Experienced center back returns to SAFC for ninth professional season
SAN ANTONIO (Dec. 4, 2025) – San Antonio FC has re-signed defender Alex Crognale, pending league and federation approval. Per team policy, terms of the deal were not disclosed.
Crognale becomes the 13th returner from San Antonio’s 2025 squad, playing 1,943 minutes in 22 matches across all competitions before sustaining a shoulder injury in August. The 31-year-old finished the season first on the team in aerial duels won (47), second in clearances (88) and fourth in blocks (6).
A USL Championship veteran, Crognale previously spent time at Orange County SC (2018), Indy Eleven (2019) and, most notably, Birmingham Legion FC (2020-24), racking up more than 18,000 minutes in 182 regular season league appearances. The Columbus, Ohio native signed a Homegrown Player contract with Columbus Crew ahead of the 2017 MLS season and went on to record 34 appearances in three seasons.
Before turning pro, Crognale played collegiately at the University of Maryland from 2013-16, featuring in 76 matches with the Terrapins. In 2016, he captained the team to its third straight Big 10 Conference Championship, earning Big 10 Defensive Player of the Year and First Team All-American honors.
