There's a brand new NPSL club in these parts, the Denton Diablos. And with that new club comes a new local derby game against the well established Fort Worth Vaqueros. After their season and home opener was rained out, the Diablos now open their inaugural season with the first ever playing of the Chisholm Trail Clásico against the Fort Worth Vaqueros on Saturday.

While the two clubs have some shared ownership, they couldn't be more different.

The Vaqueros are all about Cowtown. Founded in 2014, they have an established set of players with an established coach in Nick Stavrou and play their games at historic Farrington Field in the Fort Worth Cultural District. The club maintains an old school, "We are Fort Worth" community vibe with "Where the West Begins" embossed on this year's scarf and their "Mi Familia" slogan on 2019 marketing and t-shirts.

Vaqueros have also made the NPSL playoffs for two straight seasons. "I'm certain this summer the Vaqueros will reach the post-season for the third straight year," Vaqueros' General Manager Tobias Xavier Lopez said. "I'm confident the growth we've enjoyed the first five years will continue as we begin year six."

Vaqueros standout Jamie Lovegrove holds off a Tyler FC defender in the Vaqueros 3-0 win to open the 2019 season. (Hannah Reinmiller / Fort Worth Vaqueros)

A fair number of the club's best players double-dip by playing for the Dallas Sidekicks and are in midseason form already. Stacked with returning players like Jamie Lovegrove, Declan O'Shea, Bobby Edet, Cody Ellis, Cameron Brown, and Mike Jones; Vaqueros knocked off Tyler FC 3-0 in their home opener.

"We head north to face the Diablos next Saturday in what will be an amazing new rivalry," Lopez said. "We will have to continue working this week to be ready for what we know will be a stiff test amongst some familiar faces now suiting up for the Diablos."

As a contrast, you have the new media hotness of the Denton Diablos. A bold brand, an impressive social media campaign for the players, and a jersey reveal in a speakeasy all make for a youthful, Denton first, party vibe surrounding the club.

The Diablos have also gone with a different player strategy than Vaqueros, using almost entirely NCAA players like USL-2 teams are usually dominated with. With their season opener rescheduled, Denton has yet to take the field so what kind of team and starting lineup they will run out remains a mystery in many ways.

Denton Diablos social media announcement image of their first ever player signing, Brandon Terwege. (DDFC / Denton Diablos)

"Yeah, we have a lot of really young talent from colleges. Now the struggle for us comes that some of these guys aren't going to be in for the first game. Some of our players that are coming from some bigger schools will be in at the end of the month or the middle of the month," Diablos Head Coach Chad Rakestraw said.

There are some standout names on the roster worth a mention under Rakestraw. North Carolina standouts Giovani Montes de Oca and Martin Salas are both from the FC Dallas Academy as is SMU standout center back Brandon Terwege who led the Bruins in minutes played last year before transferring from UCLA. Four other Ponies grace the Denton roster - F/M Dominick "Nicky" Hernandez, GK Grant Makela, M/F Wyatt Priest, and F Nick Taylor - as well as Seattle Sounders 2 veteran Sam Garza.

"It's cool to have local teams where we can create some rivalry and excitement between fans and communities," Rakestraw said. "It's tough though when you're playing games for bragging rights right off the bat for the DFW area."

The Chisholm Trail Clásico kicks off at 7 pm this Saturday, May 18th, at the Mean Green Soccer Stadium on the campus of UNT in Denton.

Diablos vs Vaqueros, for the first time, Saturday, May 18th in Denton, Texas. (Fort Worth Vaqueros / Denton Diablos)