Austin FC must survive a 34-game gauntlet that runs from February to October as it seeks to qualify for the MLS Cup Playoffs for a second straight season.
Verde & Black kicks off 2023 with back-to-back home matches, which include a game against one of three opponents they will face for the first time in club history. Speaking of three, the Texas Derby heats up this season with three meetings against each of their intra-state rivals. Throw in several major tournaments during the year—squeezed into an already-packed calendar—and Austin FC is set up for a grueling nine-month regular season.
Fortunately, Verde fans won’t have to miss any of the action. Brand new for 2023, every single MLS match will be streamed exclusively through the Apple TV app.
Here we break down 5 things you need to know about Austin FC’s regular season schedule in its third season in MLS.
Home opener vs. St. Louis CITY
Following its season opener against LAFC in 2021 and against FC Cincinnati in 2022, Austin is set to kick off its third MLS campaign when the team hosts expansion side St. Louis CITY SC on Saturday, Feb. 25 at 7:30 p.m. CITY becomes the league’s 29th franchise and joins the Western Conference. (Quick Note: Nashville returns to the East in 2023.)
The Verde & Black will look for a scorching hot start like last season’s opener, a 5-0 home win over Cincinnati. It set the tone early for a season of greatness. One weak spot last season was the club’s home record of 8W-3L-6D for a total of 30 points. Players should be highly motivated in 2023 to tally more wins in front of the passionate Verde fanbase at Q2 Stadium.
Want more info about Austin FC’s home games? Check out our guide to 2023 Austin FC home game tickets. (Use code CAPCITYSOCCER for $20 off your first SeatGeek order.)
More firsts in store for Austin FC
2023 will see Austin FC travel to new territory, with first-time visits to DRV PNK Stadium to play Inter Miami CF (Saturday, July 1), CITYPARK to play St. Louis CITY (Sunday, August 20), Gillette Stadium for New England Revolution (Saturday, September 2), and Red Bull Arena in New Jersey to play NY Red Bulls (Wednesday, September 20).
Austin FC will play three opponents for the first time in club history: St. Louis CITY SC, Toronto FC, and New England Revolution. Speaking of firsts, the club’s first road match of the year will be against Real Salt Lake (Saturday, March 11) at America First Field in Sandy, Utah.
3x the Texas Derby fun
Austin begins its 2023 defense of the Copa Tejas title on Saturday, March 18 at Houston Dynamo—its fourth match of the regular season.
New for 2023, ATX will play three matches instead of two against each of its fellow Texan rivals. After Houston, the club’s Lone Star State battle features two tilts in May, hosting FC Dallas on the 13th and visiting the Dynamo in Houston again on May 27. In June, Dallas and Houston pay a visit to Q2 Stadium, before a final regular season game at Frisco on Saturday, August 26.
Austin FC’s 2023 Copa Tejas Schedule
- Houston Dynamo vs. Austin FC (Saturday, March 18)
- Austin FC vs. FC Dallas (Saturday, May 13)
- Houston Dynamo vs. Austin FC (Saturday, May 27)
- Austin FC vs. FC Dallas (Wednesday, June 21)
- Austin FC vs. Houston Dynamo (Saturday, June 24)
- FC Dallas vs. Austin FC (Saturday, August 26)
The Apple TV effect
This year’s Austin FC games will all be streamed on Apple TV.
With a blockbuster 10-year, $2.5 billion media rights deal taking effect in 2023, MLS bids adieu to local coverage and ESPN+ and moves to MLS Season Pass, the new streaming service on Apple TV, which launches February 1, 2023.
Austin FC’s Oak Collective (season ticket holders) will receive one subscription to MLS Season Pass for free per account. Non-STH fans can subscribe on the Apple TV app for $14.99/mo., and Apple TV+ subscribers can sign up at a special price of $12.99/mo.
Highlights of MLS Season Pass:
- English and Spanish broadcast crews, or choose the club’s home radio broadcast
- A live match whip-around show
- Game replays, highlights, analysis, and other original programming
- No regional blackouts or restrictions
The Apple TV deal streamlines the schedule for Austin FC this season.
- Matches by day: Saturday (24); Sunday (3); Wednesday (7)
- All home matches start at 7:30 p.m. (CT), except against LA Galaxy (8:30 p.m.)
- Earliest kickoff: 6:30 p.m.
- Latest kickoff: 9:30 p.m.
