NOTE TO VISITORS: The Houston National Football Club is no longer an active club. This website is for historical purposes and to share fond memories among the many people involved over the years. Unfortunately, I do not have all the names of the players in the pictures, nor do I have pictures of all the players. I would GREATLY appreciate the people of HNFC sharing any stories and pictures. This site is for all of us. I don’t want anyone to feel left out!
I visited Coach Dragos Manga. I found him in the office surrounded by the pictures and the trophies and memory of his students and players. His thoughts are still the same.
Boys, you will be engaged in lots of competitions. You may not win them all, but work hard, give all you have, and never finish last.
Training and practice don’t make you perfect. They make you better.
Mens sana in corpore sano
Dragos Manga — March 18th 2021 from Houston Texas
Dragos Manga was highly respected as a professional soccer coach known for his ability to develop his players through dedication, diligence, and competition at the highest levels. His work as part of our community has richly improved the lives of hundreds of soccer players over the years.
My students/players trained and played in rough conditions at that time. They are the pioneers of their sport in the United States.
Dragos Manga
As Manager and Coach of Houston National Football Club from 1984 to 2005, Dragos coached the Houston National teams in all available leagues and competitions in the Houston Metropolitan area and the state of Texas as well as playing overseas.
Dragos was the Director of Soccer Program 1984 to 2011 at Saint Thomas Episcopal School. Under Dragos’ leadership as a High School coach, the program achieved two State Championships, four-time State Runner-Up and six State Final Four. He took the soccer program of a small private school and grew it into a superb program that earned multiple championships at the City and State levels.
Please browse the site and enjoy the memories! Comments are always welcome. Do you know the names for people in an image? Does an image bring up a particular memory? Share them in the comments. We will add the names we know and the ones you provide over time. Also, if you have some images from HNFC or STE Soccer, please upload them. We’d love to add the images to the site and share them with everyone!