Show notes for the October 6, 2020 episode of the Capital City Soccer Show, your independent source for news, analysis and interviews about Austin FC, hosted by Landon Cotham and Jeremiah Bentley.
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Stormy Night at Q2, Worrying Body Language, Fighting Pollo Pilz, and more – Moontower Soccer: An Austin FC Podcast
Redes/Dominguez in Copa Libertadores Action
Guarani continued its strong run in Copa Libertadores, with a 3-1 win over Argentine club Tigre. Rodney Redes had two assists and Cecilio Dominguez scored a strong goal. Guarani appears likely to make the knockout round of the tournament.
Austin FC Academy Continues to Excel
Austin FC Academy picked up wins at all three levels vs. Dynamo Unidos out of Houston (credit again to Phil West for the article on the club website). The group continues to develop and has excelled against strong competition this year, particularly at the U-15 level.
Austin FC Turf Begins Its Journey
Austin FC released a video about the grass selected for the pitch at McKalla. It’s currently being grown in Scottsdale and will soon be transported to Austin. Future guest Weston Apelfeller features in the video. The St. David’s Performance Center also released photos showing the first installation of grass at the practice facility.
New Austin FC Website
The club recently updated its website to bring it in line with other MLS properties. The redesign included a significant upgrade to the information available including a roster, St. David’s Performance Center Section and a page for the 4 ATX Foundation. Austin FC has also begun publishing news content with greater frequency.
4 ATX Foundation Strategy
The 4 ATX Foundation also made several recent announcements. The Foundation formally launched its strategic philanthropy pillars. The Foundation’s signature program received a rebrand, from Upper Ninety to Verde Leaders. The club also put out a call for input on racial justice issues as a follow-up to its earlier statement in June about its commitment to equity.
Austin FC’s Domestic Beer Partner – Michelob Ultra
Austin FC announced Michelob Ultra as its “domestic” beer partner. The announcement of a major brewery partner was expected, but fan reaction online was unsurprisingly mixed. The club also put the first in a series of videos featuring prominent bar locations around town. The first bar to be featured was Rustic Tap, which has served as a key location for several events in the club’s history, most notably as the stage for the Austin FC franchise announcement.
Andy Loughnane on Timing of the 2021 Season
Andy Loughnane was recently interviewed on the Sports Business Journal “Road Ahead” podcast and provided some insight into the start of the 2021 MLS season. While it seems logical to delay the start of the season until fans can return to stadiums at full capacity, venue restrictions for several MLS clubs make that desire a challenge.
MLS Young Money Players
MLS appears on its way to adding another factor to its Byzantine roster system. Last month, Axel Schuster of the Vancouver Whitecaps sat down with a group of reporters and discussed the “Young Money” player, which would allow additional DP slots for players who are 22 years old or younger. This may or may not affect the roster designation for Rodney Redes.
On the Next Episode
Landon & Jeremiah will be back next week with an interview of Weston Apelfeller, senior director of grounds at Austin FC. In the mean time, we encourage you to check out the latest monthly “Countdown to 2021” article available at CapitalCitySoccer.com.
I personally don’t care what domestic beer partner is chosen. Just as long as other beers, Bud Light, are sold at the new Austin FC Stadium…