Fiesta doesn’t officially begin for another five days, but San Antonio started the party early at Toyota Field on Saturday for the inaugural home match of San Antonio FC.
A stadium-record crowd of 8,466, including San Antonio Mayor Ivy Taylor, Bexar County Judge Nelson Wolff, USL President Jake Edwards and Spurs players Boris Diaw, Patty Mills and Boban Marjanovic watched SAFC rally back from an early deficit for a 1-1 draw against Swope Park Rangers.
Fans young and old, 7-foot-3 and shorter, from all parts of San Antonio and beyond came for the historic match as San Antonio FC stayed undefeated in the USL. The biggest raves were about the atmosphere, as the game sold out earlier this week and the fans were loud from kickoff to the final whistle.
“We’ve thought for a while that soccer is a great fit for San Antonio,” Ivy Taylor said. “Soccer’s already an integral part of the community. So many kids in this city are in youth programs, and it’s going to be inspiring for them to see professionals representing their city.”
The tailgate got going at 2 p.m., as supporters groups The Crocketteers and Mission City 118 were joined by almost 1,000 soccer fans in the Toyota Field parking lots. Kids played pickup soccer games, chants began early and often, and a mariachi band topped off the facilities.
Michael Macias, a founder of the Crocketteers, said he was overwhelmed by the response to soccer from San Antonians.
“We’ve been waiting for something like this for a long time, and that’s obvious by the excitement,” Macias said. “I couldn’t even get enough tickets for my family.”
Ethan Ball, an 11-year-old club soccer player, said he always wants to play for SAFC someday. His father, Adam, said he’s excited to see how much soccer’s popularity grows in San Antonio with the addition of SAFC.
“We’ve been watching closely for the last few months,” Adam Ball said. “As soon as we can sign Ethan up for SAFC’s academy, we’re doing it.”
As Mission City 118 marched into the stadium, the noise exploded at Toyota Field for the first glimpse at the team playing on home turf.
They didn’t quiet down after a Swope Park Rangers goal in the second minute, and erupted when Danny Garcia tied the match in the 42nd minute, right in front of the two supporters sections.
Alvarez even gave the fans a priceless souvenir, launching the ball into the crowd after the goal.
“I’m so happy about the crowd,” Alvarez said. “The city came and supported us, hopefully we gave them a great show and they keep coming.”
The fans also broke out into chants for each of the three Spurs players who came to support a fellow Spurs Sports & Entertainment franchise.
“I really enjoyed this night,” Marjanovic said. “Everybody played soccer in our yards in Serbia, and this is great to see here. I’m really proud to be part of this family.”
It might be difficult for fan Cesar Gutierrez to make it to the next home match on April 30 against Tulsa. Gutierrez flew in from Buffalo, New York for the inaugural match on Saturday. He said his nephew was born in San Antonio a month ago, and he used his new godson as an excuse to fly 1,700 miles for the home opener.
“I’m moving back to San Antonio when we get MLS,” Gutierrez said. “I don’t care what my wife says, that’s going to happen.”
For city and county leaders, Saturday’s crowd signified a step into the direction of pushing for an MLS club. As SAFC prepares for the next home game, Wolff said he hopes the crowd is just as loud in a few weeks.
“Soccer is the up and coming sport in the United States,” Wolff said. “We’re joining the world with soccer and the growth of this sport is evolving in San Antonio. Hopefully with trying to get Major League Soccer here in the future, you see the excitement growing.”
Fiesta doesn’t officially begin for another five days, but San Antonio started the party early at Toyota Field on Saturday for the inaugural home match of San Antonio FC.
A stadium-record crowd of 8,466, including San Antonio Mayor Ivy Taylor, Bexar County Judge Nelson Wolff, USL President Jake Edwards and Spurs players Boris Diaw, Patty Mills and Boban Marjanovic watched SAFC rally back from an early deficit for a 1-1 draw against Swope Park Rangers.
Fans young and old, 7-foot-3 and shorter, from all parts of San Antonio and beyond came for the historic match as San Antonio FC stayed undefeated in the USL. The biggest raves were about the atmosphere, as the game sold out earlier this week and the fans were loud from kickoff to the final whistle.
“We’ve thought for a while that soccer is a great fit for San Antonio,” Ivy Taylor said. “Soccer’s already an integral part of the community. So many kids in this city are in youth programs, and it’s going to be inspiring for them to see professionals representing their city.”
The tailgate got going at 2 p.m., as supporters groups The Crocketteers and Mission City 118 were joined by almost 1,000 soccer fans in the Toyota Field parking lots. Kids played pickup soccer games, chants began early and often, and a mariachi band topped off the facilities.
Michael Macias, a founder of the Crocketteers, said he was overwhelmed by the response to soccer from San Antonians.
“We’ve been waiting for something like this for a long time, and that’s obvious by the excitement,” Macias said. “I couldn’t even get enough tickets for my family.”
Ethan Ball, an 11-year-old club soccer player, said he always wants to play for SAFC someday. His father, Adam, said he’s excited to see how much soccer’s popularity grows in San Antonio with the addition of SAFC.
“We’ve been watching closely for the last few months,” Adam Ball said. “As soon as we can sign Ethan up for SAFC’s academy, we’re doing it.”
As Mission City 118 marched into the stadium, the noise exploded at Toyota Field for the first glimpse at the team playing on home turf.
They didn’t quiet down after a Swope Park Rangers goal in the second minute, and erupted when Danny Garcia tied the match in the 42nd minute, right in front of the two supporters sections.
Alvarez even gave the fans a priceless souvenir, launching the ball into the crowd after the goal.
“I’m so happy about the crowd,” Alvarez said. “The city came and supported us, hopefully we gave them a great show and they keep coming.”
The fans also broke out into chants for each of the three Spurs players who came to support a fellow Spurs Sports & Entertainment franchise.
“I really enjoyed this night,” Marjanovic said. “Everybody played soccer in our yards in Serbia, and this is great to see here. I’m really proud to be part of this family.”
It might be difficult for fan Cesar Gutierrez to make it to the next home match on April 30 against Tulsa. Gutierrez flew in from Buffalo, New York for the inaugural match on Saturday. He said his nephew was born in San Antonio a month ago, and he used his new godson as an excuse to fly 1,700 miles for the home opener.
“I’m moving back to San Antonio when we get MLS,” Gutierrez said. “I don’t care what my wife says, that’s going to happen.”
For city and county leaders, Saturday’s crowd signified a step into the direction of pushing for an MLS club. As SAFC prepares for the next home game, Wolff said he hopes the crowd is just as loud in a few weeks.
“Soccer is the up and coming sport in the United States,” Wolff said. “We’re joining the world with soccer and the growth of this sport is evolving in San Antonio. Hopefully with trying to get Major League Soccer here in the future, you see the excitement growing.”