Four regular-season matches will feature a simulcast on national television and MLS Season Pass: Austin at LAFC on April 8 (FOX), Austin at St. Louis CITY on August 20 (FS1), Portland Timbers at Austin on Sept. 17 (FS1), and LA Galaxy at Austin on Sept. 24 (FS1).
If you purchase through our links, we earn a commission that will support content like this that we create on the site.
A crowded tournament schedule
In addition to a 34-match MLS calendar, Austin FC’s depth will surely be tested in 2023 as the club plays in three major tournaments: CONCACAF Champions League, The Leagues Cup, and U.S. Open Cup.
Verde & Black punched their ticket to the CONCACAF Champions League last season. The Round of 16 takes place in March over two legs—one home and one away—with the winner determined by aggregate score across the two matches. Violette AC will host the first leg March 7 at Estadio Cibao FC in Santiago, DR and Austin will host the second leg March 14 at Q2 Stadium.
That large gap you see in the calendar between Austin’s match vs. Sporting KC on July 15 and its trip to the Seattle Sounders on August 30 isn’t an ATXFC vacay to Disneyland. It is set aside for The Leagues Cup—the annual competition in a reimagined format that features all 29 MLS and 18 Liga MX clubs competing in a month-long, CONCACAF-sanctioned tournament. Austin plays in the South 1 Group based on its 2022 MLS third-place finish and geographic location.
Last but not least, all U.S.-based MLS teams will also participate in the U.S. Open Cup. Austin FC enters the knockout competition in the third round on April 25-26. ATX will find out its first opponent in early April. Qualification for the 2023 U.S. Open Cup among amateur hopefuls started in December 2022.
Austin FC 2023 home and away schedule
For this year’s Austin FC schedule reveal, the club’s talented media squad enlisted mascot Verdisimo to rescue the mystical Verde Scrolls (the 2023 schedule) from rival Chupacabras and Jackalopes in a creative 3-minute video.
Austin FC 2023 schedule
Click here to view the club’s full schedule on MLSSoccer.com.
- Feb. 25 (7:30pm) vs. St. Louis SC
- March 4 (7:30pm) vs. CF Montréal
- March 11 (8:30pm) @ Real Salt Lake
- March 18 (7:30pm) @ Houston Dynamo FC
- March 25 (7:30pm) vs. Colorado Rapids
- April 8 (6:30pm) @ LAFC
- April 15 (7:30pm) vs. Vancouver Whitecaps
- April 22 (9:30pm) @ LA Galaxy
- April 25 or 26 (TBD) US Open Cup (Third Round)
- April 29 (7:30pm) vs. San Jose Earthquakes
- May 6 (9:30pm) @ Portland Timbers
- May 13 (7:30pm) vs. FC Dallas
- May 17 (9:30pm) @ Seattle Sounders FC
- May 20 (7:30pm) vs. Toronto FC
- May 27 (7:30pm) @ Houston Dynamo FC
- May 31 (7:30pm) vs. Minnesota United FC
- June 3 (7:30pm) vs. Real Salt Lake
- June 10 (7:30pm) @ Sporting KC
- June 21 (7:30pm) vs. FC Dallas
- June 24 (7:30pm) vs. Houston Dynamo FC
- July 1 (6:30pm) @ Inter Miami CF
- July 8 (7:30pm) @ Minnesota United FC
- July 12 (9:30pm) @ Vancouver Whitecaps FC
- July 15 (7:30pm) vs. Sporting KC
- July 19 (TBD) MLS All-Star Game
- July 21–Aug. 29 (TBD) Leagues Cup
- Aug. 20 (8:30pm) @ St. Louis SC
- Aug. 26 (7:30pm) @ FC Dallas
- Aug. 30 (7:30pm) vs. Seattle Sounders FC
- Sept. 2 (6:30pm) @ New England Revolution
- Sept. 17 (7:30pm) vs. Portland Timbers
- Sept. 20 (6:30pm) @ New York Red Bulls
- Sept. 24 (8:30pm) vs. LA Galaxy
- Sept. 30 (8:30pm) @ Colorado Rapids
- Oct. 4 (7:30pm) vs. D.C. United
- Oct. 7 (7:30pm) vs. LAFC
- Oct. 9–17 FIFA international break
- Oct. 21 (TBD) @ San Jose Earthquakes
Home games shown in Bold. All times local.
Cover Photo Credit: Austin FC Instagram