# Copa Tejas

Copa Tejas is the two cup competitions and one shield between the Major League Soccer, USL Championship, NWSL, and USL Super League teams of the state of Texas, awarded by independent supporters groups of the state's teams. It was initially founded in 2019 by supporters of San Antonio FC. It awards a Division 1 trophy for the top Major League Soccer team, a Division 2 trophy for the top USL Championship team, and the Copa Tejas Shield for the best team across all participants. The current Major League Soccer clubs are Austin FC, FC Dallas, and Houston Dynamo FC. The USL Championship clubs are El Paso Locomotive FC and San Antonio FC. NWSL side Houston Dash and USL Super League side Dallas Trinity FC participates only in the Copa Tejas Shield as the lone Texas teams in their respective league.
It was first contested in 2019 and was won by Austin Bold FC.

## History

San Antonio FC and Rio Grande Valley FC both competed in the USL from 2016 through 2023, contesting their own rivalry: the South Texas Derby. With the addition of Austin and El Paso in the 2019 season, the Copa Tejas was created by supporters of San Antonio FC to determine the best team in Texas.
Austin Bold FC claimed the inaugural Copa Tejas with a 3–0 win over Rio Grande Valley FC on September 1, 2019. They finished top of the table with a 3–2–1 (W-D-L) record and 11 points.
Due to the coronavirus pandemic and the rescheduling of the 2020 USL Championship season into group play, El Paso was not included in the group with the other Texas teams. This resulted in the lack of a "fair round-robin format", and so the Copa Tejas was not awarded in 2020.
In 2021, with Austin FC joining Major League Soccer, an MLS division of the competition, called Division 1, was created. This was to supplement the existing Texas Derby which is contested between FC Dallas and Houston Dynamo FC. The USL Championship division would now be known as Division 2.
The Copa Tejas Shield was announced in 2021 as a cross-league award, featuring the teams from both the Division 1 and Division 2 competition and NWSL side Houston Dash.
Austin Bold FC announced it would not participate in the 2022 USL Championship season as it actively sought relocation to another city in Texas. Rio Grande Valley FC ceased operations after the 2023 USL Championship season, leaving only two teams at the Division II level.
Starting with the 2025 Copa Tejas Shield, Dallas Trinity FC will be included in the overall ranking. Because USL Super League runs a fall to spring calendar, the Trinity's 2024-25 season standings will be used.

## Division 1

| Club | Titles | Years |
| Austin FC | 2 | 2022, 2023 |
| FC Dallas | 2 | 2021, 2024 |
| Houston Dynamo FC | 0 | |
| Year | Champions | Second | Third |
| 2021 | FC Dallas | Houston Dynamo FC | Austin FC |
| 2022 | Austin FC | FC Dallas | Houston Dynamo FC |
| 2023 | Austin FC | Houston Dynamo FC | FC Dallas |
| 2024 | FC Dallas | Austin FC | Houston Dynamo FC |
| 2025 | | | |

### 2021

2021 results summary :
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
| 1 | FC Dallas (C) | 6 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 14 | 10 | +4 | 11 |
| 2 | Houston Dynamo FC | 6 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 12 | 10 | +2 | 8 |
| 3 | Austin FC | 6 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 9 | 15 | −6 | 6 |
Austin FC win  FC Dallas win  Houston Dynamo FC win  Draw

### 2022

2022 results summary :
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
| 1 | Austin FC (C) | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 8 | 5 | +3 | 8 |
| 2 | FC Dallas | 4 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 7 | 6 | +1 | 6 |
| 3 | Houston Dynamo FC | 4 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 5 | 9 | −4 | 1 |
Austin FC win  FC Dallas win  Houston Dynamo FC win  Draw

### 2023

2023 results summary :
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
| 1 | Austin FC (C) | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 7 | 3 | +4 | 6 |
| 2 | Houston Dynamo FC | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 5 | −2 | 5 |
| 3 | FC Dallas | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 4 | −2 | 5 |
Austin FC win  FC Dallas win  Houston Dynamo FC win  Draw

