Tomas Pondeca scores the first goal in the club’s pro history
CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas (March 14, 2026) – Corpus Christi FC starts their pro campaign with a flair for dramatics. A stoppage-time goal by Bubu Medina earned the Sharks a 2-2 draw with FC Naples on the road.
A historic night for Corpus Christi FC is highlighted by team resilience, talent and unity. When Corpus Christi could, they found success over the top and capitalized on the few chances they had.
DRAMA
Minutes prior in the 88th minute, a give-and-go for FC Naples saw Christopher Garcia get to the endline, chip the ball to the middle for Dominick Bachstein to put it in. That gave FC Naples the late 2-1 lead.
FC Naples controlled the tempo much of the second half. The Sharks struggled to keep possession and didn’t muster up an attack until late in the half. FC Naples doubled up the Sharks on touches in the box in the second half with a 16 to seven edge. They also had four shots on goal in the half to Corpus Christi’s one.
That one shot on goal proved vital for the Sharks. In his pro debut, Medina received the pass from Blake Bowen just over midfield. Medina drove with the ball towards goal and ripped a powerful strike from about 20 yards away, past goalkeeper Lalo Delgado.
“It was a very important point on the road for the team,” Medina said. “Very special moment for the club to have their first professional game and just super grateful to be able to help the team. Now time to build on it this coming week and shift our focus to Knoxville.”
STARTING ON THE WRONG FOOT
It was a slow start for the Sharks conceding in the second minute of the match. FC Naples whipped a cross in and it bounced around until it fell to Marc Torrellas who blasted the ball into the roof of the net.
“To go down a goal in the first minute was not in our team talk before the game,” Head Coach Éamon Zayed said. “The worst possible start. But to show the character and resilience to fight back, not once but twice shows what this team is made of. That never say die attitude tells me a lot about this group of men.
Do we have work to do, of course. Are we still a work in progress, of course. But it’s a solid start to come to a team who finished in the home playoff spots last season and get our first ever point.”
Around the 10th minute mark is when the Sharks switched on. Possession started to take shape.
TURNAROUND
Corpus Christi’s pressure was consistent earning two corner kicks in quick succession late in the first half. In the 39th minute, one of those corner kicks gave Jack Keaney an open look for a header, but his shot sailed slightly over the crossbar.
The next corner kick was a breakthrough for the Sharks. The initial kick was deflected to the top of the box. Nacho Abeal slid the ball to Pondeca who ripped a low shot from atop the box past Delgado to tie the match.
“Grateful to come out of an away a game with one point; the team fought hard, playing away is never easy,” Pondeca said. Extremely thankful for the goal couldn’t have done it without the team and huge thanks to Nacho! Let’s keep it going from here we continue to write history!”
Sharks’ goalkeeper James Talbot secured the tie heading to the locker room. FC Naples got their best chances in stoppage-time since the opening minutes. A cross found the foot of Taylor Gray, open on the back post. Talbot made the stop, popped up to make another one to deny FC Naples.
“The boys showed a lot of resilience to come out with a point,” captain Paddy Langliis said. “To go down twice and have the resilience to come back shows a lot about the group’s character, especially at Naples which is a notoriously tough place to travel to. Tonight was a good foundation that we can build on for Knoxville. It was a great night for the club’s history.”
“History was made tonight,” Zayed said. “Special mention to Corpus Christi USL League Two product Bubu to get the equalizer and Tomas Pondeca who writes his name in history with the first ever goal in Corpus Christi FC history. Tonight, I am proud of this team.”
WRAP UP
Along with Medina, Nacho Abeal made his pro debut. Bowen, Keaney, Pierce Infuso and James Talbot made their USL debuts.
Jake Keegan subbed on in the 71st minute for his 152nd appearance. He is seventh all-time.
Next up, the Sharks travel to the defending champs One Knoxville SC for a March 24th match.
| CORPUS CHRISTI FC | FC NAPLES | |
| 11 | SHOTS | 13 |
| 4 | SHOTS ON TARGET | 8 |
| 6 | SAVES | 2 |
| 17 | FOULS | 22 |
| 5 | CORNERS WON | 5 |
| 1 | OFFSIDES | 1 |
| 4 | YELLOW CARDS | 2 |
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CCFC has a new home at the Corpus Christi Multi-Sport Complex currently being constructed at 5102 Old Brownsville Road. The $28.3 million complex will include a 5,000 seat stadium for all of the Sharks USL League One home games. You can also choose the best seats at our new stadium by securing your season tickets now! You can do so here.
CCFC was established in 2017 by Dr. Kingsley Okonkwo. The club played their first season in 2018 in the Premier Development League under the umbrella of the United Soccer League. In 2019, the league rebranded to USL League Two. The Sharks have played in this league since and won their first Lone Star Division title in 2024. In that same season, the Sharks made their longest run in the USL League Two playoffs reaching the third round. Follow Corpus Christi FC on their social media channels on Facebook, Instagram, X (Twitter), Tik Tok and LinkedIn.
