Get to Know: Corpus Christi FC
The Texan club takes on Chattanooga FC in the US Open Cup this Wednesday.
USL League Two’s Corpus Christi FC is gearing up for an exciting clash against Chattanooga FC in the US Open Cup this Wednesday (Kick-off 18:30pm ET). The game will mark the first-ever meeting between the two clubs, adding an extra layer of anticipation for fans and players alike. I had the opportunity to speak with the Shark’s ambitious Head Coach Manuel Iwabuchi to talk about the club’s journey so far, its place in the Coastal Bend community, long-term plans, and Wednesday’s cup tie.
The story
Founded in early 2017, Corpus Christi Football Club LLC was registered with the intention of bringing pre-professional soccer to their community. Later that year, they were awarded an expansion franchise for the Coastal Bend Region by the United Soccer League (USL)-PDL (now the USL League Two).
As someone who hails from the area, Coach Iwabuchi clearly takes a lot of pride in CCFC’s recent successes and future ambitions, as well as pride in leading his local team. “I come from a little fishing town about 30 minutes from Corpus Christi. I played youth and high school soccer locally and graduated to play Division II for Texas A&M International. I take a lot of pride in managing Corpus Christi FC, with memories of youth development. I was that kid at one point, and now I'm providing opportunities that we could only dream of doing in other places, but today local players can do that at home.”
In its first six seasons, the club bounced between 4th and 2nd place in the PDL/USL League 2 Mid-South and Lone Star divisions, with a Conference Quarter Final appearance in 2021 its best finish. Last season, however, it stormed to 1st place in the Lone Star, with a 10-1-1 record and banging in a whopping 45 goals in 12 regular season games. Tennessee Soccer Club were dispatched 5-3 after extra time in the Conference Quarter Finals before Little Rock Rangers were vanquished 5-4 on penalties in Arkansas. CCFC’s run was finally ended by Asheville City in the Conference Finals in Virginia Beach, going down to a bitter 1-0 loss.
Such a run, though, was something to be proud of, and the club gained admittance to the 2025 US Open Cup as a result. “Winning the Division last season was a significant achievement. We only lost once and drew once and scored more goals (45) than anyone else in the regular season.” There were 128 teams in USL League Two in 2025, and the Sharks did indeed outscore all of them. “We want to build on this success. The mindset of competitors is that the burden of success brings higher expectations. It's not just about doing it once, but multiple times.”
Success may bring expectations, but it also brings opportunities. Not only has it given Corpus Christi a spot in the US Open Cup, one of the oldest domestic cups in the world game with the chance to play professional sides, but it also opens up doors in squad building as prospective players are attracted to the improved brand name. “Last season’s achievements made recruitment much easier. We used to have to find good players, but now we’ve got good players showing up at the door and eager to join us.” The club expects to have about 25% of its 2024 roster back for 2025, their final season in USL League Two (more on that below). “Huge credit goes to the players for their commitment last year, and we're bringing back a quarter of those guys for the summer. We're aiming at another deep run.”
“Last season was everything we wanted it to be, despite some adversity. Recruiting and planning the roster evolved around being the best team in the Lone Star Division. We hadn't won it before, so after we did; anything that happened in the playoffs was a plus.”
The philosophy
USL League Two is a competition with a diverse set of clubs. Some operate as outlets for large academy systems and/or exist as purpose-built ‘paths to pro’, giving local talent the opportunity to impress opposition coaches and travelling scouts. Others are more fan-focused, created to bolster community spirit and local pride. Very few, if any, exist to make a commercial profit. I wondered aloud which of these Corpus Christi is.
“It’s all three. Our mission encompasses player development and providing that pathway, but we also want to serve as a community hub for fans, fostering a strong identity. We want to bring the culture and ‘world’ of soccer to the area.” Is the area open to this? Is there a soccer-following community there? And if so, is it ready to get behind a local team? “This community is very competitive, and we have a long-term ambition to field mainly home-grown players. I’m also the academy director, so am committed to touching all three of these ambitions.”
Next year, Corpus Christi FC will be the first club in the Coastal Bend area to achieve full pro status. Other semi-professional teams have sprung up over the years but haven't lasted.
“There is a big soccer following in the community, and while sports like football and baseball are more popular, soccer has a large community that embraces it. We've seen this through going to bars on Champions League days and seeing locals embrace the global game. The community is waiting to explode, and we have a responsibility to ensure that explosion happens in a way that feels built around them, through a local team they can support. With our success in USL League Two last season, we're seeing a lot of different avenues open up for us. There's a lot of pressure in this community to win, and being from the community, I'm equally driven. Sacrificing summers away from families is not seen as pressure, but privilege. We want to be known as a winning local team and winning in a particular style.”
The future
In October of last year, the USL announced that Corpus Christi had been awarded the rights to a USL League One franchise. This means that the Sharks will become the city’s first professional soccer team and the only independent professional sports organization in the Coastal Bend.
To match this ambition, the club is in the process of constructing a new state-of-the-art 5,000-seat soccer-specific stadium and a new training complex. “We're supposed to be on the new training fields by the end of the month, with the academy practicing on them by then. There will be six fields. Phase 2 of the stadium is planned for December, and USL League One entry is set for spring of 2026.”
