Houston Legends 2026 Preview: Shooting Stars or Rough Re-entry?
By: Kaden Roberts
Last Season
The 2025 season did not go well for the Houston Legends, but rather quite the opposite. The Legends went 0-3 at their away series against the Kansas City Stampede and their home series against the San Antonio Soldados. Things didn’t improve at the 2025 MLQ Championship, where they lost to the Detroit Innovators and the Charlotte Aviators, leading to a season record of 0-12. This was a downgrade to their 2024 season, where they went 3-9.
The main reason for this record change would be the lack of games the Legends got to play. Their regular season allowed them only six games, not including the championships. This is due to the fact that two teams that were in their division in 2024 were rendered inactive in 2025: the Austin Outlaws and the New Orleans Curse. Coincidentally, those were the two teams the Legends got wins on in 2024.
However, this year, there have been additions to the roster that might herald a change for the Legends.
Returning Players
Aaron Price (Copperheads)
Andrew Acosta (SHSU)
Ashton Butler (Copperheads)
Ashton JeanLewis (Copperheads)
Billy Nellums (Copperheads)
Brandon Kubena (Copperheads)
Caleigh Duvall (Copperheads)
Chase Contreras (Copperheads)
Connor Mason (Copperheads)
David Wright (SHSU)
Kevin Raber (Cosmos)
Kiet Pham (Copperheads)
Mallory Hughes (Copperheads)
Raymundo Nuñez (Texas State)
Sarah Stewart (Copperheads)
Sean Allen (Copperheads)
Sophia Araujo (Copperheads)
Spencer Quintana (SHSU)
Wyatt Fredrickson (SHSU)
New Players
Daisy Alfaro (SHSU)
Dylan “TJ” Farrow (USTA)
Evan Ferchuck (USTA)
Javi Tijerina (UTSA)
Logan Farrow (UTSA)
Milena Sousa (Heat)
Paulina Dominguez (UTSA)
Riley Moehlmann (Heat)
Sam Lehmann (SHSU)
Back From Hiatus
Kyle Easter (Copperheads)
Viviana Estrada (Copperheads)
Roster Notes
Brandon Kubena will return to Houston as head coach alongside Ashton Butler and Chase Contreras as assistant coaches. Andrew Acosta will also be acting as an assistant coach for the team following his graduation from SHSU.
The major change from last year's roster is the addition of multiple UTSA players, such as Paulina Dominguez, Dylan “TJ” Farrow and Javi Tijerina. All three are incredibly skilled collegiate players, with Tijerina being considered one of the most dominant beaters in the college space. Their inclusion in the Legends comes shortly after their team's victory in the 2025-26 USQ Division 2 National Championship.
Furthermore, their rookie players should not be underestimated. Daisy Alfaro from SHSU and Logan Farrow from UTSA have proven to be strong beaters in the short time they have been playing, and Sam Lehmann from SHSU and Evan Ferchuk from UTSA have shown their impressive skills over the 2025-26 USQ season.
Finally, Texas Hill Country Heat players Milena Sousa and Riley Moehlmann join the Legends this year, both huge acquisitions for the team. This recruitment follows the Heat player’s victory in the USQ Club Competitive Championship over Boom Train, meaning they will be bringing a lot of skill to the Legends.
This Season
The Legends will start their season with the Kansas City series, where they will travel north to play the Stampede Saturday, June 13. Later that month, the Legends will play the Soldados in Huntsville, Texas, on Saturday, June 27. This series is important to the Legends in more ways than one, as they’ll be playing San Antonio on their home turf. The Legends will round out their season with a hopeful appearance in the Central Conference Championship, where they will face teams from their sister division. The Gateway Division contains the Chicago Prowl, the Minneapolis Monarchs and the Toronto Raiders, with whom the Legends have a deep history. Chicago will prove to be a tough challenge for Houston if they meet in the Conference Championship, but with this new and improved roster, their chances against Minneapolis and Toronto have improved significantly.
The majority of the Legends players played for SHSU, including all of the team’s coaches. As for my opinion, I think they have a good chance to turn their record around this season, their veteran players have a hunger for victory and their new players have a fire in them that will no doubt have their opponents concerned.
Why They Will And Why They Won’t
The big fact that no one can deny about this roster is the individual talent of each player. The Legends beaters are incredibly dominant on the field. Veteran beaters such as Connor Mason, Tijerina, David Wright and Raymundo “Ray” Nuñez can clear plenty of space for their chasers, while the rookies Alfaro and Logan Farrow can clean up the field easily. Their chasers are just as impressive, with incredibly fast players like Acosta, Dylan “TJ” Farrow and Billy Nellums able to blitz past their opponents and claim a goal. However, there is a problem that may drag the legends down. A good portion of the players haven’t worked together. With the addition of the UTSA and Texas Hill Country Heat players, players that most of the Texas Copperheads (who make up a majority of the roster) haven’t really played with that much, it's hard to say how well the team will work together on the field going into their first series.
All in all, the Legends have a lot going for them this season, but only time will tell if this season’s championship is meant for Space City.