### 2024

2024 results summary :
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | PPG |
| 1 | FC Dallas (C) | 5 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 9 | 5 | +4 | 10 | 2.00 |
| 2 | Austin FC | 6 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 6 | 7 | −1 | 9 | 1.50 |
| 3 | Houston Dynamo FC | 5 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 5 | −3 | 4 | 0.80 |
Austin FC win  FC Dallas win  Houston Dynamo FC win  Draw

### 2025

2025 results summary :
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | PPG |
| 1 | FC Dallas | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | +1 | 3 | 3.00 |
| 2 | Austin FC | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 3 | Houston Dynamo FC | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | −1 | 0 | 0.00 |
Austin FC win  FC Dallas win  Houston Dynamo FC win  Draw

## Division 2

| Club | Titles | Years |
| Austin Bold FC | 1 | 2019 |
| El Paso Locomotive FC | 2 | 2021, 2024 |
| Rio Grande Valley FC | 0 | |
| San Antonio FC | 2 | 2022, 2023 |
* ↑ Franchise relocated after completion of the 2021 USL-C season
* ↑ Franchise ceased operations after the 2023 USL-C season
| Year | Champions | Second | Third | Fourth |
| 2019 | Austin Bold FC | San Antonio FC | Rio Grande Valley FC | El Paso Locomotive FC |
| 2020 | Not held due to COVID–19 | Not held due to COVID–19 | Not held due to COVID–19 | Not held due to COVID–19 |
| 2021 | El Paso Locomotive FC | Austin Bold FC | Rio Grande Valley FC | San Antonio FC |
| 2022 | San Antonio FC | Rio Grande Valley FC | El Paso Locomotive FC | – |
| 2023 | San Antonio FC | Rio Grande Valley FC | El Paso Locomotive FC | – |
| 2024 | El Paso Locomotive FC | San Antonio FC | – | – |

### 2019

2019 results summary :
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
| 1 | Austin Bold FC | 6 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 6 | 4 | +2 | 11 |
| 2 | San Antonio FC | 6 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 9 | 7 | +2 | 8 |
| 3 | Rio Grande Valley FC | 6 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 8 | 9 | −1 | 8 |
| 4 | El Paso Locomotive FC | 6 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 4 | 7 | −3 | 4 |
Austin Win  El Paso Win  Rio Grande Valley Win  San Antonio Win  Draw

### 2020

Due to the coronavirus pandemic and the announcement of the updated format for the remainder of the 2020 USL Championship season, the 2020 Copa Tejas competition was not played-out as originally scheduled. El Paso Locomotive FC was put in Group C while Austin Bold FC, Rio Grande Valley FC, and San Antonio FC were placed in Group D. Therefore, the Copa Tejas was not awarded in 2020.

### 2021

2021 results summary :
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
| 1 | El Paso Locomotive FC | 12 | 7 | 2 | 3 | 24 | 16 | +8 | 23 |
| 2 | Austin Bold FC | 12 | 3 | 6 | 3 | 10 | 17 | −7 | 15 |
| 3 | Rio Grande Valley FC | 12 | 3 | 5 | 4 | 17 | 17 | 0 | 14 |
| 4 | San Antonio FC | 12 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 15 | 16 | −1 | 13 |
Austin Win  El Paso Win  Rio Grande Valley Win  San Antonio Win  Draw

### 2022

2022 results summary :
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
| 1 | San Antonio FC | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 4 | +3 | 10 |
| 2 | Rio Grande Valley FC | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 6 | 5 | +1 | 5 |
| 3 | El Paso Locomotive FC | 4 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 4 | −4 | 1 |
* ↑ Due to the uneven schedule, San Antonio FC's match against RGV on 3/27/22 did not count as a Copa Tejas match.
El Paso Win  Rio Grande Valley Win  San Antonio Win  Draw

### 2023

2023 results summary :
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
| 1 | San Antonio FC | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 4 | +2 | 8 |
| 2 | Rio Grande Valley FC | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 7 | 5 | +2 | 5 |
| 3 | El Paso Locomotive FC | 4 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 6 | 10 | −4 | 2 |
El Paso Win  Rio Grande Valley Win  San Antonio Win  Draw

