Austin FC

[skittlebrau 474]

12 hours ago, Bottlecap said:

i wish we would stop giving little GERG so many meaningful minutes. this stage is way too big for him and i'm def suspecting some nepotism here

The only other game he’s played where he’s gotten many minutes was the one where Ring was out with a red. Having 17 healthy field players this week will do that.

 

Why they haven’t brought in a couple more journeymen to fill minutes is beyond me.

[MidTexHorn 822]

I posted the following on Reddit. 

Some thoughts on Q2 stadium experience after the watch party

Overall a good experience for their first effort. Some random thoughts, good and bad: 

1 - The stadium is simply gorgeous. They really did it right. Good airflow too for such a hot day. Seats a bit tight, shoulders touching, but I can live with that for a more intimate stadium environment. 

2 - Beer hall is nice but lines too long to stay for a beer pregame. Seemed seriously understaffed. We walked in and walked right back out. They’ll need to work on that. Need more local beer selections. 

3 - Beer prices a bit much. $10 for a Michelob Ultra? Come on, that’s just greed. 

4 - Great selection of food offerings but need a few more cocktail bars scattered around for folks who don’t drink beer. Definitely need a full bar up on the Premium Terrace. 

5 - Need some grills cooking brats, onions, peppers, etc around the stadium. One of my favorite things about Wrigley Field is that smell of stuff cooking and the ambience that it adds. Food stations lacked that vibe - felt a bit too prepackaged which is good for speed but lacks an authentic feel. 

6 - Parking in the Grey lot was a total cluster. They apparently oversold it and then just started letting everyone in without checking for parking passes. Fortunately I still found a spot. Need to totally rethink how they handle that lot. 

7 - Security and ticket takers all good and lines moved quickly. We’ll see how it works with a full house on Wednesday. 

8 - Sound system was a bit murky. Couldn’t hear clearly at times but some of that was due to the sound from the supporters section so that doesn’t bother me. 

9 - the gift for the season ticket holders was nice and very much appreciated. 

10 - I will not be wearing a scarf to games until October. Saw a few folks with them and they just looked hotter than hell. No way. 

11 - did I mention how pretty the stadium is?

Would love to hear others thoughts? How were other transportation options especially, since I don’t plan to drive very often.

 

[Jerry Callo 8952]

17 hours ago, MidTexHorn said:

Would love to hear others thoughts?

Good review.  

 1 - We parked at my wife's office about 1/2 mile away.  I understand that the lot will be available through Pavemint soon.  I can't imagine how the traffic will be and the difficulty getting into and out of the stadium lots on a full game day.

2 - Stadium is great.  Our tickets in row three of the second level provide a great view.  It seems like all of the seat provide a decent view of the game.

3 - Awesome to see all the people employed by this venture.  Every worker we encountered was friendly and helpful.  I'm glad they were able to do this trial run, even with less than a quarter of the full crowd.

4 - Sound system is loud.

5 - Airport prices on food and beverages, although that is not unexpected.  Nothing a little tailgating can't fix.

We had to sell our tickets the the USWNT game and are selling our tickets to the San Jose game, so won't get to experience the full stadium for a few weeks.  I suspect it will be a complete cluster at first.

[Pasken 1310]

I think people will find the decentralized parking system is the better route once people learn how best to get to the stadium. I've never been to one of those massive parking lots next to an arena or stadium where I didn't wait an hour to get out. I hope more and more people will learn about the rapid bus and diesel trail that we have and use those. 

[HornOnTheBayou 9056]

Does anyone know if there's a safe place to lock up a bike near the stadium? I live 3.5 miles away which is definitely walkable, but I think biking would be my best option. It'll certainly be faster than sitting in traffic to get home.

[Somnio 751]

1 hour ago, HornOnTheBayou said:

Does anyone know if there's a safe place to lock up a bike near the stadium? I live 3.5 miles away which is definitely walkable, but I think biking would be my best option. It'll certainly be faster than sitting in traffic to get home.

