I’ve heard dozens of groundless arguments on why Austin won’t be able to support an MLS team, and among the dumbest is that the city doesn’t like to watch soccer.

It’s becoming easier and easier to swat away these foolish claims Dikembe Mutombo-style because the city keeps proving me right. According to FOX Sports, Austin is tied for second place among all metered U.S. TV markets for the first two World Cup games. Only Washington, D.C., has more TVs tuned into the competition.

Think about that. Think of all the major market cities with MLS teams. Austin is watching the World Cup without a vested interest in the U.S. Men’s National Team or players from their local MLS team.

Sure, Los Angeles, like Austin, doesn’t have the U.S. team to pull for, but they had the luxury of cheering on players from LAFC and the LA Galaxy like Carlos Vela (Mexico), Marco Ureña (Costa Rica), and Giovani and Jonathan dos Santos (Mexico).

Yet Austin had more TV’s locked in than even the great Los Angeles.

Got any other baseless reasons why Austin won’t sell out the new Austin FC stadium? I’m ready for ya.

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Zach Mason is the managing editor of Capital City Soccer and a native Austinite. He’s spent most of his life pretending to care about the teams he covers, but found solace in the city’s first major league sports club. Follow Zach on Twitter.