### 2024

2024 results summary :
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
| 1 | El Paso Locomotive FC | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 2 | +1 | 4 |
| 2 | San Antonio FC | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 | −1 | 1 |
El Paso Win  San Antonio Win  Draw

### 2025

2025 results summary :
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
| 1 | El Paso Locomotive FC | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2 | San Antonio FC | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
El Paso Win  San Antonio Win  Draw

## Shield

| Club | Titles | Years |
| Austin Bold FC† | 0 | |
| Austin FC | 0 | |
| Dallas Trinity FC | 0 | |
| El Paso Locomotive FC | 1 | 2021 |
| FC Dallas | 0 | |
| Houston Dash | 0 | |
| Houston Dynamo FC | 1 | 2024 |
| Rio Grande Valley FC†† | 0 | |
| San Antonio FC | 2 | 2022, 2023 |
† Franchise folded after completion of the 2021 USLC season †† Franchise folded after completion of the 2023 USLC season
| Year | Champions | Runners-up |
| 2021 | El Paso Locomotive FC | San Antonio FC |
| 2022 | San Antonio FC | Austin FC |
| 2023 | San Antonio FC | Houston Dynamo FC |
| 2024 | Houston Dynamo FC | Austin FC |
2025 results summary :
| Pos | Team | Pld | PPG |
| 1 | San Antonio FC | 2 | 3.00 |
| 2 | Dallas Trinity FC | 17 | 1.59 |
| 3 | Austin FC | 4 | 1.50 |
| 4 | El Paso Locomotive FC | 2 | 1.00 |
| 5 | FC Dallas | 4 | 1.00 |
| 6 | Houston Dynamo FC | 4 | 0.25 |
| 7 | Houston Dash | 1 | 0.00 |

## Top Scorers
### Division 1

Stats as of 2/22/2025 – Bold denotes still active with team
| Position | Name | Team | Goals |
| 1 | Fafà Picault | Houston Dynamo FC | 6 |
| 1 | Jesús Ferreira | FC Dallas | 6 |
| 1 | Sebastian Driussi | Austin FC | 6 |
| 1 | Petar Musa | FC Dallas | 6 |
| 5 | Jáder Obrian | FC Dallas/Austin FC | 5 |
| 5 | Diego Fagundez | Austin FC | 5 |
| 5 | Gyasi Zardes | Austin FC | 5 |
| 8 | Ricardo Pepi | FC Dallas | 3 |
| 8 | Julio Cascante | Austin FC | 3 |
| 8 | Paul Arriola | FC Dallas | 3 |
| 11 | Griffin Dorsey | Houston Dynamo FC | 2 |
| 11 | Sebastián Ferreira | Houston Dynamo FC | 2 |
| 11 | Tomás Pochettino | Austin FC | 2 |
| 11 | Alexander Ring | Austin FC | 2 |
| 11 | Thorleifur Úlfarsson | Houston Dynamo FC | 2 |
| 11 | Ethan Finlay | Austin FC | 2 |
| 11 | Nkosi Tafari | FC Dallas | 2 |
| 11 | Adalberto Carrasquilla | Houston Dynamo FC | 2 |
| 11 | Amine Bassi | Houston Dynamo FC | 2 |
| 20 | Cecilio Dominguez | Austin FC | 1 |
| 20 | Iván Franco | Houston Dynamo FC | 1 |
| 20 | Teenage Hadebe | Houston Dynamo FC | 1 |
| 20 | Matt Hedges | FC Dallas/Austin FC | 1 |
| 20 | Héctor Herrera | Houston Dynamo FC | 1 |
| 20 | Danny Hoesen | Austin FC | 1 |
| 20 | Ryan Hollingshead | FC Dallas | 1 |
| 20 | Franco Jara | FC Dallas | 1 |
| 20 | Tsiki Ntsabeleng | FC Dallas | 1 |
| 20 | Tyler Pasher | Houston Dynamo FC | 1 |
| 20 | Daniel Pereira | Austin FC | 1 |
| 20 | Facundo Quignon | FC Dallas | 1 |
| 20 | Darwin Quintero | Houston Dynamo FC | 1 |
| 20 | Brandon Servania | FC Dallas | 1 |
| 20 | Maximiliano Urruti | Austin FC | 1 |
| 20 | Matías Vera | Houston Dynamo FC | 1 |
| 20 | Diego Rubio | Austin FC | 1 |
| 20 | Emiliano Rigoni | Austin FC | 1 |
| 20 | Sebastien Ibeagha | FC Dallas | 1 |
| 20 | Marco Farfan | FC Dallas | 1 |
| 20 | Anderson Julio | FC Dallas | 1 |

