N/A SISL Indoor 8th, Southwest did not qualify N/A
1991 N/A SISL 2nd, Southwest Semifinals did not enter
1992 N/A USISL 1st, Southwest did not qualify did not enter
1993 N/A USISL 6th, Atlantic Sizzling Six did not enter
1994 3 USISL 2nd, Southwest Divisional Semifinals did not enter
1995 3 USISL Pro League 1st, South Central Divisional Finals Final
1996 3 USISL Select League 3rd, Pacific 1st Round 2nd Round
1997 2 USISL A-League 6th, Pacific did not qualify did not qualify
1998 2 USISL A-League 6th, Central did not qualify 3rd Round
1999 2 USL A-League 5th, Pacific Conference Quarterfinals did not qualify
2000 2 USL A-League 4th, Pacific Conference Quarterfinals did not qualify
2001 2 USL A-League 7th, Western did not qualify 3rd Round
2002 2 USL A-League 2nd, Pacific 1st Round did not qualify
2003 2 USL A-League 3rd, Central did not qualify 3rd Round
2004 4 USL PDL 1st, Mid South Conference Semifinals did not qualify
2005 4 USL PDL 1st, Mid South National Final 2nd Round
2006 4 USL PDL 3rd, Mid South did not qualify did not qualify
2007 4 USL PDL 2nd, Mid South Conference Semifinals 2nd Round
2008 4 USL PDL 3rd, Mid South did not qualify did not qualify
2009 4 USL PDL 4th, Mid South did not qualify 2nd Round
2010 4 USL PDL 5th, Mid South did not qualify did not qualify
2011 4 USL PDL 2nd, Mid South Conference Semifinals 1st Round
2012 4 USL PDL 3rd, Mid South did not qualify 2nd Round
2013 4 USL PDL 6th, Mid South did not qualify did not qualify

Honors

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  • USL PDL Southern Conference Champions 2005
  • USL PDL Mid South Division Champions 2005
  • USL PDL Mid South Division Champions 2004
  • USISL Pro League South Central Division Champions 1995
  • US Open Cup Runners-Up 1995
  • USISL Southwest Division Champions 1992

Head coaches

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Stadium

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Average attendance

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Attendance stats are calculated by averaging each team's self-reported home attendances from the historical match archive at https://web.archive.org/web/20100105175057/http://www.uslsoccer.com/history/index_E.html.

  • 2005: 1,546 (2nd in PDL)
  • 2006: 867 (7th in PDL)
  • 2007: 789 (8th in PDL)
  • 2008: 1,269
  • 2009: 607
  • 2010: 1,069 (8th in PDL)

References

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  1. ^ Sockadillos silence Sixshooters by scoring amazing 27 goals Austin American-Statesman – Sunday, December 3, 1989
  2. ^ Renegades, Albuquerque Vie – El Paso Team Folds Tulsa World – Saturday, January 20, 1990
  3. ^ El Paso soccer team fights to make name Fort Worth Star-Telegram – Wednesday, June 12, 1991
  4. ^ Renegades' Sunbelt Outdoor Slate Set Tulsa World – Sunday, April 7, 1991
  5. ^ Chivas de Guadalajara and El Paso Patriots Sign Agreement Archived 2011-05-30 at the Wayback Machine
  6. ^ "Former Patriot "Maleno" Frias now a Juárez Indio - el Paso Times". Archived from the original on 2012-07-28. Retrieved 2009-01-06.
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