Hurricane watch issued for UHCL
Dorian Valenzuela
The Signal
The UHCL campus is in the projected path of a storm. A new professional soccer team has swept up new fans in Houston and the team is ready to make an instant impact, beginning with the Clear Lake market.
The diversity of students who attend UHCL makes the campus an ideal option for a team that plays the most popular sport in the world.
The Houston Hurricanes Football Club is now in business and looking to be an affordable sporting option for Houston soccer fans this spring. The club is the resurgence of the same Hurricane franchise that played in the Astrodome from 1978 to 1980 in the old National American Soccer League, the same league where soccer greats Johan Cruyff, Franz Beckenbauer and Pelé played professionally.
“I am extremely happy to be a part of history; I did it as a player and I am now excited to continue to contribute to the organization as the new owner of the team,” said club owner and former Hurricanes player Brendan Keyes, who is the visionary behind the rebranding of the Hurricane organization. “I want us to be different than any other sporting organization in town. I want this to be the people’s team.”
Keyes, who did not get to play with the NASL version of the Hurricanes, was a member of the first revival of the club after they folded in 1980. The Hurricanes returned to top-flight soccer in 1996 under the new management of Joseph “Joey” Serralta, who remained in charge until the club folded for the second time in the middle of the 2001.
“This organization has so much potential – it always has – the timing has not been right though,” Keyes said. “I believe that the sport is more popular now than it ever has been in America and the time is now. Third time is a charm, and you best believe the storm is coming.”
The Irish-born striker was a contributor on the field for the second version of the Hurricane organization and a bigger asset off the field by also serving as a right-hand man to Serralta. Nearly 12 years later, after the demise of the brand, Serralta has handed the reigns over to Keyes to revive the club once more.
The new Houston Hurricanes will begin playing in May 2013 in the National Premier Soccer League, the fourth tier of professional soccer in the United States. The club will take the place of Keyes’ former team, The Galveston Pirate Soccer Club, who won the NPSL’s South-Central Conference in 2012.
“The Pirate team was a great experience; we did a lot of great things and were able to accomplish many goals. Unfortunately, Galveston was not fully ready to host a semi-professional team and we decided it was time to let go,” Keyes said. “Houston is a huge market and when given the opportunity to revive the Hurricanes and bring it to the NPSL, I just knew the soccer fans would be very happy.”
Keyes unveiled the relocation and rebranding of the organization in December 2012. Soon after, Thiago Costa Reis was revealed as the new head coach, and a five-year deal was signed with Lutheran South Academy as the team’s home stadium.
Arguably the biggest buzz was the unveiling of the official colors. The club will don a green-and-white striped home jersey, resembling the iconic uniform worn by European giants Celtic F.C., who happens to be Keyes’ boyhood club. Back in the NASL days, the Hurricanes wore an equally eye-catching orange uniform that would later inspire the uniforms worn by Major League Soccer’s Houston Dynamo.
With opening day around the corner, the team is in preseason preparation and the coaching staff has pointed to UHCL as a potential target for recruiting players. Although, no official agreement has been made between the university and the club, Reis expressed a definite interest in getting involved on campus.
“I have coached for many years and have seen many prospects that have simply gone unnoticed,” Reis said. “There is too many young players looking for an opportunity to make their dreams come true and we are willing to find them. I am sure there is a lot of talent [at UHCL].”
In the meantime, the Houston Hurricanes will continue to develop in the Houston area. More dates are expected to open up for tryouts at the Chester L. Davis Sportsplex in League City, since this location has already led to eight signings for the club.
Additional information can be found by contacting Hurricanes owner Brendan Keyes at 832-748-1001 or by visiting www.houstonhurricanesfc.com.
