Rebranded Coyotes announce 2023 schedule

Apr 21, 2023

DAVID STONE | TEMPLE DAILY TELEGRAM

A new-look Central Texas Coyotes Football Club opens its season next month and will play its home opener May 27 against the Lubbock Matadors.

“We’re excited to launch the new brand for the Coyotes FC just week before we open our 2023 season,” said club owner Manuel Velasquez. “This is going to be our biggest and best season ever.”

The Coyotes, a Temple-based National Premier Soccer League team that calls Woodson Field home, will sport a new logo this season that features a stronger, less friendly coyote.

“We love this new look, and I think Temple will too,” Velasquez said. The logo is marked with MMXIX, signifying the year the club was founded in Temple. “The coyote has his head turned to look forward — ready to attack and defend.”

This year’s 12-game schedule is split with six home and six away games. The team will be at Woodson Field on May 27, June 3, June 17, June 21, July 1 and July 5.

The team kicks off its 2023 season on May 13 at the Laredo Heat.

“Our first game isn’t until the second weekend in May, but we have a lot going on,” Velasquez said. “We are putting the team together and bringing in college players to see if they can help us out. We can add new players until the NPSL final signing deadline in June.”

The Temple-based Coyotes have developed a following for their Woodson Field games. Velasquez, who also owns food trucks, a food delivery service and Hat Trick Sports Bar, has expressed interest in moving his team to a Downtown location such MLK Festival Grounds.

“I started the Coyotes FC in 2018 as part of the United Premier Soccer League,” he said. “We were just testing the waters back then, and we had a great reception from businesses, players and coaches. We wanted to compete at a higher level, so we moved to the National Premier Soccer League in 2020. Just in time for COVID.”

“We weren’t able to have any games or clinics back then because of the pandemic, and honestly we were close to going out of business. We played in 2021 but for the most part people stayed away. It was a tough couple years, but we stuck with it.”

Then came 2022, and the fans.

“There’s a lot of potential for soccer in Bell County,” he said. “There are great players and great coaches right here.”

Velasquez, a native of Bogota, Colombia, came to the United States in 2010 and settled in New York. As a 20 year old, he joined the Army, was assigned to Fort Hood, and fell in love with Texas.

“I saw a lot of opportunities in this area,” he said. “When I got out of the Army, I decided to start selling traditional Colombian foods here. I opened a food truck, then another, and now I have a delivery service as well.”

For now, the Coyotes play their home games at Woodson, which also is home to Temple High’s soccer programs. Velasquez sees Woodson as a starting point for Coyote FC. He envisions a future that puts the club smack-dab in the middle of a bustling Downtown Temple scene. And, in his opinion, the city has built a perfect future home.

“The MLK Festival Grounds would be a perfect place for a small soccer stadium,” he said. “It really wouldn’t affect the city’s plans. We just need a big grassy area with seating.”