By ROY HESS | The Brownsville Herald
Just like any standout athlete, Carlos Vasquez wants to continue playing his sport at a high level.
The former Brownsville Veterans Memorial soccer player who starred for Our Lady of the Lake University in San Antonio before graduating in 2017 is getting an opportunity to continue his soccer career with FC Brownsville as a central defender and team captain.
The newly formed soccer squad, known as the Coyotes, is a fourth division semi-professional expansion team that will be playing in the National Premier Soccer League under the auspices of the U.S. Soccer Federation.
“I heard about the team because I had a lot of friends who came to try out for it,” said Vasquez, the older brother of Brownsville Veterans quarterback Gustavo Vasquez who is completing his first school year as a teacher at Burns Elementary in Brownsville. “It was something local, and here in Brownsville, soccer is very big. So it came about (that I got involved) and started playing with the team and I’ve been here ever since.”
The inaugural NPSL game for FC Brownsville takes place at 7 p.m. Saturday at Brownsville Sports Park, the site of all the team’s home matches. The opponent will be the Midland/Odessa Sockers, the club that took second in the league last season.
“We’ve had some practice games against Laredo Community College and against local opponents just to get our guys going and to see who is going to be playing where,” said Vasquez, who earned all-conference honors and served as a team captain at OLLU. “Our biggest thing right now is playing our first league game Saturday against a very tough Midland/Odessa team. This is a very exciting project that they’re doing (putting together this team) here in Brownsville. The players really look forward to being a part of it.
“Thankfully, I was given a chance to be a part of it, just like all the other guys that are on the roster,” added Vasquez, who received his degree at OLLU in kinesiology with a minor in psychology. “It’s all about making the most of this opportunity and being able to present the team, the logo, each other and get the name out there to support the city of Brownsville.
“There’s soccer talent here in Brownsville. There’s a lot of talent. It’s a matter of being able to display it and show it every time we play. The majority of us on this team have already played in high school and many have gone on to play in college.”
At a press conference earlier this week to introduce FC Brownsville, team co-owner and general manager Francisco Chavez said approximately 80 percent of the squad’s roster is composed of players from the immediate area.
“We’re going to do everything we can to the best of our ability,” Vasquez said. “We want to work as a group, succeed and make a very good impression. We want to represent Brownsville the way it should be represented in soccer, especially knowing that everyone is aware Brownsville is a soccer city. There’s no doubt about it.”
For more information about the team, go to fcbrownsville.net
Roy Hess covers sports for The Brownsville Herald. You can reach him via email at [email protected]. On Twitter he’s @HessRgehess