By: By Heather Kennedy | Photo Credits: Chris Linscott & Bonnie Ryan
SAN ANTONIO — Longtime fans of St. Mary's University Men's Soccer know Ollie Wright and Pato Botello Faz well—but now the two former Rattler standouts are becoming familiar names to professional soccer fans across the United States.
Wright, a First-Team United Soccer Coaches All-American who played for St. Mary's from 2017–19, is thriving in USL League One with the Portland Hearts of Pine. Botello Faz, a 2015–18 Rattler and Second-Team All-American, spent the 2024 season on the St. Mary's staff as a volunteer coach while recovering from multiple surgeries and is now playing for Union Omaha in the same league.
The pair earned back-to-back conference Player of the Year honors during their college careers—Botello Faz capturing the final Heartland Conference Player of the Year award in 2018, and Wright claiming Lone Star Conference Player of the Year in 2019 as the Rattlers won the regular-season title in their debut year in the conference.
Wright's professional journey has taken him through several clubs: USL League Two's Corpus Christi FC (2019), USL Championship sides San Antonio FC (2020–21) and Rio Grande Valley FC (2022), and MLS Next Pro's Huntsville City FC (2023), where he led the team in assists and was voted Supporters' Player of the Year. He signed with Hearts of Pine in December 2024.
His 2025 season was a breakout campaign. Wright finished tied for fifth in USL League One with 11 goals, ranked third with eight assists, and was second in the league with 61 chances created. He earned USL1 Player of the Month honors in August and was named Player of the Week on June 17. Wright helped lead the expansion club to the semifinals of the USL League One Cup in its inaugural season, delighting fans in Maine and earning Supporters' Player of the Year honors once again.
Botello Faz began his professional career with Lansing Ignite in 2019 before the club folded, then joined South Georgia Tormenta FC for the 2020 season. He moved to Detroit City FC in 2021, helping the team win the Legends Cup and capturing the NISA Spring Golden Ball. When Detroit City joined the USL Championship in 2022, he remained with the club before moving to Las Vegas Lights FC in 2023, where he scored four goals.
After missing all of 2024 with an ankle injury that required three surgeries, Botello Faz signed a 25-day contract with Union Omaha on June 6, 2025, and turned it into a permanent deal a month later. He appeared in 21 matches, starting 14, scoring three goals, placing 10 of his 18 shots on target, and contributing two assists. In total, across the 2023 USL Championship season, he recorded 12 goals and one assist in 49 appearances, following his previous success with Detroit City in 2022.
The first competition between the two teams, featuring both players on the respective rosters, saw Wright score his first professional hat-trick, scoring three consecutive goals to lift Hearts of Pine to victory over Union Omaha.
"To see these two lads play against each other fills me with immense pride," said Head Coach Johnny Clifford. "Both Ollie and Pato faced setbacks early in their professional careers, but watching them continue to succeed year after year is a true testament to their resilience and character. We strive to push our players on to the professional game after college, and it's because of lads like Ollie and Pato that others choose to come here believing they can achieve that dream."
Botello Faz is one of four players nominated for the Comeback Player of the Year award, and votes are now open on the USL League One Instagram page.
Both Wright and Botello Faz are set to return to their clubs for the 2026 season, each signing new contracts during the offseason.
"They changed our program forever, and all of Rattler Nation couldn't be prouder of them," Clifford said.
