MIDLAND, Texas — It's been a while since there's been a soccer club in the Permian Basin. The Midland/Odessa Sockers were an inactive member of National Premier Soccer League (NPSL) in 2022, and announced that the team would be put up for sale.
The team's Facebook page announced that the club had been bought in December 2022, and would come back with a new ownership group and name, but would stay in Midland and play at Astound Broadband Stadium.
West Texas FC is now the NPSL club's new name, and the next step for the organization was to announce its first leader at the helm of the team.
Tuesday, members of the club announced Victor Domingues as the first ever head coach in the team's early history.
Domingues is a familiar face here in the Basin since he is also the head coach of the men's soccer team over at University of Texas Permian Basin. Accepting this position will not change his role with the university.
The NPSL season doesn't start until this summer, but Domingues already has plans for his staff and future on-field personnel.
"As soon as we hung up that conversation, whether he was going to hire me or not, I already started calling recruits," Domingues said. "Calling Alfonso and Elmer, just to be like, 'Would you be interested to stay in the summers, staying in staff."
One of the main goals for the organization as it brings semi-professional soccer back to West Texas is to be a beacon for young soccer fans in the region and move the sport forward.
"I think that with West Texas FC coming into Midland and Odessa, representing West Texas all in one, we're going to be able to keep soccer in West Texas," club Head of Business Operations Melissa Milan said.
"We agree on a lot of the same things about stuff that's going on here in Midland with soccer and how we can change things and make things better," Milan continued.
One of the ways team leadership hopes to accomplish this is through fan involvement.
"We need to just have that atmosphere and that community engagement," Domingues said. "I literally want everybody to come out here and see the dynamic and the fun. The product we put on the pitch, and it builds to the stands. We can start filling the Grande Stadium."
The next step for the club is to hold tryouts.
The team announced via social media that an open tryout will be held Feb. 12 from 1-3 p.m. at the Astound Stadium Auxiliary Field.
There's a $50 fee, which includes a West Texas FC shirt and two tickets to the first game just for trying out. To participate, you can register by clicking here.