Darren Powell arrived in San Antonio on a Wednesday night in January and took a cab straight to the AT&T center. While the Spurs played on the court, Powell was in an office about 100 feet away. He was given a polo shirt, a laptop, and went to work.
Powell was the coach of a new USL franchise that didn’t have a name, logo or a player on the roster. And training camp was set to begin in six weeks.
Imagine drafting a fantasy football team, but picking after other teams had already set their rosters and having to negotiate a contract after every pick.
That was Powell’s task, and the result is a team loaded with MLS experience that expects to compete for a USL playoff spot from the opening kickoff.
Powell’s sell to players was simple: they had a chance to be a part of something from Day One. Powell’s pitch was one of San Antonio, the seventh largest city in the nation with a built-in soccer fanbase. It was of Spurs Sports & Entertainment, an organization with a precedent of success. And a long-term goal for the franchise to reach the MLS.
“We looked for ambitious players who shared the same vision that we have for this organization,” Powell said. “It wasn’t just about enthusiasm – the guys on our roster wanted to get to San Antonio as fast as possible.”
When he was named head coach, Powell said his first task was to seek out the pool of available players. While many were under contract with other teams, he found a large number of highly qualified players who were still free agents waiting for the right opportunity. They were weighing options from MLS, USL or NASL clubs, or deciding on the possibility of playing internationally.
Powell still had time in January, two months before the MLS season and three months before the USL season. As long as he acted quickly.
He formed a list of about 75 available players, including his top 22 – two names at each position.
“I’d say we got about 90 percent of those players we wanted the most,” San Antonio FC managing director Tim Holt said. “And I’d say the reason is because of Darren’s reputation amongst players.”
While San Antonio FC is Powell’s first head coaching job at the professional level, he was uniquely qualified to build a team in a matter of weeks. He spent the previous two seasons as director of the pro academy at Orlando City SC, where he saw most of the nation’s best young players come through. And as head men’s soccer coach at Division I Elon University for nine seasons before that, Powell recruited many of the players who are on San Antonio FC’s roster today.
“You’re always watching for players,” Powell said. “Any time there’s a match on, wherever it is, your mind is always churning.”
On April 9, 15 Americans and 7 internationals will represent San Antonio when SAFC plays its first home game at Toyota Field. This is how the team was built.
Darren Powell arrived in San Antonio on a Wednesday night in January and took a cab straight to the AT&T center. While the Spurs played on the court, Powell was in an office about 100 feet away. He was given a polo shirt, a laptop, and went to work.
Powell was the coach of a new USL franchise that didn’t have a name, logo or a player on the roster. And training camp was set to begin in six weeks.
Imagine drafting a fantasy football team, but picking after other teams had already set their rosters and having to negotiate a contract after every pick.
That was Powell’s task, and the result is a team loaded with MLS experience that expects to compete for a USL playoff spot from the opening kickoff.
Powell’s sell to players was simple: they had a chance to be a part of something from Day One. Powell’s pitch was one of San Antonio, the seventh largest city in the nation with a built-in soccer fanbase. It was of Spurs Sports & Entertainment, an organization with a precedent of success. And a long-term goal for the franchise to reach the MLS.
“We looked for ambitious players who shared the same vision that we have for this organization,” Powell said. “It wasn’t just about enthusiasm – the guys on our roster wanted to get to San Antonio as fast as possible.”
When he was named head coach, Powell said his first task was to seek out the pool of available players. While many were under contract with other teams, he found a large number of highly qualified players who were still free agents waiting for the right opportunity. They were weighing options from MLS, USL or NASL clubs, or deciding on the possibility of playing internationally.
Powell still had time in January, two months before the MLS season and three months before the USL season. As long as he acted quickly.
He formed a list of about 75 available players, including his top 22 – two names at each position.
“I’d say we got about 90 percent of those players we wanted the most,” San Antonio FC managing director Tim Holt said. “And I’d say the reason is because of Darren’s reputation amongst players.”
While San Antonio FC is Powell’s first head coaching job at the professional level, he was uniquely qualified to build a team in a matter of weeks. He spent the previous two seasons as director of the pro academy at Orlando City SC, where he saw most of the nation’s best young players come through. And as head men’s soccer coach at Division I Elon University for nine seasons before that, Powell recruited many of the players who are on San Antonio FC’s roster today.
“You’re always watching for players,” Powell said. “Any time there’s a match on, wherever it is, your mind is always churning.”
