Midseason Grades with GM Dustin McCorkle
Halfway through the season, the Matadors are in the thick of it in the Lone Star Conference. I thought it would be a great time to sit with Dustin McCorkle to see how he thought everything was going from on to off the field. He was able to help relay how successful the season has been so far. So we'll be grading the different aspects of the club.
The Team's Performance
The word that kept getting tossed around when we ended up talking about the team was "Patience" everyone always wants to win right away, but with expansions, that is always a tall task. Dustin had this to say about the team's performance "We are going to need our fans to be patient, we're playing the toughest conference in the NPSL and holding our own. That shows how talented the coaching staff and group of players we have here. We all want to win, but we are happy with the team's performance so far." Matadors by no means are struggling in the conference; they currently sit in 6th place, six points behind 4th they still have an excellent chance of capturing the last playoff spot.
They have been successful for the first year as a team but leave much to be desired.
Grade: B
The front office and fan support
Once we stopped talking about soccer and spoke about the fans, Dustin became ecstatic about how things were going, praising both. The fan support is easy to praise as the Lubbock community has embraced this team as their own. Dustin loves Lubbock and the fans. He was excited to tell me, "The fans have been nothing short of amazing. Every game, they come loud and proud, supporting the club. We easily have the best fans in the NPSL."
I think a big reason why the fan base has taken off is because of our head of social media, Trevor Lyons, who is constantly posting and going around town to ensure everyone knows what's going on with the club. This is an easy segway to talk about the staff and how terrific they have been.
Many of the interns are Texas Tech students who are trying to gain real-world experience in the sports industry that the Matadors can provide. Most of the workforce is made up of interns, so to say we get hands-on experience is an understatement. "Our goal is to help students find jobs after college, and we have already successfully done that and hope to continue to do that."-Dustin said over what the goal is for the internship.
The fantastic fans and hard-working interns have laid a foundation for the club's success.
Fans Grade +A
Interns Grade: A
After speaking with Dustin, it's easy to see why this season has been a smash hit in Lubbock. You always want to win more games, but with how talented the team and front office is, wins will come in time.
Final Grade: A