Catching the Heat in Laredo

Former editor Sean Maslin talks about his experience with the NPSL side. 

In futbol, atmosphere is everything. Although clubs can move crowds to elicit a response, the best environments are those that are organic, that tap into the history, the culture, and the community of the area that they reside in. The best clubs are able to tap into these emotions and give them the space in the stands to grow and thrive.

While it is not easy to build a club from the ground up in professional soccer, when done right it can show not just the best of the beautiful game but the best of the city and the community that they reside in. Although the Laredo Heat are still growing, both on the pitch and off of it, their foundations are steeped in a culture and community that shows the best of all of us.

Upon entering PEG Energy Stadium on a steamy Thursday night in June, the first thing one will notice (aside from the literal heat which was just shy north of 95 degrees at gametime) is the friendliness of the crowd. Hundreds of children and adults clad in their Laredo red jerseys fill the stadium and the concourse waving their cow bells and clappers for the start of the match. Spanish top 40 music plays in the background with fans using Spanish and English inter-changeably in conversation holding their Mex-Tex (not Tex-Mex as was explained during the trip) food along with a cold drink. The music stops and the usual pre-game procession begins with the crowd quietly standing for the American National Anthem.

The game itself did not exactly go the way the home supporters wanted. While they were able to take an early lead in the first half, their National Premier Soccer League opponents, the Lubbock Matadors, continued to press late into the second half. A spurious penalty kick decision (at least according to those in attendance) led to the equalizer followed by the go-ahead goal with ten minutes to spare. Normally at a juncture like that one might start seeing fans exiting for the parking lots. But Laredo is built differently. Until the final minutes the stadium remained packed with even the youngest fans most likely well past their bed time engaged and cheering on their Heat. Although they fell just short in the end, it didn’t change the positive hopeful atmosphere with younger children running towards the field in the hopes of playing on the pitch or getting an autograph and adults finishing up their conversations and hoping to stay as late as possible.

Laredo, Texas is many things. It is a city whose history dates back to 1775 and intersects with both American and Mexican culture, a blended area whose citizens exhibit a kindness and generosity that exemplifies the blue-collar work ethic of both countries. Among its citizens there is a love of immersion, a desire to show all of their culture and share it with those from outside of their community.

It is a city which has used trade imports and exports to help grow their community, providing new opportunities for families to grow and carve out a better life for themselves. According to US Census data published in 2023, $320 billion in trade was conducted through the area making it the number one port in the country. The city has seen marked growth over the past twenty years with golf courses such as the Max Mandel International Golf Course being fully refurbished, Texas A&M International University expanding their foothold in the region, and breaking ground on a new multi-sport complex that aims to tap into the sports-centric culture that exists within the Lonestar state and in both the U.S. and Mexico.

That sense of community also applies to the Heat. The club, whose history dates back to 2005 and includes multiple championships across the soccer landscape, was founded by Shashi Vaswani, a passionate supporter of his community in Laredo and the beautiful game. The Heat are very much a family run organization, with his wife Priya (Vice-President), his son Rishi (Assistant General Manager and ace at pumping up the crowd during the game), and his daughter Mrinalli (Front Office Director) all working within the club. But their staff is also a family outside of the traditional structure, with a full staff of employees (including General Manager Juan Jose ‘JJ’ Vela) and interns working long hours before, during, and after gameday to pull off fun matchday experience. That employees could be seen smiling and joking with one another in blazing hot temperatures and after both Mexico and the United States lost their Copa America matches is perhaps the best testament to the Laredo work ethic and the Heat’s passion for what they excel at.

Of course, one of the biggest areas of growth has been in the development of the PEG Energy Stadium. A state-of-the art complex that seats about 1,200, PEG Energy Stadium is a milestone stadium for soccer here in the United States. While soccer-specific stadiums have started to become commonplace at the highest levels, in semi-professional soccer and in the lower divisions it is still a new thing.

What makes the stadium stand out isn’t just that it is a soccer pitch it is that it is a Laredo Heat soccer stadium. From the Mex-Tex cuisine being cooked by local food trucks on the concourse to the massive trophy case filled with Heat trophies captured throughout the years PEG feels like Laredo. The stadium also includes full locker rooms for both teams, suites for local businesses and partners, and the club’s red and black colors used prominently throughout the stadium.