### Division 2

Stats as of February 23, 2025 – Bold denotes still active with team
| Position | Name | Team | Goals |
| 1 | Luis Solignac | El Paso Locomotive FC/San Antonio FC | 8 |
| 2 | Diego Luna | El Paso Locomotive FC | 6 |
| 2 | André Lima | Austin Bold FC | 6 |
| 2 | Justin Dhillon | San Antonio FC/El Paso Locomotive FC | 6 |
| 5 | Aarón Gómez | El Paso Locomotive FC | 5 |
| 5 | Santiago Patiño | San Antonio FC | 5 |
| 6 | Nathan Fogaça | San Antonio FC | 4 |
| 6 | Juan Carlos Azócar | Rio Grande Valley FC Toros | 4 |
| 6 | Sebastián Velásquez | El Paso Locomotive FC | 4 |
| 10 | Elvis Amoh | Rio Grande Valley FC Toros | 3 |
| 10 | Frank López | San Antonio FC/Rio Grande Valley FC Toros | 3 |
| 10 | Mitchell Taintor | San Antonio FC | 3 |
| 10 | Rida Zouhir | San Antonio FC | 3 |
| 13 | Kyle Edwards | Rio Grande Valley FC Toros | 2 |
| 13 | Wan Kuzain | Rio Grande Valley FC Toros | 2 |
| 13 | Rodrigo Lopez | Rio Grande Valley FC Toros | 2 |
| 13 | Christian Sorto | Rio Grande Valley FC Toros | 2 |
| 13 | Dylan Mares | El Paso Locomotive FC | 2 |
| 13 | José Aguinaga | El Paso Locomotive FC | 2 |
| 13 | Xavier Báez | Austin Bold FC | 2 |
| 13 | Fabien Garcia | Austin Bold FC/San Antonio FC | 2 |
| 13 | Marcus Epps | San Antonio FC | 2 |
| 13 | Andrew Fox | El Paso Locomotive FC | 2 |
| 13 | Cristian Parano | San Antonio FC | 2 |
| 13 | Jesús Enríquez | Rio Grande Valley FC Toros | 2 |
| 13 | Michael Salazar | Rio Grande Valley FC Toros | 2 |
| 13 | Elliot Collier | San Antonio FC | 2 |
| 13 | Juan David Cabezas | Rio Grande Valley FC Toros | 2 |
| 13 | Christian Pinzón | Rio Grande Valley FC Toros | 2 |
| 13 | Taylor Davila | Rio Grande Valley FC Toros | 2 |
| 13 | Wilmer Cabrera Jr. | Rio Grande Valley FC Toros/El Paso Locomotive FC | 2 |
| 32 | Emil Cuello | San Antonio FC | 1 |
| 32 | Mathieu Deplagne | San Antonio FC | 1 |
| 32 | Kortne Ford | San Antonio FC | 1 |
| 32 | Jose Gallegos | San Antonio FC | 1 |
| 32 | Axel Sjöberg | San Antonio FC | 1 |
| 32 | Ates Diouf | San Antonio FC | 1 |
| 32 | Collin Fernandez | Austin Bold FC | 1 |
| 32 | Sonny Guadarrama | Austin Bold FC | 1 |
| 32 | Stefano Pinho | Austin Bold FC | 1 |
| 32 | Kofi Sarkodie | Austin Bold FC | 1 |
| 32 | Sean Okoli | Austin Bold FC | 1 |
| 32 | Macauley King | El Paso Locomotive FC | 1 |
| 32 | Chapa Herrera | El Paso Locomotive FC | 1 |
| 32 | Leandro Carrijó | El Paso Locomotive FC | 1 |
| 32 | Nick Ross | El Paso Locomotive FC | 1 |
| 32 | Alexis Cerritos | Rio Grande Valley FC Toros | 1 |
| 32 | Carter Manley | Rio Grande Valley FC Toros/San Antonio FC | 1 |
| 32 | Derek Gebhard | El Paso Locomotive FC | 1 |
| 32 | Emilio Ycaza | Rio Grande Valley FC Toros | 1 |
| 32 | Kléber | Austin Bold FC | 1 |
| 32 | Isaac Promise | Austin Bold FC | 1 |
| 32 | Ema Twumasi | Austin Bold FC | 1 |
| 32 | Éver Guzmán | San Antonio FC | 1 |
| 32 | Amobi Okugo | Austin Bold FC | 1 |
| 32 | Billy Forbes | San Antonio FC | 1 |
| 32 | Bradford Jamieson IV | San Antonio FC | 1 |
| 32 | Jack Barmby | Rio Grande Valley FC Toros | 1 |
| 32 | Romilio Hernandez | Rio Grande Valley FC Toros | 1 |
| 32 | Carlos Small | Rio Grande Valley FC Toros | 1 |
| 32 | Ebenezer Ackon | Rio Grande Valley FC Toros | 1 |
| 32 | Eric Bird | Rio Grande Valley FC Toros | 1 |
| 32 | David Loera | San Antonio FC | 1 |
| 32 | Dylan Borczak | Rio Grande Valley FC Toros | 1 |
| 32 | Duilio Herrera | San Antonio FC/Rio Grande Valley FC | 1 |
| 32 | Shannon Gomez | San Antonio FC | 1 |
| 32 | Akeem Ward | Rio Grande Valley FC Toros | 1 |
| 32 | Samuel Adeniran | San Antonio FC | 1 |
| 32 | Eric Calvillo | El Paso Locomotive FC | 1 |
| 32 | José Torres | Rio Grande Valley FC Toros | 1 |
| 32 | Ian Cerro | Rio Grande Valley FC Toros | 1 |
| 32 | Brandan Craig | El Paso Locomotive FC | 1 |
| 32 | Jake LaCava | San Antonio FC | 1 |
| 32 | Miles Lyons | El Paso Locomotive FC | 1 |