On April 9, 15 Americans and 7 internationals will represent San Antonio when SAFC plays its first home game at Toyota Field. This is how the team was built.
The Spine
Powell’s first calls were in search of The Spine of the team, the center of the lineup from goalkeeper to center back to center midfielder and forward. He landed four players, all with MLS experience, who were intrigued by the chance to start with a franchise from the ground floor.
Midfielder Carlos Alvarez was the first player to join the team. The second overall pick in the 2013 MLS Superdraft, Alvarez also was a Big East midfielder of the year at Connecticut. After playing for Chivas USA and Colorado in the MLS, Alvarez also spent much of 2015 on loan to the USL’s Charlotte Independence.
While he had offers from MLS teams, Alvarez said the chance to play for Powell and help build the identity of San Antonio FC appealed to him the most. Alvarez fits the type of style Powell plans to implement, a uptempo, attacking system. He also fit the profile of a young, ambitious face of the franchise.
“It’s something I bought into right away,” Alvarez said. “I’m ready to work. Coach Powell demands the most out of us, and we should demand the most out of ourselves. His vision was something I could see.”
Center back Stephen McCarthy was next. With the 27-year-old McCarthy, SAFC landed a player with four seasons and 69 games of MLS experience with the New England Revolution. In 2012, local media named him the team’s best defender. McCarthy, a Dallas native, spent 2015 playing in Finland and said he jumped at the chance to return to Texas.
“One of the biggest things for all of us was the chance to play for Darren, and everything else fell into place,” McCarthy said. “He as a person was the initial draw for me. You want a coach who will push you, and Darren always demands perfection.”
McCarthy pounded his fist on the table with each of the last four words. Darren. Always. Demands. Perfection.
Two players in, Powell had set the tone for his team.
Veteran leadership was a key for Powell at goalkeeper, and he didn’t look far to find it. Former Orlando City goalkeeper Josh Ford, who also spent four seasons with the Seattle Sounders, signed on.
In 2015, Ford was loaned to the NASL’s Fort Lauderdale Strikers. His first game happened to be in San Antonio against the Scorpions, and Ford said he left the match impressed by the San Antonio soccer fanbase. In April, he’ll be playing for them.
“I’ve been in Seattle, which went from USL to MLS,” Ford said. “I’ve been in Orlando, which went from USL to MLS. I saw how those fans turned their homes into soccer cities, and San Antonio has the chance to do the same.”
At forward, Powell reached out to forward Jason Johnson, a Jamaican who spent three seasons with the MLS’ Houston Dynamo and 2015 with the Chicago Fire. The No. 13 overall pick in the 2013 MLS SuperDraft, Johnson crossed paths with Powell as a sophomore in college, when he scored a goal on Powell’s Elon Phoenix in 2011.
Within his first few calls, Powell had four players with heavy MLS experience as his core. And he was still getting started.
“These players know the goals of the organization to drive this forward to MLS, and I think that helped with the recruitment process,” Powell said.
Top Timing
Soccer may be the world’s most popular game, but the community of American soccer players is a small network by comparison. Even in San Antonio FC’s first four players, Alvarez and Ford played college soccer together and McCarthy had been recruited by Powell to play at Elon.
As Johnson was agreeing to play the 2016 season in San Antonio, word of mouth was beginning to spread about an opportunity in South Texas. And one of Johnson’s Chicago Fire teammates was looking for a job.
Defender Greg Cochrane spent the past three seasons in the MLS, 2013 with the LA Galaxy and the past two campaigns with the Fire.
He expected to spend 2016 with a team in the highest division of Sweden’s soccer league. But after a few weeks in Scandinavia, Cochrane sensed that it wasn’t going to work out. He took a flight back to the States. By then, MLS camps had already begun, and Cochrane worried he might have to scramble to find a new team. The timing turned out to be perfect for a new USL side in South Texas.
“After about a day of being home, there was that moment of ‘oh man, I’ve got to find a team,’” Cochrane said. “Then I found out about San Antonio, and I couldn’t be happier about where I am now.”
The Spine
Powell’s first calls were in search of The Spine of the team, the center of the lineup from goalkeeper to center back to center midfielder and forward. He landed four players, all with MLS experience, who were intrigued by the chance to start with a franchise from the ground floor.
