Denton Diablos FC
Soccer club
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Denton Diablos FC is an American semi-professional soccer club based in Denton, Texas. Founded in 2018, the club plays in the Ranger Division of USL League Two (USL2).[1]
Denton, Texas
 | |||
| Full name | Denton Diablos Football Club | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Nickname | Diablos | ||
| Founded | 2018 | ||
| Stadium | Norma Knobel Hunt Stadium Denton, Texas | ||
| Capacity | 1,500 | ||
| Owner | Michael Hitchcock Damon Gochneaur | ||
| Technical Staff | General Manager & Technical Director: Brad Namdar Head Coach: Roy Lassiter | ||
| League | USL League Two | ||
| Website | dentondiablos.com | ||
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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
| Year | League | Regular season | Playoffs | U.S. Open Cup |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | NPSL | 2nd, Lone Star Conference | Conference Semifinal | Ineligible |
| 2020 | NPSL | Season Cancelled, Competed in Local Roja League | Not Held | Not Held |
| 2021 | NPSL | 1st, Lone Star Conference | League Champions | Not Held |
| 2022 | NPSL | 5th, Lone Star Conference | Ineligible | 1st Round |
| 2023 | NPSL | 6th, Lone Star Conference | Ineligible | Ineligible |
| 2024 | NPSL | 3rd, Lone Star Conference | Conference Final | Ineligible |
| 2025 | USL2 | 4th, Mid South Division | Ineligible | Ineligible |
| 2026 | USL2 | Final Qualifying Round |
Players & staff
Ownership
General Manager & Technical Director
Brad Namdar (2023–)
Head coaches
- Chad Rakestraw (2019–2020)[5]
Ramón Raya (2020–2023)
Armando Pelaez (2023)
Ben Clarvis (2024)- Stewart Flaherty (2025)[10]
- Roy Lassiter (2026-Present)[11]
Honors
League
- National Premier Soccer League
- Roja League
- League Champions: 2020, 2021
Cup
- U.S. Open Cup
- Qualifiers: 2022
- Hank Steinbrecher Cup
- Runners-up: 2022
Other
- Chisholm Trail Clásico
- Champions: 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024
