Corpus Christi, Texas- In 2024, an exciting project in Northern Colorado came to an abrupt stop when USL League One terminated their franchise agreement with Northern Colorado Hailstorm FC. The decision came due to the team owner’s bankruptcy filing and subsequent lawsuit.
Construction of the stadium (shared with the baseball team) halted and Hailstorm scrambled to salvage the project. Hailstorm had begun to look successful in the league after their playoff appearances, U.S. Open Cup upsets, and Jägermeister Cup win in 2024.
“Honestly, it was a letdown off the pitch, if Future Legends had followed through, I have no doubt that Hailstorm would’ve been a top USL League One team with a top academy and exciting future,” said former Head Coach Éamon Zayed.
Zayed looks back on his Colorado days fondly. He fell in love with the area, the community, and looked forward to the vision. Unfortunately, as Noco Hailstorm scraped along competing in The League For Clubs during the 2025 summer and NISA Cup, Zayed set his sights on elsewhere.
That opportunity came quickly for Zayed. A new USL League One Side, Corpus Christi FC launched this year, and in their inaugural season, Zayed took the helm of an inaugural project once again.
It’s a similar environment for Zayed, and one he’ll be comfortable in.
“There’s a lot of similarities between Hailstorm and Corpus Christi. We are building our own complex as well and there always seem to be issues that pop up,” Zayed said about the challenges of building a new franchise.
“It takes a lot of work and time from the operational stage, which we are still working through, with a brand new USL team, there’s a lot of things that people might not have a full understanding of and what that may look like.”
Much like Colorado, Zayed takes charge in Corpus Christi’s inaugural season, and he wants to focus on building a consistent rhythm to see his vision through.
He’s been involved with USL League One since its beginnings in 2019. He had stints as a player with Indy Eleven, Charlotte Independence, and the Chattanooga Red Wolves. Zayed knows USL League One inside and out and looks forward to his new beginnings with Corpus Christi.
“I’ve seen the evolution of USL and obviously with USL wanting promotion and relegation introduced, I wanted to be involved with that in the states,” Zayed said on his decision to come to Corpus Christi.
“I want to build something successful, go into 2028 as a top team and be the first team promoted into that top division.”
In 2028, the USL will be starting promotion and relegation with the top division being the new USL Premier. As Zayed begins the process again, he’s focused on being patient and understanding success will take time.
After success with Hailstorm, Zayed intends to work on building the same pathways. At NoCo’s height in 2024, there were concrete plans for a stadium, a pro academy, and a women’s team. The academy was on its way to becoming elite. Unfortunately, the women’s team and stadium never materialized.
In Corpus Christi, the 5,000-seat stadium is in construction and as Sporting Director, Zayed hopes to build a path to pro and women’s teams.
“I want to grow the academy and tap into the local talent here in Corpus Christi. Growing a pathway to professional under the USL League One team is so important,” Zayed said.
As Head Coach, Zayed has focused on building an environment of players that understand what it takes in USL League One and the mentality of understanding the process. Zayed also focused on bringing in guys from Hailstorm that he trusted.
“I want to build a top team, and that takes time. I don’t look at just players with any bit of talent, but players that have personality and a certain mentality,” Zayed said about his process.
“Players have to understand it takes time, I put the pillars of success in early and then it helps to have guys familiar with me and the ones that have that certain mentality.”
Zayed also looked to delve into the international market and experienced USL players.
As Corpus Christi begins their inaugural season, Zayed once again has the chance to see his vision out. He found success in Colorado, success that was disappointingly cut short. Corpus Christi has two points through four league games but has yet to play a home game due to stadium construction. Hailstorm similarly got off to a slow start in 2022 and got better once the infrastructure was in place.
For Zayed, Corpus Christi is another opportunity to build a lasting project in a league he knows inside and out, this time seeing it through.
Thank you for reading Burgundy Wave. Support us via our Patreon starting at $5/month. You can also make a one-time contribution via Tip Jar. We’re always looking for new talent. Let us know if you’re interested in covering Colorado Soccer.
Matt Pollard 