Laredo Heat

Laredo Heat Soccer Club is an American soccer team based in Laredo, Texas. The team competes in USL League Two, the fourth tier of the American Soccer Pyramid, as a member of the Lone Star Division.

Laredo Heat SC

Full name	Laredo Heat Soccer Club
Nickname(s)	The Heat, The Red Flames
Founded	2004
Stadium	PEG Energy Stadium Laredo, Texas
Capacity	4,000
Owners	Shashi Vaswani
General Manager	Juan Jose Vela
Head Coach	John Powell
League	USL League Two
2023	5th, Lone Star
Website	www.laredoheatsc.com
Home colors Away colors
Current season

Original Laredo Heat logo 2004–07

The team plays its home games at the PEG Energy Stadium, where they have played since 2024. The team's colors are red, black and white.

Founded in 2004, the team was a member of the USL Premier Development League from 2004 to 2015. The club took a hiatus for the 2016 and 2017 seasons.

History

2004

Laredo Heat initially joined the USL Premier Development League in 2004 as an expansion franchise, playing a limited 'exploratory' schedule of eight exhibition games against selected opponents, but only managed two wins, both over the Lafayette Swamp Cats, 4–0 and 5–0, the latter of which featured a hat trick from striker Nelson Mata-Meza. Former Tampa Bay Mutiny, D.C. United and US national team striker Roy Lassiter played for Laredo in their 2–1 loss to DFW Tornados, but did not get on the score sheet.^[1] He also played in a 1–1 draw against UNAM.

2016

The Heat decided to opt out of the PDL's 2016 season, citing the slow growth of the Mid-South Division as the reason.^[2]

2017

The Heat announced they will be part of an expansion team of the National Premier Soccer League in 2018.^[3][4]

2025

The Heat announced would return to USL League Two for the 2025 season, marking the club's return to the league after a 10-year hiatus. The Heat, who had previously competed in League Two from 2004 to 2015 and won the league title in 2007, will play their home matches at the new PEG Energy Stadium in Laredo, Texas, as part of the Lone Star Division.

Team

Technical staff

Updated June 2024^[5]

Position
Head coach	John Powell
Assistant coach	Braeden Anderson
Assistant coach	Johnny Ibarra

Notable former players

• Armando Begines, played for Chivas USA and Querétaro F.C.
• Roy Lassiter, played for L.D. Alajuelense, D.C. United, Miami Fusion and Kansas City Wizards
• Lexton Moy, played for the Philippines national football team
• Yaikel Perez, plays for the Cuba national football team
• Javier Santana, plays for FC Tuggen and Dominican Republic national football team

Year-by-year

Year	League	Regular Season	Playoffs	Open Cup
2004	USL PDL	8th, Mid South	did not qualify	did not qualify
2005	USL PDL	2nd, Mid South	Conference Finals	did not qualify
2006	USL PDL	1st, Mid South	National Final	1st Round
2007	USL PDL	1st, Mid South	Champions	did not qualify
2008	USL PDL	2nd, Mid South	National Final	did not qualify
2009	USL PDL	1st, Mid South	Conference Finals	did not qualify
2010	USL PDL	1st, Mid South	Conference Semifinal	did not qualify
2011	USL PDL	1st, Mid South	National Final	did not qualify
2012	USL PDL	1st, Mid South	Conference Semifinal	2nd Round
2013	USL PDL	2nd, Mid South	Conference Finals	2nd Round
2014	USL PDL	2nd, Mid South	Conference Semifinal	4th Round
2015	USL PDL	3rd, Mid South	did not qualify	2nd Round
2016	On Hiatus
2017
2018	NPSL	1st, Lone Star	Regional semifinals	did not qualify
2019	NPSL	5th, Lone Star	did not qualify	2nd Round
2020	NPSL	Cancelled due to COVID
2021	NPSL	2nd, Lone Star	Conference Final	did not qualify
2022	NPSL	1st, Lone Star	Regional semifinals	did not qualify
2023	NPSL	5th, Lone Star	did not qualify	did not qualify
2024	NPSL	4th, Lone Star	In Progress	did not qualify

Events hosted by the Laredo Heat

Javier "Chicharito" Hernández playing against the Laredo Heat Soccer Club on May 24, 2006

• April 20, 2006: Laredo Heat vs Tigres UANL^[6]
• May 24, 2006: Laredo Heat vs Chivas de Guadalajara
• July 9, 2008: Laredo Heat vs Mexico U-20^[7]

Honors

• NPSL Lone Star Conference Champions 2018
• USL PDL Southern Conference Champions 2011
• USL PDL Mid South Division Champions 2011
• USL PDL Mid South Division Champions 2010
• USL PDL Mid South Division Champions 2009
• USL PDL Southern Conference Champions 2008
• USL PDL Champions 2007
• USL PDL Southern Conference Champions 2007
• USL PDL Mid South Division Champions 2007
• USL PDL Southern Conference Champions 2006
• USL PDL Mid South Division Champions 2006

Stadiums

• Veterans Field; Laredo, Texas (2004)
• The Student Activity Center; Laredo (2005–2007)
• Texas A&M International University Soccer Complex; Laredo (2008–2023)
• PEG Energy Stadium; Laredo (2024–present)

Average attendance

Attendance stats are calculated by averaging each team's self-reported home attendances from the historical match.^[8]

• 2004: 1,300
• 2005: 542
• 2006: 705 (9th in PDL)
• 2007: 737 (10th in PDL)
• 2008: 974
• 2009: 1,228 (7th in PDL)
• 2010: 989 (10th in PDL)