El Paso Patriots

Chivas El Paso Patriots is an American soccer team based in El Paso, Texas, United States. Founded in 1989, the team plays in the USL Premier Development League (PDL), the fourth tier of the American Soccer Pyramid, in the Mid South Division of the Southern Conference.

The team plays its home games at the soccer-specific Gary Del Palacios Field (Patriot Stadium), where they have played since 2005. The team's colors are red, navy blue and white.

Prior to their stadium being completed in 2005, the Patriots played at the Sun Bowl Stadium on the campus of the University of Texas at El Paso, and at Dudley Field, the former home of the El Paso Diablos baseball team. They are one of the more long-serving franchises in American soccer, having previously played in the first division A-League until 2003.

History

Founded in 1989 as the El Paso Sixshooters and owned and coached by Dan Guard, the team competed in the Southwest Indoor Soccer League.^[1] In January 1990, the team ceased operations.^[2] The team resumed operations in the fall of 1990 as the El Paso Spurs. Before the 1991 season, the Spurs were sold to a group which included primary investor Enrique Cervantes as well as Jaime Monardes. The new ownership group renamed the team the Patriots to capitalize on the Patriot missile's recent success in the Gulf War and hired Brazilian Marinho Chagas as head coach.^[3][4] In 2003, the team played in the Sun Bowl.

Prior to the 2010 PDL season the Patriots signed signed a formal agreement with Mexican Premier Division team Guadalajara, and were officially rebranded as the Chivas El Paso Patriots. In addition to cross-promotion, sponsorship and player development, the agreement will also see the U-20, Division 1A and Division II Chivas teams playing regular games in El Paso.^[5].

Players

Current roster

as at June 25, 2010^[6]

Note: Flags indicate national team as has been defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

Notable former players

• See also: All-time El Paso Patriots roster

• Carlos Farias
• Julio Daniel Frías^[7]
• Freddy Juarez
• Dimitar Popov
• Steve Sengelmann

Year-by-year

Honors

• USL PDL Southern Conference Champions 2005
• USL PDL Mid South Division Champions 2005
• USL PDL Mid South Division Champions 2004
• USISL Pro League South Central Division Champions 1995
• US Open Cup Runners-Up 1995
• USISL Southwest Division Champions 1992

Head coaches

• Dan Guard (1989•1990)
• Marinho Chagas (1991-????)
• Oscar Lira (1995?)
• Francisco Paco Chavez (1996•1999)
• Greg Petersen (2000)
• Alfredo Solares (2001 - interim)
• Carlos Bracamontes (2001)
• Tita (2002)
• Miguel Murillo (2002, 2008)
• Fernando Gutierrez (2003)
• Jesus Enriquez (2004•2006)
• Salvador Mercado (2007)
• Javier McDonald (2008•present)

Stadia

• Sun Bowl Stadium; El Paso, Texas (2003)
• Dudley Field; El Paso, Texas (2004)
• Gary Del Palacios Field (Patriot Stadium); El Paso, Texas (2005•present)

Average attendance

Attendance stats are calculated by averaging each team's self-reported home attendances from the historical match archive at http://www.uslsoccer.com/history/index_E.html.

• 2005: 1,546 (2nd in PDL)
• 2006: 867 (7th in PDL)
• 2007: 789 (8th in PDL)
• 2008: 1,269
• 2009: 607

References

1. ^ Sockadillos silence Sixshooters by scoring amazing 27 goals Austin American-Statesman - Sunday, December 3, 1989
2. ^ Renegades, Albuquerque Vie - El Paso Team Folds Tulsa World - Saturday, January 20, 1990
3. ^ El Paso soccer team fights to make name Fort Worth Star-Telegram - Wednesday, June 12, 1991
4. ^ Renegades' Sunbelt Outdoor Slate Set Tulsa World - Sunday, April 7, 1991
5. ^ Chivas de Guadalajara and El Paso Patriots Sign Agreement
6. ^ http://www.uslsoccer.com/teams/2010/22323.html#ROSTER
7. ^ http://www.elpasotimes.com/ci_11361357

External links

• Official Site
• Official PDL site

Categories: Association football clubs established in 1989 | Teams in the Premier Development League | Soccer clubs in the United States | Texas soccer clubs | SISL teams | USISL teams | Indoor soccer clubs in the United States | A-League (1995•2004) teams