SAN ANTONIO – San Antonio FC has announced its new head coach ahead of its 10th anniversary season.
Carlos Llamosa will take the team’s reins after it parted with former head coach Alen Marcina in late October.
Under Marcina’s tenure, the team won the NASL championship in 2014. In 2022, SAFC won the USL Championship.
Llamosa brings 14 years of professional coaching experience across the NASL and MLS ahead of his time with SAFC.
As assistant coach of the New York Cosmos in the NASL, Llamosa enjoyed a fall season title and NASL Soccer Bowl Championship in 2013.
His most recent coaching job came as an assistant with the Portland Timbers in the MLS from 2018 to 2023.
“We are happy to welcome Carlos Llamosa to the SAFC family as our new head coach,” said SAFC sporting director Marco Ferruzzi. “Carlos brings a pedigree of winning and success as a player and coach at the highest level of our domestic game. He has a deep understanding of the professional pathway for players in this country and has developed and worked with top players. As we celebrate our 10th season, we look forward to starting our new era with Carlos on the sidelines.”
Across an 18-year playing career as a defender, Llamosa accrued time in Colombia’s second and first divisions, with 181 appearances across four MLS teams.
At the international level, Llamosa has 29 caps with the U.S. Men’s National team from 1998 to 2002. He retired in 2007.
“I’m very excited for the opportunity to be part of this amazing family at one of the best organizations in the country,” Llamosa said. “Together with the front office and technical staff, I look forward to putting together a top team in the league, and I can’t wait to experience the atmosphere our fans will create at our first game.”
During the introductory press conference, we learned that Ferruzzi and Llamosa had known each other for a few decades since their playing days.
“We were on the same team as we were trying out for an MLS squad,” said Ferruzzi. “So right away, we became close out of necessity and maybe close out of the fact that we worked well together on the field; he gave me the ball a few times, so that was good. You could just tell right away that this is somebody that you maybe would envision down the road working with.”
Coach Llamosa was not shy about his expectations for SAFC in his first year.
“Our first goal is to make playoffs and then compete to be in the top position of the league and compete for the championship,” said Llamosa.
The next few months for Coach Llamosa and his staff will revolve around building a roster that works well defensively as a unit, not just one of two players making good defensive stops. Llamosa wants to see an entire team playing as one defensively in order to win more matches this upcoming season.
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