Welcome to Harlingen, RGV Red Crowns

Roel Rodriguez
Aug 27
6 min read

(This article was written by Roel Rodriguez and was featured in the September 2025 issue of Explore Harlingen Magazine.)

The New Bird in Town

Move over, Cardinals, Hawks, and Ravens, there’s a new bird in town calling Harlingen home. The Red Crowns now roost at historic Harlingen Field under the name Rio Grande Valley (RGV) Red Crowns SC. The RGV Red Crowns SC is a semi-pro men’s soccer club competing in the League for Clubs.

Wait, what? Harlingen has a semi-pro soccer team, and they play where? Many of you, like me, might be wondering how the RGV Red Crowns SC ended up in Harlingen playing at Harlingen Field.

Yes, the same Harlingen Field that has been in our beautiful community since the 1950s. The same Harlingen Field that has hosted hundreds, if not thousands, of baseball games, concerts, and events over the last 70+ years. It’s been home to the RGV Giants in the 1960s and the RGV Whitewings for many years. There is a ton of history right here in our backyard at Harlingen Field but what’s the connection to soccer?

I had the opportunity to speak to Jamal Fayyad, President of the Club, who provided insight into the vision and evolution of the RGV Red Crowns SC in Harlingen. During our conversation, I immediately recognized the love, passion, enthusiasm, and commitment that Jamal and his team have to bringing and sustaining the RGV Red Crowns SC in our community.

The RGV Red Crowns SC just completed their first competitive season but to really appreciate this club’s accomplishments, we must start at the beginning, so I asked Jamal to provide the background of their venture.

From Bulls to Birds

It all started when he and his business partner, Ron Patel, worked together with the RGV Toros in Edinburg. Ron had experience working with the New Mexico United out of the USL and Jamal had some experience with the Houston Dynamo. When the RGV Toros ceased operations, it prompted Jamal and Ron to look for an opportunity to continue their affiliation with professional soccer.

For Jamal, soccer has always been part of his family’s heritage. Jamal’s family is of Mexican and Middle Eastern descent: two proud cultures deeply rooted in the sport of soccer, driving Jamal’s passion for bringing a soccer club to the RGV. He believes that the beauty of soccer is that it brings a voice and an opportunity to communities and players from different parts of the world where there may be very little to no voice or opportunity.

Jamal shared that he traveled to England to watch his favorite team Liverpool SC. When he got to England, the Liverpool game was canceled. Jamal decided to check out some of the lower-tier soccer teams in England. Although he was an outsider, each community with a soccer team welcomed him with open arms, providing him with a place to stay, dinner, and, best of all, their friendships that sparked lasting relationships. The fellowship and hospitality that Jamal experienced reminded him of the sense of community in the RGV. Jamal saw that, in England, the soccer club is the identity of the community. The soccer club and its players are fully engaged in the community and focus on giving back to their fans there, and he wanted to replicate that in the RGV.

Jamal said his time in England reminded him of the docuseries “Welcome to Wrexham,” which chronicles the revitalization of a soccer club and town after being purchased by Ryan Reynolds and partners and the potential opportunity for a small community and the possibility of building something truly special.

This experience prompted Jamal to bring a soccer club to the RGV, but he didn’t know which city in the RGV or where they would play. He initially thought they could play at the UTRGV stadium but anticipated scheduling conflicts. Jamal had a vision of bringing a “pitch” to historic Harlingen Field. Jamal, who is from Harlingen, had many fond memories of attending Whitewing games at Harlingen Field and visualized a community team playing in our beloved 70+ year old stadium.

A Three-Year Plan

Jamal approached the City of Harlingen to bring a soccer club to our community three years ago. While waiting for the process to get kicked off and approved, Jamal traveled throughout the country to observe lower-level community soccer clubs to collect best practices for developing a successful club. Jamal and his team surveyed random people in McAllen, Edinburg, Brownsville, and Harlingen to get feedback on various topics of interest, colors, hobbies, etc.

Next step was to create a name, colors, and logo to brand the RGV Red Crowns SC. Jamal hired an individual with experience creating brand exposure for the Houston Rockets NBA team. With Harlingen Field being home to the Whitewings for many years, they immediately drew a connection between the Whitewings and another bird, the red crowned parrots that bless the wildlife in our area and are easily recognizable.

Another focus for Jamal and his team was to resurrect Harlingen Field. Because Jamal appreciates Harlingen Field’s beauty and history, he is currently on a mission to obtain the history and stories of Harlingen Field. His plan is to commemorate and preserve its history for fans to see when attending a RGV Red Crowns SC game.

Jamal understands that fans may already have favorite soccer teams like Chivas, Pumas, Cruz Azul, but he wants the RGV Red Crowns SC to be your/our “local team”! A team that is for the community and from the community, one that is truly from the 956, gives back and is fully invested in the 956, and is loved by the 956.

League for Clubs

Jamal’s three-year process included the RGV Red Crowns SC to be part of the League for Clubs which is an American men’s soccer league founded in 2024.

The League for Clubs currently has a total of 51 teams participating in the 2025 season with more teams slated to join in 2026. The League for Clubs consists of six conferences (Gulf Coast, Mid-American, NorCal, Mountain Premier, Northwest, and Texas) with teams competing in four regions located throughout the United States. The RGV Red Crowns SC joined the League for Clubs this year and began competitive play during the 2025 season in the Texas conference. The Texas conference consists of Austin United FC, Central Dallas FC, Central Texas Coyotes FC, Corinthians FC of San Antonio, FC Dallas U23s, FC Revolution, Foro SC, and Tyler FC.

Red Crowns Roster

The RGV Red Crowns SC are coached by Rafa Reyna. Coach Reyna has experience coaching soccer at the high school, club, and semi-pro levels. His biography highlights his attainment of both UEFA A and B coaching licenses, in addition to a master’s degree in advanced performance Football Coaching. Coach Rafa served as an Assistant Coach for the Mexican Women’s National Team from 2000-2004 helping the team qualify for the Olympics in Greece.

The RGV Red Crowns SC opening day roster (see graphic) consisted of players primarily from the RGV, but several are from various parts of the country and even across the globe.

Two RGV Red Crown SC players, Vicente Alvarez and Corey Lundeen, have gone pro this summer after playing for the RGV Red Crowns SC. Vicente Alvarez signed a professional contract with CF Pachuca and Corey Lundeen signed with North Carolina FC via MLS Next Pro league.

Two mid-season additions include Zack Hargreaves and Jack Crighton who both played professionally in England. Jack Crighton, a tenured goalkeeper, played for Wrexham and was in the first episode of “Welcome to Wrexham.” Jamal stated that having Jack on the team is his “coming full circle” moment.

A New Harlingen Field Tradition

In my humble opinion, Jamal and his team have done an outstanding job of bringing quality semi-pro soccer and talent to our community. We have something new and exciting for our community and it’s all happening at the 70-year-old, 4,500-seat capacity Harlingen Field stadium. This club is dedicated to the RGV and is committed to giving Harlingen a voice. It gives fans and players an opportunity to enjoy each other, cheer on our team, and share the love of soccer. So, let’s pack the stands next season and buy some swag to proudly support our local team!

Interested in learning more about the RGV Red Crowns SC? Please visit https://www.theleaguefc.com/clubs/rgv-red-crowns-sc for more information. Games are played at Harlingen Field, located at 1216 Fair Park Blvd in Harlingen, Texas.