Growing up in San Antonio, Matt Cardone often drove by the abandoned Longhorn Quarry on Thousand Oaks Drive.
Just four miles and four turns from his house, the abandoned site was more useful for ghost stories than anything.
Then construction crews came in and a stadium went up. Toyota Field and the STAR Soccer Complex are there, giving Cardone an office in San Antonio.
“You never thought there’d be a nice soccer stadium in the middle of a quarry,” Cardone said. “Then all these fields came. To think this could he the home of an MLS team someday, I never thought such a big stage would come to my hometown.”
Cardone, a goalkeeper, is one of four San Antonio FC with local ties.
Cardone and midfielder Victor Araujo both played college soccer at Trinity University, defender Max Gunderson went to school a mile away from them at the University of the Incarnate Word, and midfielder Rafa Castillo played for the San Antonio Scorpions for two seasons.
All four call San Antonio home, and have spent the past few weeks showing their teammates around town. While the River Walk is nice, the main thing the San Antonians told players about was the city’s attitude and mentality.
“Being a San Antonian means always giving your best and working for the person next to you,” Gunderson said. “Everybody in this city is friendly and kind, and living by that mentality means that the name on the front of the kit is always bigger than the name on the back.”
Gunderson went to school in San Antonio for four years, but also spent two seasons playing for the Austin Aztex. While San Antonio and Austin are currently embroiled in a breakfast taco war, Gunderson said he’s Team San Antonio through and through.
“I like the vibes in Austin, but it’s good to be home in San Antonio,” said Gunderson, who will be dismayed to learn that his favorite local breakfast taco joint, Cachito de Mexico, closed after he graduated from UIW. “There’s a great atmosphere in San Antonio, and we’re glad to be part of this step in the right direction for soccer in San Antonio.”
For Araujo (favorite breakfast taco: Taco Taco), he called his relationship with San Antonio “love at first sight.” This was the Brazilian’s first home in America, and he said he was shocked by how welcoming San Antonians were as soon as he arrived.
“When this chance to play pro soccer came,” Araujo said, “all I could think about was how lucky I am to do what I love in a city I love.”
Araujo said he’s been impressed by the way San Antonio has grown as a soccer city, even in his four years here. Cardone, who has spent almost his whole life in San Antonio, going to MacArthur High School, Trinity, and playing for the Scorpions, said he’s overwhelmed by the growth of soccer in the city.
The supporters groups such as the Crocketeers and Mission City 118 have a lot to do with that, as well as the rise in popularity of youth soccer in the city.
“I see more and more parents putting their kids in soccer,” Cardone said. “It means a lot to be the guy who grew up here, setting an example for kids in this community. Hopefully, they’ll grow up wanting to play for San Antonio FC.”
Growing up in San Antonio, Matt Cardone often drove by the abandoned Longhorn Quarry on Thousand Oaks Drive.
Just four miles and four turns from his house, the abandoned site was more useful for ghost stories than anything.
Then construction crews came in and a stadium went up. Toyota Field and the STAR Soccer Complex are there, giving Cardone an office in San Antonio.
“You never thought there’d be a nice soccer stadium in the middle of a quarry,” Cardone said. “Then all these fields came. To think this could he the home of an MLS team someday, I never thought such a big stage would come to my hometown.”
Cardone, a goalkeeper, is one of four San Antonio FC with local ties.
Cardone and midfielder Victor Araujo both played college soccer at Trinity University, defender Max Gunderson went to school a mile away from them at the University of the Incarnate Word, and midfielder Rafa Castillo played for the San Antonio Scorpions for two seasons.
All four call San Antonio home, and have spent the past few weeks showing their teammates around town. While the River Walk is nice, the main thing the San Antonians told players about was the city’s attitude and mentality.
“Being a San Antonian means always giving your best and working for the person next to you,” Gunderson said. “Everybody in this city is friendly and kind, and living by that mentality means that the name on the front of the kit is always bigger than the name on the back.”
Gunderson went to school in San Antonio for four years, but also spent two seasons playing for the Austin Aztex. While San Antonio and Austin are currently embroiled in a breakfast taco war, Gunderson said he’s Team San Antonio through and through.
“I like the vibes in Austin, but it’s good to be home in San Antonio,” said Gunderson, who will be dismayed to learn that his favorite local breakfast taco joint, Cachito de Mexico, closed after he graduated from UIW. “There’s a great atmosphere in San Antonio, and we’re glad to be part of this step in the right direction for soccer in San Antonio.”
For Araujo (favorite breakfast taco: Taco Taco), he called his relationship with San Antonio “love at first sight.” This was the Brazilian’s first home in America, and he said he was shocked by how welcoming San Antonians were as soon as he arrived.
“When this chance to play pro soccer came,” Araujo said, “all I could think about was how lucky I am to do what I love in a city I love.”
Araujo said he’s been impressed by the way San Antonio has grown as a soccer city, even in his four years here. Cardone, who has spent almost his whole life in San Antonio, going to MacArthur High School, Trinity, and playing for the Scorpions, said he’s overwhelmed by the growth of soccer in the city.
The supporters groups such as the Crocketeers and Mission City 118 have a lot to do with that, as well as the rise in popularity of youth soccer in the city.
“I see more and more parents putting their kids in soccer,” Cardone said. “It means a lot to be the guy who grew up here, setting an example for kids in this community. Hopefully, they’ll grow up wanting to play for San Antonio FC.”
