Holt served as president of the USL from 2009-15 and helped establish the affiliation partnership between the USL and MLS.
Holt comes to San Antonio from the MLS’ Orlando City SC, where he served as vice president of development in 2015. He contributed to the team’s inaugural season in the MLS and helped Orlando land the 2016 Copa America Centenario.
Holt answered questions about his new position and his hopes for the new franchise.
What does joining USL San Antonio mean to you?
It’s such an exciting opportunity to be involved with leading and shaping a professional soccer club from Day One, and the type of unique challenge that few are afforded. To be able to do so as part of SS&E is a special privilege and all the necessary elements are in place for this to be one of the highest performing professional soccer teams in the country. We are well-positioned to follow the path of Orlando, Portland, Seattle, Montreal and Vancouver in realizing the objective of bringing MLS to San Antonio by building through the USL.
Coming from Orlando, what similarities do you see between Orlando City SC’s rise to the MLS and San Antonio?
There are lot of similarities between what’s happening now in San Antonio and what happened in Orlando around the time of their 2011 launch in the USL. Orlando was a vibrant market with one highly supported major league team in the Magic. Changing demographics and a city that was ready to embrace a second professional team in a special way were in place, so it was opportune timing, and there was terrific ownership and management. One of the differentiators with Orlando City was how committed they were and continue to be from a community involvement standpoint. The players, management and ownership embraced the role in being an active part of the community, and serving as ambassadors for the sport and team. The community in turn embraced the team back and was as invested emotionally in the team than almost anywhere else I have seen. It really helped established them as a fixture in the city. That dynamic exists between San Antonio and the Spurs, and we will have to work hard to earn the support and trust of the community and its sports fans in a similar way.
What is the blueprint to go from here to the MLS?
There are a couple of key things that we will need to demonstrate over a period of years, including the quality of organization, vigorous fan support, and a roster of corporate partners that are invested in the future of the club. To achieve this, it is critical that we start by providing the highest quality product possible on and off the field. Our team must be very competitive and play an entertaining, attractive brand of soccer. We have an outstanding coach in Darren Powell who is not only a proven winner but a great developer of talent. Connected to this is encouraging and empowering our supporters to create the type of game day atmosphere at Toyota Field that is second to none and gives us a competitive advantage. We have one of the best stadiums in the league and will do our part to providing great amenities for our fans, but a truly authentic soccer environment can only be delivered by the passion of our supporters. Of course, we will also need an exceptional and committed front office staff to make all of this come to life and help ignite interest in this team.
What do you think the first season will look like?
We will do our best to construct a team on the field that will be highly competitive and is extremely visible in the market, especially the local soccer community. Part of this will be developing a club structure to support our professional team that has a positive relationship with local soccer organizations. It will take a bit of time to develop the level of awareness about our team that we will seek to achieve but we will work hard to do so.
What can fans expect from the USL?
The USL is a strong league. What you’ve seen over the last three or four years is that the USL has matured in a lot of different ways. The quality of the ownership groups has gone up. The league’s standards have increased, as has the competitive quality. We will strive to reach the playoffs but it will not be easy. In particular, the USL will offer us some exciting regional rivalries with teams like Rio Grande Valley, Oklahoma City and Tulsa. Throw in other Western Conference opponents like LA Galaxy II, Sacramento Republic and others, and it should be a lot of fun for our fans. The league is going through a real renaissance and it is a perfect time to join.
What’s next for professional soccer in San Antonio?
Certainly, there is a focus on building toward MLS but that will come only as a function of our sustained performance over time in the USL. We still have a lot to prove as an organization and a soccer market, but it is all within our collective reach.
We are building a true, comprehensive soccer club for the long-term, which will include developing our own (youth) players for the professional team. This takes time but we must structure it properly from Day One and it will pay dividends down the road.
All the ingredients are there, great ownership, incredible city that loves the sport, top-class facilities with Toyota Field and the STAR Soccer Complex, and magnificent partners in Bexar County and the City of San Antonio. There’s a lot of work to be done, but it’s going to be fun putting it all together and creating a special professional soccer club.
