MIDLAND For most first-year teams, getting to the playoffs and having a winning record may seem like a pipe dream.
There are new faces, new coaches, new players and the difficult process of building from scratch can take years to bring in promising results.
That hasn’t been the case with West Texas FC this year.
With the return of the National Professional Soccer League (NPSL) to the Permian Basin, the new club has not only qualified for the playoffs, but currently sits in a tie for second in the Lone Star Conference with Brownsville with a record of 7-2-1 with 22 points.
If that wasn’t enough for its inaugural season, West Texas FC knocked off the previously unbeaten and No. 1-ranked Lubbock Matadors earlier this week on the road, taking a 1-0 win off a late goal from Tajay Grant, in the first leg of the rivalry known as “El Dustico.”
The two teams will meet again at 7:30 p.m. Saturday at the Astound Broadband Stadium in Midland in what will be the regular season finale.
West Texas FC head coach Victor Dominques and his staff aren’t surprised by the amount of success in the team’s first season.
“I think this entire season has been a massive experience and growth experience for each of these guys as well as myself and my coaching staff,” Dominques said. “We had goals in our team to make the playoffs this year. It was always our goal, even as a first-year team. We reached that goal and then we were confident that we could take on anyone so for us to go into Lubbock and do it in their home stadium, in front of their home fans, it was amazing. Now, we’re ready for the second leg and try to bring home the trophy.”
For Dominques, this week’s victory over Lubbock was massive.
“If you talk to most of the teams in this conference, (Lubbock) is kind of a staple on how teams should be run,” Dominques said. “They get large crowds to their games and excitement and on top of that, them being undefeated and No. 1 in the nation at the time and for us to come in and take something away from them is massive. I hope this rivalry continues to grow.”
Dominques is also currently doubling up as the head men’s soccer coach at Newman University in Wichita, Kan.
Dominques was previously the head men’s soccer coach at UTPB before the school discontinued the program after the 2022 season due to budget cuts.
He was named the new head coach at Newman, which plays in the Mid-American Intercollegiate Athletic Association conference at the Division II level, earlier this year.
“I was at Newman for a month and a half earlier this year,” Dominques said. “Then I came down for West Texas FC. I’m still working for Newman University and recruiting and finalizing our roster. Once this season is over, I get maybe half a week off, if I’m lucky, and then it’s off to Kansas and resume there.”
The team has been grateful for the turnout at each home game this summer.
“I think it’s just been super exciting and a great experience for myself and the team and the community as well,” Dominques said. “We have a great showing that come out to our home games. Even when we go out in town, people are starting to recognize my guys and my staff when we go to events. People are really vested in our club and it shows a lot. We’re vested in the community and we’re going to try and give as much back as we can. … It helps us get the results because we know we have the support and care of everyone. It’s great knowing that there’s people behind us.”
However, there were still plenty of challenges when the season started.
Aside from it being the team’s first year in existence, the club — which consists of players from over 14 different countries — didn’t have much time to train for the start of the season, meaning the squad had to start gelling right almost immediately.
“I think the biggest challenge was more on the personal, mental side of things,” Dominques said. “It was that frustration and kind of like eagerness and stress to get things going. You’re getting guys from all over the place. We have guys playing in college and guys coming in from their countries so we knew we had to gel and get that chemistry going right away. We only had a week or two to train before our very first game. I think that was the biggest challenge. I think we’ve done a great job. We’ve started a little bit rocky which is understandable for a first-year club and first-year staff. But once we figured out our identity and how we wanted to do things, the results started speaking for themselves.”
Indeed, the first few weeks of the season were rough as West Texas FC lost two of its first three games, losing to Brownsville, 3-1, in the opening game before bouncing back with a 5-2 win over Central Texas and then falling back in a 3-2 defeat to the Denton Diablos.
After that, the winning results began to show up more.
The team defeated Central Texas 2-1 on June 3, then recorded a 2-0 victory over CF10 Houston FC.
West Texas FC followed that up with wins over Austin United (3-1), the Fort Worth Vaqueros (2-0), Laredo Heat SC (2-0) before settling for a goalless draw against Corinthians FC of San Antonio on July 1.
The team’s unity has turned out to be its biggest strength, Dominques said.
“The way the guys support each other and the way we’re all super positive and encouraging of each other,” Dominques said. “We get on each other when things aren’t going well in training but that’s only because we expect a higher standard from each player and they expect a high standard from myself and my coaching staff. But that’s normal for a competitive environment. Overall, these guys support each other and push each other. The unity has been our biggest strength.”
Goalkeeper Juan Camilo has been tough to get past in the net.
“If we’re picking guys out, Juan has been outstanding,” Dominques said. “He came up very big in a lot of moments when we needed him.”
Camilo hasn’t done it all by himself as his back line has made West Texas FC one of the more dominating clubs on defense in the league.
“Our back line, we’ve had five clean sheets and we’ve only been scored on twice in like the last seven games,” Dominques said. “These guys are gritty and have a desire to do the work that some people may lack. It’s so easy to play with the ball. It’s what we all played soccer for. We want to create the passes and the dribbles. That’s the fun part of the game. But defending well is also beautiful and these guys do it with the upmost desire and commitment.”
The team currently sits in third place in the conference. If second-place Brownsville wins against CF10 Houston on Saturday, then West Texas FC will enter the playoffs as a third seed, regardless of its result against Lubbock and have to play at Brownsville in the first round of the playoffs.
Regardless, Dominques and his players are looking to make more history in the club’s inaugural season.
“I can’t say much negative about this club and community,” Dominques said. “We’re a first-year team and we’re doing amazing things that I don’t know many people expected. … It’s been such a great environment. We’ve clinched a spot in the playoffs and we have one hand on the El Dustico trophy.”