Additionally, Austin FC has invested in a bicycle valet system free to fans to make biking to Q2 Stadium as convenient as possible. Fans will be able to valet their bicycle on the east side of Q2 Stadium

https://www.austinfc.com/post/2021/05/26/austin-fc-announces-parking-and-mobility-plan-q2-stadium

[Machinator 32102]

 

[Jerry Callo 8952]

Seatgeek just listed a bunch of tickets for under $100, some are very good tickets.  Getting snatched up quickly if anyone still wants tickets.

[skittlebrau 474]

Oh hey, we are doing another live show with Adrian Healey on June 30 at 4th Tap. Y’all come.

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/158502646683

Edited June 15, 2021 by skittlebrau

[skittlebrau 474]

I also did the Mayor’s podcast this week talking soccer. Who knew that the mayor had a podcast?

[Guest Lobo]

28 minutes ago, skittlebrau said:

I also did the Mayor’s podcast this week talking soccer. Who knew that the mayor had a podcast?

Oh, it's compulsory listening under Ben White Blvd.  

[Somnio 751]

 

[ztejas 44114]

On 6/13/2021 at 2:00 PM, MidTexHorn said:

9 - the gift for the season ticket holders was nice and very much appreciated. 

BJ?

[ztejas 44114]

7 hours ago, Jerry Callo said:

Seatgeek just listed a bunch of tickets for under $100, some are very good tickets.  Getting snatched up quickly if anyone still wants tickets.

$100 for a regular season MLS game is insane. I'd assume they trend down once some of the novelty wears off. 

[Jerry Callo 8952]

56 minutes ago, ztejas said:

$100 for a regular season MLS game is insane. I'd assume they trend down once some of the novelty wears off. 

Absolutely, but the tickets were going for much more before they dumped a couple hundred tickets this morning.  The lowest prized ticket now is $175 and its in the supporter's section with all of those nut jobs.  

[Guest Lobo]

2 hours ago, Somnio said:

 

Great news.  Maybe a concession to Eddie for the Mexico Copa match to go to Houston after all, as it probably was always going to be.  

[HornOnTheBayou 9056]

1 hour ago, Lobo said:

Great news.  Maybe a concession to Eddie for the Mexico Copa match to go to Houston after all, as it probably was always going to be.  

I don't ask for much, but it would be nice to have at least one board where you don't try to peddle your "I'm an insider" bullshit. I figured the soccer board would be a refuge, but apparently I was wrong.

[Guest Lobo]

A working theory about which teams end up in Austin during Copa.  Sometimes people talk about how fixtures will play out with regard to site and dates based on who controls the decision levers.  He owns a large portion of the team that plays in our stadium. Maybe he holds some sway with which nation matches play there. How is that hard for you to understand you stellar intellectual?

[Pasken 1310]

14 hours ago, Lobo said:

Great news.  Maybe a concession to Eddie for the Mexico Copa match to go to Houston after all, as it probably was always going to be.  

Mexico match was always going to be in Houston. It was reported when the venue was announced. 

Edited June 16, 2021 by Pasken

[Guest Lobo]

Got it.  I guess he tried.  Maybe they threw him this bone.  I dunno.  It's a message board where people throw around shit they heard at a bar, my bad for trying the same. 

[Pasken 1310]

45 minutes ago, Lobo said:

Got it.  I guess he tried.  Maybe they threw him this bone.  I dunno.  It's a message board where people throw around shit they heard at a bar, my bad for trying the same. 

I'm not giving you a hard time. Just letting you know what I read.

[Guest Lobo]

I know dude.  I guess we'll get U.S. v. Canada/Jamaica/Honduras?  Now I gotta take my Costa Rican cousin to Houston for their match.  Odds are higher one of us gets arrested there.  

[LonghornSean 4072]

I'll be riding the 803 line to the USWNT game tonight. Honestly don't recall ever riding a Cap Metro bus before.