Holt served as president of the USL from 2009-15 and helped establish the affiliation partnership between the USL and MLS.
Holt comes to San Antonio from the MLS’ Orlando City SC, where he served as vice president of development in 2015. He contributed to the team’s inaugural season in the MLS and helped Orlando land the 2016 Copa America Centenario.
Holt answered questions about his new position and his hopes for the new franchise.
What does joining USL San Antonio mean to you?
It’s such an exciting opportunity to be involved with leading and shaping a professional soccer club from Day One, and the type of unique challenge that few are afforded. To be able to do so as part of SS&E is a special privilege and all the necessary elements are in place for this to be one of the highest performing professional soccer teams in the country. We are well-positioned to follow the path of Orlando, Portland, Seattle, Montreal and Vancouver in realizing the objective of bringing MLS to San Antonio by building through the USL.
Coming from Orlando, what similarities do you see between Orlando City SC’s rise to the MLS and San Antonio?
There are lot of similarities between what’s happening now in San Antonio and what happened in Orlando around the time of their 2011 launch in the USL. Orlando was a vibrant market with one highly supported major league team in the Magic. Changing demographics and a city that was ready to embrace a second professional team in a special way were in place, so it was opportune timing, and there was terrific ownership and management. One of the differentiators with Orlando City was how committed they were and continue to be from a community involvement standpoint. The players, management and ownership embraced the role in being an active part of the community, and serving as ambassadors for the sport and team. The community in turn embraced the team back and was as invested emotionally in the team than almost anywhere else I have seen. It really helped established them as a fixture in the city. That dynamic exists between San Antonio and the Spurs, and we will have to work hard to earn the support and trust of the community and its sports fans in a similar way.
What is the blueprint to go from here to the MLS?
There are a couple of key things that we will need to demonstrate over a period of years, including the quality of organization, vigorous fan support, and a roster of corporate partners that are invested in the future of the club. To achieve this, it is critical that we start by providing the highest quality product possible on and off the field. Our team must be very competitive and play an entertaining, attractive brand of soccer. We have an outstanding coach in Darren Powell who is not only a proven winner but a great developer of talent. Connected to this is encouraging and empowering our supporters to create the type of game day atmosphere at Toyota Field that is second to none and gives us a competitive advantage. We have one of the best stadiums in the league and will do our part to providing great amenities for our fans, but a truly authentic soccer environment can only be delivered by the passion of our supporters. Of course, we will also need an exceptional and committed front office staff to make all of this come to life and help ignite interest in this team.
What do you think the first season will look like?
We will do our best to construct a team on the field that will be highly competitive and is extremely visible in the market, especially the local soccer community. Part of this will be developing a club structure to support our professional team that has a positive relationship with local soccer organizations. It will take a bit of time to develop the level of awareness about our team that we will seek to achieve but we will work hard to do so.
What can fans expect from the USL?
The USL is a strong league. What you’ve seen over the last three or four years is that the USL has matured in a lot of different ways. The quality of the ownership groups has gone up. The league’s standards have increased, as has the competitive quality. We will strive to reach the playoffs but it will not be easy. In particular, the USL will offer us some exciting regional rivalries with teams like Rio Grande Valley, Oklahoma City and Tulsa. Throw in other Western Conference opponents like LA Galaxy II, Sacramento Republic and others, and it should be a lot of fun for our fans. The league is going through a real renaissance and it is a perfect time to join.
What’s next for professional soccer in San Antonio?
Certainly, there is a focus on building toward MLS but that will come only as a function of our sustained performance over time in the USL. We still have a lot to prove as an organization and a soccer market, but it is all within our collective reach.
We are building a true, comprehensive soccer club for the long-term, which will include developing our own (youth) players for the professional team. This takes time but we must structure it properly from Day One and it will pay dividends down the road.
All the ingredients are there, great ownership, incredible city that loves the sport, top-class facilities with Toyota Field and the STAR Soccer Complex, and magnificent partners in Bexar County and the City of San Antonio. There’s a lot of work to be done, but it’s going to be fun putting it all together and creating a special professional soccer club.