CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — As Corpus Christi prepares for the arrival of its first professional soccer team, leaders of the Corpus Christi Football Club are reflecting on the sport’s profound cultural significance and its power to unite a community.
The Coastal Bend has boasted over 75 youth teams, a 20-year-old men's amateur league with 70 teams, and a youth association with over 10,000 members, according to the club's official website.
For Alex Barron, the club’s director of partnerships and business development, a love for soccer is intrinsic to his heritage.
“I was born in Mexico and in Mexico, everybody has a favorite team,” Barron told KRIS 6. “Soccer is running through our veins. We can play on every corner." He continued, "Since I was a little child, having many, many cousins, I had to play. That was the only entertainment we have.”
Barron, who has worked in football for 18 years, believes the new USL professional team and the stadium under construction will have a “huge impact” on the city by “developing new talent to bring families together and showing what one single sport can do.”
Manuel Iwabuchi, the director of coaching for the Corpus Christi FC Academy and the USL2 head coach, echoed the sentiment that soccer is a cornerstone of community and family life.
“My passion since I was young, my culture, my heritage, like my family, it’s always been something that has been around,” Iwabuchi said. “Every weekend we were watching games, we would have birthdays and we have barbecues. There’s always a game on TV.”
For him, the club represents “opportunity,” a theme he returned to repeatedly.
“It’s given me a platform to explore collegiate jobs as a coach, explore semi-pro jobs as a coach, and hopefully in the future explore professional jobs as a coach,” Iwabuchi said. “I think that symbolizes to the community. It’s a beacon of opportunity.”
Marisa Trevino, the director of operations, shared a personal story of how soccer served as an emotional outlet during her childhood.
“I grew up with a sick mom and soccer was my way to get out and kind of work through my frustration as a kid who had a mom battling an illness,” Trevino said. “I think soccer is just an all-around sport that helps kids emotionally, physically, and mentally.”
She emphasized the importance of the new professional team providing local role models for the city’s youth.
“No matter what your background is, watching professional players is always the best way to learn,” Trevino said. “These players are gonna be going out into the community, getting to know our kids, being role models, training, teaching, anything that’s positive, they’ll be there for them.”
The club is currently building a new multi-purpose sports complex that will feature seven fields and a new stadium. The team is also taking ticket deposits for the inaugural professional season. “You want to buy those ticket deposits now because you want to make sure one that you’re in shaded seating, and 2, that you actually end up with a seat,” Trevino advised.
Barron extended an invitation to the community: “If you wanna have fun, cheer for us, and be a part of what we’re building, we definitely welcome you, we welcome everybody.”
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