Midfielder Carlos Alvarez was the first player to join the team. The second overall pick in the 2013 MLS Superdraft, Alvarez also was a Big East midfielder of the year at Connecticut. After playing for Chivas USA and Colorado in the MLS, Alvarez also spent much of 2015 on loan to the USL’s Charlotte Independence.
While he had offers from MLS teams, Alvarez said the chance to play for Powell and help build the identity of San Antonio FC appealed to him the most. Alvarez fits the type of style Powell plans to implement, a uptempo, attacking system. He also fit the profile of a young, ambitious face of the franchise.
“It’s something I bought into right away,” Alvarez said. “I’m ready to work. Coach Powell demands the most out of us, and we should demand the most out of ourselves. His vision was something I could see.”
Center back Stephen McCarthy was next. With the 27-year-old McCarthy, SAFC landed a player with four seasons and 69 games of MLS experience with the New England Revolution. In 2012, local media named him the team’s best defender. McCarthy, a Dallas native, spent 2015 playing in Finland and said he jumped at the chance to return to Texas.
“One of the biggest things for all of us was the chance to play for Darren, and everything else fell into place,” McCarthy said. “He as a person was the initial draw for me. You want a coach who will push you, and Darren always demands perfection.”
McCarthy pounded his fist on the table with each of the last four words. Darren. Always. Demands. Perfection.
Two players in, Powell had set the tone for his team.
Veteran leadership was a key for Powell at goalkeeper, and he didn’t look far to find it. Former Orlando City goalkeeper Josh Ford, who also spent four seasons with the Seattle Sounders, signed on.
In 2015, Ford was loaned to the NASL’s Fort Lauderdale Strikers. His first game happened to be in San Antonio against the Scorpions, and Ford said he left the match impressed by the San Antonio soccer fanbase. In April, he’ll be playing for them.
“I’ve been in Seattle, which went from USL to MLS,” Ford said. “I’ve been in Orlando, which went from USL to MLS. I saw how those fans turned their homes into soccer cities, and San Antonio has the chance to do the same.”
At forward, Powell reached out to forward Jason Johnson, a Jamaican who spent three seasons with the MLS’ Houston Dynamo and 2015 with the Chicago Fire. The No. 13 overall pick in the 2013 MLS SuperDraft, Johnson crossed paths with Powell as a sophomore in college, when he scored a goal on Powell’s Elon Phoenix in 2011.
Within his first few calls, Powell had four players with heavy MLS experience as his core. And he was still getting started.
“These players know the goals of the organization to drive this forward to MLS, and I think that helped with the recruitment process,” Powell said.
Top Timing
Soccer may be the world’s most popular game, but the community of American soccer players is a small network by comparison. Even in San Antonio FC’s first four players, Alvarez and Ford played college soccer together and McCarthy had been recruited by Powell to play at Elon.
As Johnson was agreeing to play the 2016 season in San Antonio, word of mouth was beginning to spread about an opportunity in South Texas. And one of Johnson’s Chicago Fire teammates was looking for a job.
Defender Greg Cochrane spent the past three seasons in the MLS, 2013 with the LA Galaxy and the past two campaigns with the Fire.
He expected to spend 2016 with a team in the highest division of Sweden’s soccer league. But after a few weeks in Scandinavia, Cochrane sensed that it wasn’t going to work out. He took a flight back to the States. By then, MLS camps had already begun, and Cochrane worried he might have to scramble to find a new team. The timing turned out to be perfect for a new USL side in South Texas.
“After about a day of being home, there was that moment of ‘oh man, I’ve got to find a team,’” Cochrane said. “Then I found out about San Antonio, and I couldn’t be happier about where I am now.”
Veteran midfielder Michael Reed found himself without a team in January, through no fault of his own. Having spent four seasons playing in the NASL, including 2015 with the Atlanta Silverbacks, Reed was hit with stunning news in January when the Silverbacks could not find new ownership and the NASL suspended its operation.
Reed was orphaned, but had a contact with SAFC assistant coach Andy Thompson. Two days after his club collapsed, he got a call from Powell.
“It was a unique situation,” Reed said. “But it kind of shows you that if you work hard, people are going to find you.”
One of SAFC’s last arrivals was forward Manolo Sanchez, who spent 2015 with the MLS’ New York Red Bulls. He
was invited back to training camp with the Red Bulls as a trialist, but left the club in early February. Rather than wait to see if another MLS club would pick him up, Sanchez listened to Powell’s pitch.
