GOOAALL!!! Austin FC Scores Big for the Austin Sports Scene

by Tucker Flatt on April 12, 2021 in Lifestyle, Family, Sports, Living Texas, Austin,
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Austin FC— the new official soccer club of Austin, Texas—is finally here.

And, after an exciting showing pre-season, this long-awaited addition to Austin’s cool factor is set to explode onto the US pro-soccer scene.

Their first season game is April 17th against LAFC at Banc of California Stadium. Central Texas fans will have to wait for the first home kick-off until June 19 against the San Jose Earthquakes. (Checkout the club’s schedule here for ticket information.)

With club owners including Matthew McConaughey (dubbed Minister of Culture), the Major League Soccer (MLS) team is led by Coach Josh Wolff, who has had experience both on and off the pitch. Before becoming a coach, Coach Wolff played professional soccer for 14 years, in both the MLS and 2. Bundesliga. (The highly competitive second division of German professional soccer.) He has also made appearances in the 2002 and 2006 World Cup competitions for the U.S. Men’s National Soccer team. 

Josh Wolff, who twice represented the United States as a player in both the 2002 and 2006 FIFA World Cup competitions, joined Austin FC in November, 2019 as the club’s first head coach. Photo courtesy Austin FC

A native of Stone Mountain, GA, Wolff began his MLS coaching career with D.C. United, then served as an assistant for Gregg Berhalter with Ohio’s Columbus Crew from 2014-18. Wolff has played alongside and been coached by many significant names in soccer including Bob Bradley, Jesse Marsch and Ben Olsen. And now he is ready to take on the task of leading Austin FC into their first ever MLS season. 

Austin’s Biggest Backyard 

Q2 Stadium is the home field for the club. The custom-built stadium in northwest Austin has many features that are sure to provide an energetic vibe to home games. From a metal roof canopy (which forces the sound of the fans back to the field), to the stadium lighting, offering two million different shades of lighting for the pitch, Q2 provides the perfect atmosphere.

A digital aerial view of the Q2 Stadium in northwest Austin as it will look on a home game day. Photo courtesy Austin FC

Fan Experience

With the MLS season running April to October, through the hot Texas summer months, the stadium has breathable mesh seats for comfort and cooling on those scorching Austin days. And due to the size of the stadium, Q2 offers 27 suites, a 5,000 square foot merchandise store and a beer hall (yes, a beer hall — featuring a 16-tap assortment of draft beers, including a selection of local, Austin craft beers) for a fun pre game environment.

Of course, everyone — visitors and locals alike — loves Austin’s foodie scene and stadium visitors will also have a broad breadth of local food favorites available throughout the venue, including Bao’d Up, Casa Chapala, DoubleDave’s Pizzaworks, Easy Tiger, Mmmpanadas, Tamale Addiction and Tacodeli. Quite the lineup of fan faves!

And, there is also no such thing as a bad seat in the house. All the stands are incredibly steep to allow the feeling of being “on top of the pitch.”

Soccer fans across Texas and the southwest are excited about the debut of the new MLS team, Austin FC. Courtesy photo

St. David’s Performance Center

Located at the Parmer Pond in north Austin, just seven miles from the Austin FC stadium, the St. David’s Performance Center is the $45-million, 23-acre training home of Austin FC.

The complex has four fields and a 30,000 square foot building housing soccer operations, as well as training and medical technologies, including advanced cardio and physio equipment, recovery rooms, water therapy and cryogenics.

Austin FC and its players are working hard in training at the new St. David’s Performance Center to be the best team they can be in this upcoming MLS season. Photo courtesy Austin FC

Power Players

During the 2021 MLS SuperDraft, Austin FC and Coach Wolff picked up many players that are crucial to the success of the team. With the right balance of international and domestic players as well as youthful and experienced players, Austin FC is on the fast track to success. 

Forward Rodney Redes (center) in action wearing the distinctive green and black kit of Austin FC. Age 21, Redes hails from Paraguay and, in July 2020, became the first player to sign for the club. Photo courtesy Austin FC

Players including Alex Ring, a midfielder from Finland who was previously the captain for New York FC, and Matt Besler, a 12-year Sporting Kansas City and UMNT superstar, will be critical to the leadership and triumph of this newborn Texas team. By implementing his game with his players and building his staff, Coach Wolff is ready to have a dominant team in the 2021 MLS season.

Season Schedule

Austin FC has their first game on April 17th against LAFC at Banc of California Stadium. Their first home game of the season is June 19 against the San Jose Earthquakes. Checkout the club’s schedule here for ticket information.

Coach Wolff with his squad pre-season. Photo courtesy Austin FC

Cover photo courtesy Austin FC

Tucker Flatt has played soccer since he was four. He lives in the sports capital of Texas and you can find him enjoying himself on the pitch.