May 8th the Fort Worth Vaqueros will kick off their 2021 NPSL season away to Temple Coyotes FC. In his second season in charge, Vaqueros General Manager Anthony Harris had a few words to share before the season began.
For Harris, it starts with the returning core roster. “We have a great-looking roster. We have some solid base Vaqueros experience with Joseph Cervantes, Tyler Humphrey, and Darren Mitchell,” said Harris.
Joseph Cervantes, a defender, has been a Vaquero for a few years now and has served the club well, as has fellow defender Tyler Humphrey and forward Darren Mitchell.
“We have some solid past pro experience with Brandon Eaton and Nicolas Oliveros. And some newer players to keep an eye on like Alek Cosio-Altamirano and Allyson Angieski,” Harris continued.
Brandon Eaton has USL-1 experience with our northern feathered friends at Forward Madison. The Brazilian Allyson Angieski joins the team from the Dallas Sidekicks.
Harris also makes a special note to keep an eye out for the goalkeepers this year, Yale University keeper Chris Edwards as well as Alejo Giraldo.
The Vaqueros GM believes the two players that will make the biggest impact in 2021 for the Fort Worth club will be Edwards and Angieski.
I asked Harris about the reason behind the switch from Farrington field to Martin field, he says it’s pandemic related.
Last summer when COVID hit, the independent schools’ systems shut down – rightly so, of course – but that also meant their facilities; and Farrington is an FWISD facility,” Harris explained. “We were able to connect again with TWU and had a great summer and winter and just realized, our atmosphere at games is better suited for a place like Martin Field.”
The new year brings new challenges and new changes for the Vaqueros. Harris says he is looking forward to the continued growth in 2021.
“Last year we had a lot of changes within our roster, our coaching staff, and front office. So it took time for everything to come together and for all the parts to start learning to work with each other,” Harris said. “We saw that improvement from summer to winter and have continued to see it during pre-season! We’re expecting big things.”
One of the most exciting games of the Vaqueros season every year has been the Chisholm Trail Classico, their rivalry matches against Denton Diablos.
“We always look forward to our friendly rivalry with the Diablos,” says Harris. “I think both our fans and players do too. Since we’re close, we all know everyone a little bit more than say a team further away! It’s a chance to walk away with a W and bragging rights!”
There is a lot to look forward to for the 2021 Vaqueros season, with new faces and old rivalries all happening. The Vaqueros season kicks off May 8 away to Temple Coyotes FC.