Before there was a San Antonio FC, there were Rafa and Billy.
Rafa Castillo, the wise veteran from Colombia, joined the NASL’s Scorpions in 2014 to continue a career spanning almost 20 seasons. A month later, he met Billy Forbes, a kid from Turks and Caicos on his first professional team.
Together, they led San Antonio to a championship, with Rafa assisting Forbes on the eventual championship-winning goal.
The duo separated for the 2016 season as Castillo stayed in town with a new USL franchise, San Antonio FC, while Forbes signed with Rayo OKC in the NASL. But they never lost touch.
“Rafa was calling me every day when I was in OKC, telling me to come back,” Forbes said.
Billy is back, and the magic between Rafa and Billy never left. It took them 12 minutes on Saturday to renew their connection.
Forbes broke free on the left side of the goal and had his first shot saved, but corralled the rebound and found Castillo open at the top of the box for the goal. It sent the sellout crowd of 8,081 fans into pandemonium at Toyota Field, and part of a perfect night in Forbes’ return home.
He was named SWBC Man of the Match as SAFC defeated LA Galaxy II 3-0 in the club’s home opener.
When Forbes scored a goal of his own in the 77th minute, with the assist coming from another Scorpions alum in Cesar Elizondo, Forbes jumped on a box in front of the crowd.
“I’m back,” he shouted, with his arms outstretched.
What’s new is old for the Scorpions holdovers, who immediately found themselves in a rhythm and at home playing together.
Elizondo also assisted on Forbes’ goal in a 1-0 road win at RGV FC last week. SAFC has opened with wins against two of the Western Conference’s top five teams last season, and Friday’s opponent, Colorado Springs Switchbacks, finished third in the West in 2016.““I think the wins give everyone in the locker room confidence,” Forbes said. “Knowing that we have some new guys, it’s up to the old guys to make us feel welcome, and you can tell by the way we played that it’s good so far.”
Before there was a San Antonio FC, there were Rafa and Billy.
Rafa Castillo, the wise veteran from Colombia, joined the NASL’s Scorpions in 2014 to continue a career spanning almost 20 seasons. A month later, he met Billy Forbes, a kid from Turks and Caicos on his first professional team.
Together, they led San Antonio to a championship, with Rafa assisting Forbes on the eventual championship-winning goal.
The duo separated for the 2016 season as Castillo stayed in town with a new USL franchise, San Antonio FC, while Forbes signed with Rayo OKC in the NASL. But they never lost touch.
“Rafa was calling me every day when I was in OKC, telling me to come back,” Forbes said.
Billy is back, and the magic between Rafa and Billy never left. It took them 12 minutes on Saturday to renew their connection.
Forbes broke free on the left side of the goal and had his first shot saved, but corralled the rebound and found Castillo open at the top of the box for the goal. It sent the sellout crowd of 8,081 fans into pandemonium at Toyota Field, and part of a perfect night in Forbes’ return home.
He was named SWBC Man of the Match as SAFC defeated LA Galaxy II 3-0 in the club’s home opener.
When Forbes scored a goal of his own in the 77th minute, with the assist coming from another Scorpions alum in Cesar Elizondo, Forbes jumped on a box in front of the crowd.
“I’m back,” he shouted, with his arms outstretched.
What’s new is old for the Scorpions holdovers, who immediately found themselves in a rhythm and at home playing together.
Elizondo also assisted on Forbes’ goal in a 1-0 road win at RGV FC last week. SAFC has opened with wins against two of the Western Conference’s top five teams last season, and Friday’s opponent, Colorado Springs Switchbacks, finished third in the West in 2016.““I think the wins give everyone in the locker room confidence,” Forbes said. “Knowing that we have some new guys, it’s up to the old guys to make us feel welcome, and you can tell by the way we played that it’s good so far.”
Following SAFC’s inaugural season, coach Darren Powell and managing director Tim Holt spent the offseason evaluating improvements for 2017.
Powell made bolstering the back line a priority, signing Cyprian Hedrick, Sebastien Ibeagha and Ben Newnam. Through two games, goalkeeper Matt Cardone has two clean sheets, and has needed five total saves to do it.
With six weeks between the announcement of the SAFC franchise and the start of training camp in 2016, Powell was hit with a whirlwind entering his first season leading a pro club. Given a full offseason to assess player fits and team needs, the difference in the lineup two games into the 2017 campaign has shown.
“A year ago was a long time, and I was just proud to be the head coach of San Antonio FC,” Powell said. “Everything was new on that journey. This year, we have a little more experience, and when you’ve gone through a process, you know what to expect. We know it’s a very long season and we have a lot of work to do, but we have a group of players that are prepared to do that and are coming in every day with the right attitude and focus.”
Holt said he could tell that the fans noticed the difference in this year’s club based on the energy from the night. The San Antonio favorites were back together.
When Forbes jumped on the box and shouted, “I’m back,” thousands of fans had their arms out like Forbes to welcome him.
“Last year, you had a boost with the novelty of our first game,” Holt said. “But this, to have another sellout, more season ticket members and engaged fans with this much energy. This is a great indicator of San Antonio’s excitement for soccer."
Following SAFC’s inaugural season, coach Darren Powell and managing director Tim Holt spent the offseason evaluating improvements for 2017.
Powell made bolstering the back line a priority, signing Cyprian Hedrick, Sebastien Ibeagha and Ben Newnam. Through two games, goalkeeper Matt Cardone has two clean sheets, and has needed five total saves to do it.
With six weeks between the announcement of the SAFC franchise and the start of training camp in 2016, Powell was hit with a whirlwind entering his first season leading a pro club. Given a full offseason to assess player fits and team needs, the difference in the lineup two games into the 2017 campaign has shown.
“A year ago was a long time, and I was just proud to be the head coach of San Antonio FC,” Powell said. “Everything was new on that journey. This year, we have a little more experience, and when you’ve gone through a process, you know what to expect. We know it’s a very long season and we have a lot of work to do, but we have a group of players that are prepared to do that and are coming in every day with the right attitude and focus.”
Holt said he could tell that the fans noticed the difference in this year’s club based on the energy from the night. The San Antonio favorites were back together.
When Forbes jumped on the box and shouted, “I’m back,” thousands of fans had their arms out like Forbes to welcome him.
“Last year, you had a boost with the novelty of our first game,” Holt said. “But this, to have another sellout, more season ticket members and engaged fans with this much energy. This is a great indicator of San Antonio’s excitement for soccer.”