“The city of Laredo is like my second home,” said Heat Head Coach John Powell. “The energy and and the hype around the stadium, I’ve always seen it as really positive. Our stadium and that atmosphere goes above and beyond that connection that we’re trying to build.”

Powell has been a mainstay with the Heat for multiple years, having previously coached the team from 2020 to 2022 and then re-signing with the club after taking a year off in 2023 for family reasons (He had previously served as an assistant coach from 2018-2020). Much like his staff, Powell wears multiple hats. In addition to being the head coach of the Heat, he has is also the head coach at Stanislaus State in California and coached collegiately at multiple locations across the United States. Most importantly, he is also a father to two young girls (one an aspiring coach, the other aiming to become the next Heat center-back) and a husband.

While these all might sound like normal things for those who watch soccer at the highest levels, those that follow the game here in the United States know that at many levels that is not the case. In other words: one won’t see football lines at PEG.

That level of care within the organization and the little touches around the stadium is not lost upon the players and the coaching staff.

“I think it would be really easy to take it for granted, especially since we have a handful of guys that have been here before,” said Laredo head coach John Powell.  “Some of them, this is all they know and it’s nice to remind them that this is not the standard as far as organizational support and infrastructure. This is definitely the standard that I think all other teams are probably wishing they could have [at this level]and you know, not everyone can not every organization can. But I think it reminds us, you know, to be helpful and know that we’re very grateful for what we have and of course all the sacrifices that are staff from the top all the way down.  Our boys are very grateful for the level of support that they receive from both our staff and the community.”

“When you compare [our system here in the United States to all other countries]we cram all of our play at this age level into the fall whereas other countries tend to make it a year-long thing,” said Powell. “I think it’s essential. I mean, at all of the colleges that I’ve coached from Arizona to Idaho to California my message has always been the same: you have to play over the summer. Now obviously I know not everybody has the luxury of playing at the Laredo Heat where the organization goes above and beyond for the players and coaches. But you need that training in the summer, you need those match minutes.”

Finding players that match that philosophy and the willingness to part with a summer away from the rigors of college athletics and academics is a challenge that all clubs like the Heat find. “I have been a part of the recruiting process now for five cycles. I was an assistant twice and the head coach for three years. I tell every player entering program that it might not be for you because you are giving up your summer to chase excellence, to chase something bigger.”

Getting players ready to play matches in a short amount of time is also a challenge for Powell and the Heat staff. As opposed to Major League Soccer or the USL Championship, the NPSL season typically lasts from late May to the middle of June meaning players have a quick turn-around in time to gel with one another before results are expected. That players are also coming from different colleges from across the country with styles of play and different philosophies only further compounds the issue.

For Powell, developing a culture within the team early is key. “Outside of soccer, I read a lot of books and watch a lot of documentaries on culture. What I have found is that the faster we can get the boys to build relationships that is not just surface level. Once we can get them to have those bonds, the easier it makes it for them to ask for things on the pitch from one another.”

Thus far, Laredo have succeeded in building that. The club started the season strong in the NPSL’s Lone Star Conference, earning results in four of their first five matches (3-0-1, 10 points).

On a tactical level, the club’s focus has primarily been on transition, in particular between the midfield and the attack.

“For me, the game is won and lost in transition,” said Powell “We’ve been more free-slowing and attacking I’d say in most of the matches which has left us at times vulnerable on the counter-attack and in transition. So we’ve obviously been focused on that. It’s a constant revolving door. One one week, one session you’re working on final third because you didn’t like how we finished our or how we did it finish our chances in the next session. You’re like, oh what we’ve given up too many looks so it’s a it’s a constant back and forth but uh

While the result did not go the way the Heat had hoped against Lubbock the team showed their character after the match by greeting their fans and thanking them for their support. There were no hung heads and very few spats with the opposition (considering that most of the players are between the ages of 18-20 and full of emotion that is a positive), just a desire to show their respect to their supporters and a desire to let them know how much they appreciated their work. There was also a strong sense of resolve on the pitch, a wanting to get back on the pitch and the apply the blue-collar ethos of the city into getting a better result on Saturday at home.

They achieved that task-, defeating Austin United 3-0 .

(Editor’s Note:  For more of Sean Maslin’s photos, please click on the link to his gallery.)