Chad Rakestraw clearly knows what it takes to be a successful soccer coach. The two UIL Class 6A state championships he won during his six seasons at Coppell High School between 2011 and 2017 are excellent proof of that.

Last fall, Rakestraw, currently the head soccer coach at Flower Mound Marcus HS, was named the first head coach of the Denton Diablos, who begin their inaugural NPSL season on Saturday at the UNT Soccer Complex against DFW-area rival Dallas City FC at 7:00 PM.

"Yeah, we're really excited to take the field. It's been kind of a long period of time of trusting and working towards getting the roster where we need it," Rakestraw said. "I think that now everybody's excited to be a part of the fun part, which is getting the games going."

Denton Diablos FC logo. (Denton Diablos FC / Denton Diablos FC)

Coaching the new Denton side is special for Rakestraw, who graduated from Denton Ryan HS before going to Midwestern State on a soccer scholarship.

And after graduating from MSU, his first gig was back in Denton as an assistant coach at Guyer High School, a three-year stint which helped him land his first head coaching job at Northwest HS in nearby Justin in 2008.

"I'll be honest, I'm a dreamer. I have big visions for myself, but I don't think professional soccer is a thing I thought that would come to Denton and then present an opportunity for myself," Rakestraw admits. "The easier route, but the more frequented route (to coaching pro soccer), is to go and coach in college. It's pretty cool that we had guys that believed in creating something professional in Denton and then put the money into it to do so. Really, really excited about it. It's cool."

And even though the Diablos have yet to officially hit the pitch to start their inaugural campaign, their head coach got an inkling about what support will be like from the community when he visited a Denton coffee shop three months ago.

The Denton Diablos leadership: co-owner Damon Gochneaur (left), Head Coach Chad Rakestraw (center), and General Manager Rusty Oglesby (right). (Denton Diablos)

"It was a pleasant surprise when I went into a coffee shop with a Diablos jacket on," Rakestraw said. "The barista asked me if I was the head coach of the Diablos? They had already known about it, were excited about it because she was a soccer fan. It's been really cool to see the community get behind the program."

"Being a person that graduated from high school in Denton and then lived in Denton for years, it's cool to see. I think we fill a space, really, that people have been waiting for, which is some type of professional team to get behind during off times for college. I think that we've seen different communities get behind it. It's a really exciting time."

Denton not only opens its inaugural campaign against Dallas City FC, but its second match on May 18, also at home, will see its other Metroplex rival, Fort Worth Vaqueros FC, visit in a meeting dubbed The Chisholm Trail Clásico.

The Diablos will then travel to Fort Worth and Dallas respectively for the return matches in the DFW rivalry on June 1 and June 7, a rivalry Rakestraw looks forward to experiencing firsthand.

"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. I think that Dallas City is going to give us a game that I'm hopeful that our guys will be up for. With it being an in-town rivalry, I think there will be more to play for."

Rakestraw feels good about his current roster makeup heading into their opening match.

However, the longtime high school coach realizes his biggest battle this season will be in finding lineup continuity from week to week, building a squad that plays well together as a unit.

"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," Rakestraw said.

"The challenge is going to be continuity. It's going to be guys stepping up in the meantime to make sure that we're as good as we need to be. But then, after those (other) guys do add in, us being able to adjust to really find the best group of guys that play the best together. Not necessarily the best players, but the guys that play the best together. That'll only come in time when we get more time together with our group."

Announced players for Denton Diablos in 2019

(Alphabetical order with youth club, former club, and college)

Brandon Cerda - Dallas Texans & San Diego State

- Carolina Dynamo & Oklahoma Christian University

- Prescott Cables FC & Northeastern State

- North Texas Celtic FC & Angelina College

- Solar Chelsea & Midwestern State University

- Solar SC & Seattle Sounders 2

- FC Denton

- Dallas Texans & SMU

- FC Dallas & Campbell University

- Solar SC & Midwestern State University

- Gulf Coast Texans & SMU

- Dallas Texans & UCCS

- FC Dallas & North Carolina

- Dallas Texans & Tulsa

- FC Santos

- FC Dallas & SMU

- FC Dallas & University of Dallas

- FC Dallas & North Carolina

- Dallas Texans & SMU

- FC Dallas & SMU

- Liverpool FC & Eastern New Mexico

- Dallas Texans and UT Dallas

- FC Dallas & Columbia

Denton Diablos players Abraham Hernandez, Shadrack Villa, and Abraham Escamilla model the club's new jersey they will wear during the team's inaugural NPSL season. (4-24-19) (Buzz Carrick / 3rd Degree)

3rd Degree is an independent, North Texas soccer blog with a focus on FC Dallas. (3rd Degree / Buzz Carrick)

- Mlatho Mponela United