## Cup Scoring

The Division 1 and Division 2 Copa Tejas format is similar to the Cascadia Cup, although in the Copa Tejas uneven numbers of games can be played - points from all games between the teams count toward the total. Points are earned during the regular season: three for a victory, one for a draw, and no points for a loss. The team that accumulates the most points during the regular USL season, excluding possible U.S. Open Cup match ups and league playoffs, will be awarded the trophy at the conclusion of the league season, and will keep it and bragging rights for a year. If a tiebreaker is necessary, it will be determined from goal differential and other criteria.
The winner each year is decided by these criteria, in order:
* Greater number of points earned in matches between the teams concerned
* Greater goal difference in matches between the teams concerned
* Greater number of goals scored in matches between the teams concerned
* Reapply first three criteria if two or more teams are still tied
* Greater goal difference in all cup matches
* Greater number of goals scored in all cup matches
* Smaller number of disciplinary points in all cup matches (yellow = 1 point, red = 2 points)

## Shield Scoring

The Copa Tejas Shield format is similar to the Supporters Shield awarded by Major League Soccer's Supporters Shield Foundation. Total points for a team across a its regular season will be divided by the number of matches played for an average points per game total. The team with the highest average points per game will be awarded the Copa Tejas Shield. In the event of a tiebreaker, the following criteria will be used to break the tie:
* Goal difference average
* Fewest disciplinary points
* Away goals average
* Away goal difference
* Home goals average
* Home goal difference
* Coin toss if two teams tied and draw straws if three teams tied.