“I was really looking for a good fit,” Sanchez said. “At the same time, my agent and I found out about this team starting up that’s owned by Spurs Sports & Entertainment. Darren calls a day later.”
Sanchez said he’s been impressed by the direction of SAFC even after a couple of weeks. If he were to look at SAFC by the way the organization was being managed, Sanchez said he would have assumed it was already an MLS team.
“I’m coming from the New York Red Bulls, an MLS club where everything’s first-class,” Sanchez said. “I get here, and everything is run just as well.”
Finding Balance
Seeking ambitious players, Powell has assembled a young team, where the median age of the club is 25. Former San Antonio Scorpions star forward Rafa Castillo, at the age of 35, is the only player over 30.
It’s a tricky line to walk, though, finding the correct mix of youth and experience. Enter a player like midfielder Danny Garcia, a seasoned MLS veteran at the age of 22.
Garcia, a Dallas native, led FC Dallas to a U17/U18 Development Academy title in 2012, was named ACC Freshman of the Year at North Carolina in 2013, and signed a contract with FC Dallas in the Summer of 2013.
Garcia has played for the United States’ under-18 and under-20 national teams, but his playing time in Dallas was limited because of a deep roster. The Texas talent didn’t have to look far for his next landing spot.
“Danny’s a very talented and skillful player who’s exciting to watch,” Powell said.
“He’s been in the MLS behind some exceptional players, so he’s waiting for his opportunity. We’re happy to give him that opportunity.”
Another player with international experience is midfielder Sebastien Thuriere, 26, who helped Haiti qualify for the Copa America for the first time in 2016. Thuriere, whose mother is Haitian, hails from St. Petersburg, Florida and played college soccer at the University of South Florida, 100 miles from Orlando City’s Citrus Bowl.
Forward Shawn Chin was a teammate of Thuriere at South Florida, and spent the 2015 season with the NASL’s Fort Lauderdale Strikers.
“We’ve put together a roster that has a very high talent quotient,” Holt said. “It’s a roster that can compete for a postseason place in this league.”
Veteran midfielder Michael Reed found himself without a team in January, through no fault of his own. Having spent four seasons playing in the NASL, including 2015 with the Atlanta Silverbacks, Reed was hit with stunning news in January when the Silverbacks could not find new ownership and the NASL suspended its operation.
Reed was orphaned, but had a contact with SAFC assistant coach Andy Thompson. Two days after his club collapsed, he got a call from Powell.
“It was a unique situation,” Reed said. “But it kind of shows you that if you work hard, people are going to find you.”
One of SAFC’s last arrivals was forward Manolo Sanchez, who spent 2015 with the MLS’ New York Red Bulls. He
was invited back to training camp with the Red Bulls as a trialist, but left the club in early February. Rather than wait to see if another MLS club would pick him up, Sanchez listened to Powell’s pitch.
“I was really looking for a good fit,” Sanchez said. “At the same time, my agent and I found out about this team starting up that’s owned by Spurs Sports & Entertainment. Darren calls a day later.”
Sanchez said he’s been impressed by the direction of SAFC even after a couple of weeks. If he were to look at SAFC by the way the organization was being managed, Sanchez said he would have assumed it was already an MLS team.
“I’m coming from the New York Red Bulls, an MLS club where everything’s first-class,” Sanchez said. “I get here, and everything is run just as well.”
Finding Balance
Seeking ambitious players, Powell has assembled a young team, where the median age of the club is 25. Former San Antonio Scorpions star forward Rafa Castillo, at the age of 35, is the only player over 30.
It’s a tricky line to walk, though, finding the correct mix of youth and experience. Enter a player like midfielder Danny Garcia, a seasoned MLS veteran at the age of 22.
Garcia, a Dallas native, led FC Dallas to a U17/U18 Development Academy title in 2012, was named ACC Freshman of the Year at North Carolina in 2013, and signed a contract with FC Dallas in the Summer of 2013.
Garcia has played for the United States’ under-18 and under-20 national teams, but his playing time in Dallas was limited because of a deep roster. The Texas talent didn’t have to look far for his next landing spot.
“Danny’s a very talented and skillful player who’s exciting to watch,” Powell said.
“He’s been in the MLS behind some exceptional players, so he’s waiting for his opportunity. We’re happy to give him that opportunity.”