[bolverk 30228]

1 minute ago, LonghornSean said:

I'll be riding the 803 line to the USWNT game tonight. Honestly don't recall ever riding a Cap Metro bus before.

Before Covid, I was riding the 803 fairly regularly to work downtown coming up South Lamar. It's a pretty good service with fewer stops but can get crowded with UT students. Fortunately, it's the summer so their numbers may be limited. I recommend downloading the app so you can scan your phone instead of messing with paper currency.

[pantone159 727]

22 minutes ago, LonghornSean said:

I'll be riding the 803 line to the USWNT game tonight. Honestly don't recall ever riding a Cap Metro bus before.

That looked to me to be the way to get there, unless a train station parking lot is convenient. (Sadly, no tickets for me for this game.) The 3 bus also seems to go right by the stadium, which I will be able to take all the way from the 04 up to the stadium. The 3 is probably useless coming home though, but they will supposedly have 803 buses queued up after games.

[LonghornSean 4072]

Seems like they’re keeping busses to seated passengers only.

I got on at 13th and Lavaca, took one of the last seats, one more couple got on later to stand and we’ve just bypassed the stops at North Loop and Allandale despite people waiting there.

Mostly soccer fans on board.

[Brisketexan 106610]

Parked in gray gravel lot - easy in, way convenient (I came from Braker, so had to turn left into stadium drive and whip a u-turn to get back to it….but still faster than going down burnet from 183). I expect leaving will be a bitch.

Waiting in line at Valentinas now, it’s moving.

First visit inside, it’s damn nice, and in the shade, not too hot.

[kingkoopa6 8593]

stadium looks beautiful on tv

[fluff 87]

Video boards around the field seem more distracting than typical, maybe just me?

[kingkoopa6 8593]

[Stringer 1487]

Got the invite for Saturday's game.  Super excited.

What's the play pre-game?  There are all of those breweries around the stadium, but looking through their sites I didn't see any special events planned.  Just show up to one and see if I can get in?  I'm sure they'll all be zoos.

[MidTexHorn 822]

8 hours ago, Stringer said:

Got the invite for Saturday's game.  Super excited.

What's the play pre-game?  There are all of those breweries around the stadium, but looking through their sites I didn't see any special events planned.  Just show up to one and see if I can get in?  I'm sure they'll all be zoos.

Hopsquad and Circle will be busiest pregame until at least 5:30 because those are the two main supporters bars. They may clear out some then for the March to the stadium which is happening early because they are marching to the stadium to welcome the team since it’s the first home game. Those two are also closest to the stadium. Can’t go wrong with the other nearby breweries either though. Get there early - traffic will be a mess. 

[Bottlecap 1523]

12 hours ago, Stringer said:

Got the invite for Saturday's game.  Super excited.

What's the play pre-game?  There are all of those breweries around the stadium, but looking through their sites I didn't see any special events planned.  Just show up to one and see if I can get in?  I'm sure they'll all be zoos.

i got you

https://www.austinchronicle.com/features/2021-06-18/hit-brewery-row-to-choose-your-own-austin-fc-home-match-beer-adventure/

[Brisketexan 106610]

Follow up -- we departed within a minute or two of the final whistle, to try to beat the rush.  A bit of a jam getting out of the gray gravel lot, but not terrible.  No way to turn left on Braker (our route home), so we just went through Braker, and at the next light, turned left into the Domain, cut through, turned left, and headed back to Braker.  It was actually pretty quick.

The boy ate pepperoni rolls from Double Daves (he was so happy), the wife had a sonoran hot dog (she loves hot dogs), and I got two brisket tacos from Valentinas (because, well, duh).  All was damned good.

Beer was pricey, but expected.

One complaint -- no beverages with ice.  On a hot day, it's nice to have a giant drink with lots of ice.  Also, NOBODY had iced tea.  One of the little markets had bottled tea (which would be fine), but it was all sweet tea with lemon.  Wife really wanted an unsweetened iced tea, so we'll put that note on the comment card sometime soon.  It's a small complaint, but being that they went super-local and Texas for their concessions, iced tea seems a natural choice.

