| Full name | Denton Diablos Football Club | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Founded | 2018; 7 years ago (2018) | ||
| Stadium | Texas Woman's University Pioneer Soccer Park Denton, Texas | ||
| Capacity | 1,200 | ||
| Owner | Michael Hitchcock Damon Gochneaur | ||
| Technical Staff | General Manager & Technical Director: Brad Namdar Head Coach: Vacant | ||
| League | USL League Two | ||
| Website | https://dentondiablos.com/ | ||
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Denton Diablos FC is an American amateur soccer club based in Denton, Texas, which began play in the National Premier Soccer League (NPSL) in 2019. On January 22nd, 2025, it was announced that the club would play in the Mid South Division of USL League Two (USL2) beginning with the 2025 season.
History
In September 2018, the Diablos were announced as an NPSL expansion side to play in the South Region's Lone Star Conference.
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. 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.
In the team's first season, the club finished second in the Lone Star Conference before falling in the conference semifinals to the Vaqueros.
In January 2020, Denton was announced as one of 14 NPSL clubs that would take part in the 2020 U.S. Open Cup, 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.
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 |
Players & staff
Ownership
- Damon Gochneaur - Aspiro Agency
- Michael Hitchcock - Playbook Management International
General Manager & Technical Director
Brad Namdar (2023–)
Head coaches
- Chad Rakestraw (2019–2020)
Ramón Raya (2020–2023)
Armando Pelaez (2023)
Ben Clarvis (2024)
Honors
Domestic
- U.S. Open Cup Appearance 2022
- Hank Steinbrecher Cup Runner Up 2022
League
- National Premier Soccer League Champion 2021
- West Region Champion 2021
- Roja League Champion 2020, 2021
Conference
References
- "Move on Up!". Denton Diablos. 22 January 2025. Retrieved 22 January 2025.
- "Denton Diablos FC Joins the NPSL". National Premier Soccer League. 13 September 2018. Retrieved 18 January 2020.
- Carrick, Buzz (14 September 2018). "Denton Diablos FC joins NPSL as 2019 expansion team". Dallas News. Retrieved 18 January 2020.
- ^ Brown, Jordan (17 September 2018). "New Soccer Club for Denton: The Diablos". THE DENTONITE. Retrieved 18 January 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).
- ^ "Head Coach Chad Rakestraw". Denton Diablos. 4 October 2018. Retrieved 18 January 2020.
On Tuesday October 2nd the Denton Diablos named Chad Rakestraw their first head coach in the clubs history.
- "Rakestraw Thrown into the Fire with Denton Diablos". National Premier Soccer League. 20 November 2018. Retrieved 18 January 2020.
- Lenard, John (12 July 2019). "8-round shootout sees Fort Worth Vaqueros advance to conference final over Denton Diablos". Dallas News. Retrieved 18 January 2020.
- "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 18 January 2020.
- Denton Diablos FC⭐️ (23 October 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 23 October 2020. Retrieved 4 December 2022 – via Twitter.
External links
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