Another player with international experience is midfielder Sebastien Thuriere, 26, who helped Haiti qualify for the Copa America for the first time in 2016. Thuriere, whose mother is Haitian, hails from St. Petersburg, Florida and played college soccer at the University of South Florida, 100 miles from Orlando City’s Citrus Bowl.
Forward Shawn Chin was a teammate of Thuriere at South Florida, and spent the 2015 season with the NASL’s Fort Lauderdale Strikers.
“We’ve put together a roster that has a very high talent quotient,” Holt said. “It’s a roster that can compete for a postseason place in this league.”
Looking Near and Far
While McCarthy may have been in Finland before coming to San Antonio and Cochrane was in Sweden, a large bulk of the roster didn’t require Powell to do much searching.
Eight of the players either grew up in Texas or played college or pro soccer in Texas.
Another group of players has ties to Powell at Elon University.
Elon, North Carolina is located 20 miles from Greensboro, where Powell also served as a staff coach at the Greensboro Soccer Club. It’s also the home of the Carolina Dynamo, a Premier Development League team that counts five SAFC players, including McCarthy and defender Fejiro Okiomah, among its alumni. The PDL, an amateur soccer league, has been a proving ground for young Americans including Brian Ching and DeAndre Yedlin.
Powell looks at a SAFC roster is amused by the number of players he first saw years ago. He reels off the list of guys he recruited to play at Elon. Alvarez, Jason Johnson, McCarthy and almost half of the roster. Sanchez ended up playing at Clemson, and it was Elon knocking Clemson out of the NCAA tournament in 2013.
“It’s all connected,” Powell said. “Interactions matter, whether it was years ago or last week. Players talk to each other, and they knew what we were looking for.”
Three of Powell’s former Elon players, midfielder Miguel Salazar, defender Sam McBride and defender Austin Dunker joined the team as soon as Powell called.
Salazar, a four-year starter and 2015 graduate, was a first-team all-conference player (CAA) who was invited to the MLS combine. McBride played every minute of the 2015 season and helped Elon record nine shutouts. Dunker, a 2014 graduate, has also played for the Seattle Sounders’ U-23 squad.
“He’s a father figure to us,” Salazar said.
As soon as he arrived in Texas, Powell used his NCAA contacts to begin mining information from local college coaches and soccer scouts. With a wealth of soccer talent in Texas, a group of players soon topped his wish list.
Some players had lengthy resumes that needed no recommendation. Rafa Castillo’s bicycle kick goal for the Scorpions in the 2014 NASL Championship earned his place in San Antonio soccer history. When his signing was announced at the SAFC name and logo unveiling event in February, fans who caught a glimpse of Castillo walking backstage erupted and began chanting his name.
Looking Near and Far
While McCarthy may have been in Finland before coming to San Antonio and Cochrane was in Sweden, a large bulk of the roster didn’t require Powell to do much searching.
Eight of the players either grew up in Texas or played college or pro soccer in Texas.
Another group of players has ties to Powell at Elon University.
Elon, North Carolina is located 20 miles from Greensboro, where Powell also served as a staff coach at the Greensboro Soccer Club. It’s also the home of the Carolina Dynamo, a Premier Development League team that counts five SAFC players, including McCarthy and defender Fejiro Okiomah, among its alumni. The PDL, an amateur soccer league, has been a proving ground for young Americans including Brian Ching and DeAndre Yedlin.
Powell looks at a SAFC roster is amused by the number of players he first saw years ago. He reels off the list of guys he recruited to play at Elon. Alvarez, Jason Johnson, McCarthy and almost half of the roster. Sanchez ended up playing at Clemson, and it was Elon knocking Clemson out of the NCAA tournament in 2013.
“It’s all connected,” Powell said. “Interactions matter, whether it was years ago or last week. Players talk to each other, and they knew what we were looking for.”
Three of Powell’s former Elon players, midfielder Miguel Salazar, defender Sam McBride and defender Austin Dunker joined the team as soon as Powell called.
Salazar, a four-year starter and 2015 graduate, was a first-team all-conference player (CAA) who was invited to the MLS combine. McBride played every minute of the 2015 season and helped Elon record nine shutouts. Dunker, a 2014 graduate, has also played for the Seattle Sounders’ U-23 squad.
“He’s a father figure to us,” Salazar said.
As soon as he arrived in Texas, Powell used his NCAA contacts to begin mining information from local college coaches and soccer scouts. With a wealth of soccer talent in Texas, a group of players soon topped his wish list.