The ladies played okay -- not great, but good enough.  Crystal Dunn was the queen of hustle, and a lot of her action happened right in front of our seats in the first half.  She was fun to watch.  Megan Rapinoe really seemed to have lost a step.  She was getting fed a lot out in front of her, and she couldn't catch up to them.  Some of it was bad placement, but her speed was definitely off.  Alex Morgan warmed up right in front of us.  I said hi, but she snubbed me.  I was a bit hurt.

[Captain Ron 13094]

The only downside about using pringles to buy your Austin FC jersey is that said jersey is now a little tighter than expected. 

[LonghornSean 4072]

Stadium entry for us was a major clusterfuck. Not sure exactly how my dad got the tickets, but through ticketmaster we added the passes to Apple wallet, the tickets said "use VIP entrance", which apparently meant the US Insiders entrance?

Also the Apple wallet tickets were supposed to be just "hold near reader"-tappable passes. Of course the scanners for that weren't working so practically everyone in our line had to then retrieve the email or download ticketmaster the get the barcodes to be scanned in.  Took me a while to figure out that using the cell service wasn't going to work so I joined the Austin FC wifi which allowed me to get the barcode.

Guessing this won't be an issue for regular ATXFC games but still took like 30 minutes at least to get through the ticket/security line.

 

Once inside though, it was pretty great. Thought the team would do a bit better than 2-0 though.

[yoladu 4187]

nice write up /review of the stadium/experience

 

We attended the first game at Major League Soccer's newest stadium in Austin and it is easy to see why this is the future of sports

https://www.yahoo.com/news/attended-first-game-major-league-144447707.html

[MidTexHorn 822]

https://www.austinchronicle.com/features/2021-06-18/a-soccer-stadium-built-in-line-with-austins-love-of-the-outdoors/

[Ted Lange 16350]

Stadium and crowd looked and sounded great on tv.  Soccer folks I follow on Twitter , from all around the US, we’re raving about it.  
 

I talked about this on the USMNT thread, but I feel pretty confident that Austin gets a USMNT World Cup Qualifier this cycle, last night raised my confidence in that prediction.   

[Napoleon 8800]

We attended the first game at Major League Soccer's newest stadium in Austin and it is easy to see why this is the future of sports

Cork Gaines

Thu, June 17, 2021, 9:44 AM

 

• Major League Soccer's newest stadium, Q2 Stadium in Austin, TX, made its debut on Wednesday.

• The opening featured a friendly between the US Women's National Team and the Nigerian Women's National Team.

• Insider attended the opening and took a tour of the stadium and it was clear the stadium is the future of most team sports, giving fans everything they need and want in a more friendly and quaint atmosphere.

• The stadium was built for $270 million, just a fraction of other recent oversized stadiums which have all the bells and whistles but which lack personality and a sense of community.

 

[Click link for assload of photos along with play-by-play of all that the stadium has to offer.]

https://www.yahoo.com/news/attended-first-game-major-league-144447707.html

[A-Tex Devil 2492]

1234

Edited June 19, 2021 by A-Tex Devil
Never mind. Ignore.

[RamjetFDO 10642]

1234

5678

Schlemiel! Schlimazel!

Hasenpfeffer Incorporated!

[HenryJames 67113]

On 6/17/2021 at 9:39 AM, Brisketexan said:

the wife had a sonoran hot dog (she loves hot dogs)

[The Maestro 775]

Game day Blouses!

[Machinator 32102]

 

[Machinator 32102]

 

[Firemans4Horn 18499]

Hot but fun. Great design. Lots of food options and 8/10 beer selection (mark up and cans over draft knock it a couple points). 

[Machinator 32102]

 

[CooterBrown 18272]

The team arriving…

If this isn’t the new official supporter garb…

[Willfully Horn 8204]

This is a great day in River City. 
Verde! Oaks!