So, what kind of home support can CCFC expect? “We had a match with San Antonio FC for their pre-season last month. This was the first time a pro team had come to play a team from Corpus Christi. About 2,000 local fans came out to see the game. Sitting on the sideline and seeing a crowd like that, I felt vindication about all we’d been doing. On a personal level, I did it with my mentor, my high school coach, beside me on the bench. Pride would be an understatement.”
This is an ambitious club, from a competitive and sports-mad market, about to take the leap to pro soccer. Along with five other clubs, they’ll be stepping into a rapidly expanding League One environment. The league added five clubs this season and is set to be part of a USL ecosystem that will potentially have a Tier 1 component and perhaps promotion and relegation in the near future.
The coach
At only 28 years of age, Coach Iwabuchi is one of the youngest head coaches in American semi-pro and pro soccer. He became Head Coach three years ago and led the team to the USL League Two Lone Star division last year.
He’s keen to emphasize his connection to the community, as a local who grew up playing soccer near Corpus Christi. He’s also a professional soccer coach, keen to win in a competitive local market and aiming to win well.
During our chat, he often highlighted the club's commitment to playing expansive, exciting soccer, strong community engagement, and the development of local talent. He puts his success, at an early age, down to his own efforts, but also credits luck.
“Luck played a part in my journey. I'm a young manager and started head coaching with Corpus Christi when I was just 25 after the previous coach moved away and the club were looking for someone local. Three years later, I’m still here, trying to do as much as possible to benefit the area. It's been a combination of hard work on personal development and a stroke of luck.”
The cup
Wednesday’s match-up with Chattanooga FC represents a milestone in the short history of Corpus Christi FC. It will be the first time they play a competitive game against a professional opponent, and are doing so away, against one of the most prestigious lower league sides in the country. Add to this is the fact that the tie comes two months before Corpus Christi’s league season is due to begin, and their opponent has already begun theirs. The odds are stacked very much against the visitors from Texas.
But, within the ‘magic of the cup’; there’s always a chance.
Last season, Chattanooga FC were knocked out in the first round, at home to UPSL opposition (Miami United FC). As with all cups, there’s always the possibility of a cupset, a ‘giant-killing’ opportunity against a higher league team. Next season, CCFC will be playing in USL League One, technically level with Chattanooga’s MLS Next Pro, and this year they play in USL League Two, theoretically only one tier below. Added to this is the fact that the Sharks firmly earned their place in the Cup this year through open division qualifying and racking up impressive results in League Two in 2024. All this gives the sense that this isn’t an opponent that Chattanooga can afford to take lightly. As Coach Iwabuchi firmly stated, “we’re here to compete.”
He expects Chattanooga FC to be structured and well organized, creative, and open to adjustments in terms of breaking his team down. But he feels the pressure all rests with the home side. “For us, there isn't a ton of pressure. There's more pressure on them to take care of business because that's what's expected.”
So, what can fans coming to Finley Stadium on Wednesday expect of the visiting team? Coach Iwabuchi talked at length about community, about pride, about playing the game as it should be played. All of this is what will be on the field. “Fans can expect to see joy in our play. Yes, there's intensity in the competition, but there's joy in what we're doing. In training, whenever we have the ball, we enjoy what we're doing. It's a game that we all love to play. When someone watches a Corpus Christi FC game, they'll see clarity, a clear objective, a path to success, and emotion regardless of the result. We're not there to squeak by and sit down in front of the goal; we want to go out and play. If they counter the things we do, we'll adjust and continue to play our game.”
Fans of Chattanooga FC may see something of themselves in the culture and mindset of their visitors. A local team, crafted by locals, for local players and local fans, one that wasn’t created immediately to be professional or to make money for investors, but rather one that exists to be an outlet for its community. Their stories make for similar reading, even if Chattanooga seem further along in theirs.
Regardless of the outcome on Wednesday, this will be an important marker in the developing story of Corpus Christi FC. What may be their first Open Cup game, won’t be their last. Fans on both sides should enjoy the narratives weaved through this match-up and appreciate the journeys both clubs have undertaken to get to where they are today and what they represent. As for coach Iwabuchi and his charges, they’re under no illusion about the task ahead and what they need to do: “With the mentality and mindset that this will be the toughest challenge, we'll have to dig into places we've never dug before. Nerves and emotions are good because they show we care about what we're doing.”
Good luck to both teams.
Corpus Christi FC Fact Sheet
Founded: 2017
Nickname: The Sharks
Home ground: Cabaniss Soccer Field, Corpus Christi, TX
Head Coach: Manuel Iwabuchi
League: USL league Two – Lone Star
2024: Division winners, conference finals
Best finish: USL League Two Conference finals (2024)
Website: https://corpuscfc.com
The Southeast Soccer Report will feature a preview of the tie in the coming days.
Our thanks to Manuel Iwabuchi for lending his time to speak with us.
You can find out more about Corpus Christi FC by going to their website or their Instagram and X accounts.