SAN ANTONIO – Meet the new boss, same as the old boss.
San Antonio FC hired Alen Marcina as the second head coach in club history on Monday, and Marcina has plenty of experience with coaching soccer at Toyota Field. Marcina spent last season as the first team assistant coach under former head coach Darren Powell, and he also was the head coach for the San Antonio Scorpions when that club won the NASL Championship in San Antonio in 2014.
“I’ve been in San Antonio since 2009, and I’ve been very much community based,” Marcina said. “I started as a volunteer, worked with the academy, then the first team, and now I’m leading the next phase. It’s an amazing opportunity, which comes with great responsibility, and I’m excited for the upcoming challenge.”
Marcina has his work cut out for him. SAFC has missed the playoffs in each of the last two seasons. One positive for next year will be the return of midfielder Cristian Parano, who tallied seven goals and six assists in a breakout 2019 season. For his performance, Parano was named the USL’s Young Player of the Year.