We bring you the latest Austin FC happenings including important news, wild speculation, and the hottest links on the interweb.
But first, let’s talk about 2019.
Soak it all in. You just witnessed one of the greatest years for Austin FC, outside of the club winning its first MLS Cup. 2019 had many historic “firsts” that will never be repeated. The club was officially named a MLS franchise. BIG. The stadium broke ground. BIG. Fans put down ticket deposits for 30,000 seats in one day. HUGE. Josh Wolff Was named first ever head coach. Claudio Reyna was hired as inaugural sporting director. Not to mention the inroads Austin FC is making in the community through its 4ATX Foundation.
Now on to 2020!
January 2020
Austin FC’s One-year Anniversary party got the year started right. We celebrated that historic day in January 2019 when commissioner Don Garber officially announced Austin FC as the 27th club in MLS. Back then a jam-packed crowd at Rustic Tap on West 6th whooped it up in joy, releasing all that pent-up emotion from the highs and lows of the MLS2ATX movement. This year’s party was an incredible chance to hang out and drink beer with Austin FC staff, including Claudio Reyna and Josh Wolff. Once players are signed, we may not see them again until they’re on the sidelines.
Season Ticket Sales kicked off right out of the gate in 2020. To catch you up, Austin FC sent deposit holders an email instructing them that premium seating (East and West club seats) would begin first, followed by general seating. At this stage, pricing hasn’t been publicly released. Doing our part to fuel speculation on prices, we looked at season tickets costs for other MLS clubs that compare to Austin FC. Tickets will likely be at the upper end among MLS teams, but not too far off from other new teams that have entered MLS.
BODYARMOR Official Sports Drink of Austin FC. You should see plenty of these bottles on the sideline on a Summer match day when it’s 8pm and 90°. BODYARMOR has partnerships with 19 of the 26 MLS teams. These deals bring in revenue that can go toward player signings. Sponsorships will be rolling in this year for the club in preparation for the 2021 season. We’re tracking the sponsorships and partnerships as they’re announced.
eMLS Series One featured new Austin FC FIFA player Hector Valenzuela at the event in Philly. After a solid showing among elite FIFA players, it’s on to Series Two in Portland in February. The 2020 eMLS Cup finals will be held right here in Austin—March 21 at SXSW. Good luck Hector!
Coming Up
Austin FC Kit and Stadium Sponsors haven’t been announced yet. We do know that the club expects to reveal one of these sponsors before the end of the first quarter. Excel Sports Management, known for finding international clients, was enlisted in June 2019 to find suitable sponsors. While Austin FC’s jersey sponsor may not be a local company that we previously identified, we could still see them as an arm patch on the jersey.
Player Signings are buzzing before the 2020 MLS season starts. Unless you’ve been under a rock, you know that Austin FC target Javier “Chicharito” Hernández has signed a contract with LA Galaxy. Now the question is: can Austin FC land a headline-making DP with experience and name recognition like him? Other names in the DP realm include Rogelio Funes Mori, Memo Ochoa, Andrés Guardado, and Luis Suárez. Expect to hear more this Summer when the club likely makes its first roster moves.
💪🏽 let’s go!!! 😁 https://t.co/h2O9ufra0I
— Chicharito Hernandez (@CH14_) January 21, 2020
Hot Links
Men in Blazers: Matthew McConaughey on language of soccer, his MLS club Austin FC
One year anniversary party for Austin FC—Austin Anthem march to Rustic Tap
Austin FC owners make a case for who they think would be the club’s biggest rival