Some players had lengthy resumes that needed no recommendation. Rafa Castillo’s bicycle kick goal for the Scorpions in the 2014 NASL Championship earned his place in San Antonio soccer history. When his signing was announced at the SAFC name and logo unveiling event in February, fans who caught a glimpse of Castillo walking backstage erupted and began chanting his name.
Powell was quite familiar with goalkeeper Matt Cardone as well, because Cardone was a 2015 trialist with Orlando City SC. Cardone grew up four miles away from Toyota Field, playing high school soccer at MacArthur High School, college soccer at San Antonio’s Trinity University and pro soccer with the Scorpions last season. Cardone was a two-time Division III All-American at Trinity.
There will be three former Scorpions on the SAFC roster, with defender Milton Palacios joining Castillo and Cardone. Palacios, a Honduran, played in the United States for the first time last season.
Another Trinity Tiger, Brazilian midfielder Victor Araujo, and University of the Incarnate Word defender Max Gunderson played college soccer in San Antonio as well.
Araujo was a Division III All-American who scored 20 career goals. Gunderson was a member of the PDL Austin Aztex team that won the 2013 PDL National Championship and spent last season with the USL’s Aztex side.
Another Austinite, Okiomah, joins Gunderson on the backline. He spent last season with the USL’s Pittsburgh Riverhounds.
“I had not spent much time in San Antonio before I got here, making people like (Trinity men’s soccer coach) Paul McGinlay vital,” Powell said. “You rely on people you trust, whether it’s coaches or people in the soccer community. With the local ties, that was even more relevant.”
It was a furious six weeks for Powell and Holt, but one with a huge potential payoff. When San Antonio FC takes the field for the first time, the men wearing the SAFC jersey will be ambitious players with plenty of MLS experience and a drive to build soccer fever in San Antonio.
One has lived in San Antonio for his entire life. Others have been here for three weeks. But they are all San Antonians now.
As pleased as they were by the way the roster fell into place, by the perfect timing here and the right connection there, Powell and Holt stressed one more thing with how SAFC was built:
They’re far from finished.
“There’s not a day that goes by that you’re not continuing to look to add additional pieces,” Holt said. “We feel pretty good where things are, but if there’s a way for us to get better, we’re going to take a shot.”
-Lorne Chan
lchan@attcenter.com
Twitter:@lornechan
Powell was quite familiar with goalkeeper Matt Cardone as well, because Cardone was a 2015 trialist with Orlando City SC. Cardone grew up four miles away from Toyota Field, playing high school soccer at MacArthur High School, college soccer at San Antonio’s Trinity University and pro soccer with the Scorpions last season. Cardone was a two-time Division III All-American at Trinity.
There will be three former Scorpions on the SAFC roster, with defender Milton Palacios joining Castillo and Cardone. Palacios, a Honduran, played in the United States for the first time last season.
Another Trinity Tiger, Brazilian midfielder Victor Araujo, and University of the Incarnate Word defender Max Gunderson played college soccer in San Antonio as well.
Araujo was a Division III All-American who scored 20 career goals. Gunderson was a member of the PDL Austin Aztex team that won the 2013 PDL National Championship and spent last season with the USL’s Aztex side.
Another Austinite, Okiomah, joins Gunderson on the backline. He spent last season with the USL’s Pittsburgh Riverhounds.
“I had not spent much time in San Antonio before I got here, making people like (Trinity men’s soccer coach) Paul McGinlay vital,” Powell said. “You rely on people you trust, whether it’s coaches or people in the soccer community. With the local ties, that was even more relevant.”
It was a furious six weeks for Powell and Holt, but one with a huge potential payoff. When San Antonio FC takes the field for the first time, the men wearing the SAFC jersey will be ambitious players with plenty of MLS experience and a drive to build soccer fever in San Antonio.
One has lived in San Antonio for his entire life. Others have been here for three weeks. But they are all San Antonians now.
As pleased as they were by the way the roster fell into place, by the perfect timing here and the right connection there, Powell and Holt stressed one more thing with how SAFC was built:
They’re far from finished.
“There’s not a day that goes by that you’re not continuing to look to add additional pieces,” Holt said. “We feel pretty good where things are, but if there’s a way for us to get better, we’re going to take a shot.”
-Lorne Chan
lchan@attcenter.com
Twitter:@lornechan
