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AUSTIN FC

Austin FC is the newest franchise in Major League Soccer. The club was founded in October of 2018 and will begin play in MLS starting in 2021. The new franchise is the first top-division major professional sports team in the Austin area. The city’s previous professional soccer franchise, Austin Aztex FC, moved to Orlando in 2008 and eventually became Orlando City SC.

The franchise is owned by a group of investors called Two Oak Ventures LLC. The group started as Precourt Sports Ventures and was prepared to bring the Columbus Crew franchise to Austin. That plan didn’t work out, but MLS did grant an expansion franchise to the ownership group led by chairman Anthony Precourt. He renamed the group to Two Oak Ventures in 2019.

Fans can watch Austin FC games on TV and stream games from a number of different platforms. National broadcasts are shown on ESPN and ESPN2. Subscribers to ESPN+ can also watch on that network. The Austin FC complete schedule can be watched via live stream on ESPN+ as well as a number of other network apps such as ABC and FOX. Full game replays are available 48 hours after a match on ESPN+.

HOME OF AUSTIN FC

Austin FC will play its home matches at a brand new, soccer-specific venue known as Q2 Stadium. It is currently under construction in the North Burnet section of North Austin and is expected to be completed prior to the beginning of the 2021 MLS season. The stadium will seat 20,500 fans for Austin FC matches.

CHAMPIONSHIP HISTORY

The city of Austin has craved an MLS franchise for some time. The Austin Aztex were a franchise in the USL PDL that played from 2012 to 2015. The Aztex finished first in the Mid-South Division in both 2013 and 2014 and were the playoff champions in 2013.

The Austin Bold FC plays in the USL Championship league and has since 2019. In two seasons, the club finished eighth in the Western Division in 2019 and third in Western Group D in 2020.

BEST OF AUSTIN FC

Austin has yet to play an MLS match, but the club has several important players on its roster. The most important may be defensive midfielder Alex Ring. The 29-year-old brings plenty of experience to Austin after having spent the past four seasons with New York City FC. In 119 MLS matches, Ring has 10 goals and 13 assists. He was selected to the 2018 MLS All-Star game and is considered by many as one of the best defensive midfielders in the league.

Tomas Pochettino is an attacking midfielder that has spent most of his early career in the Argentine Primera Division. Pochettino has totaled 11 goals in 114 appearances in his young career. The 2021 season will be his first in MLS.

Goalkeeper Andrew Tarbell is an experienced MLS veteran. He spent the first four seasons of his professional career with the San Jose Earthquakes. In 41 appearances, Tarbell recorded three clean sheets. Last season, Tarbell was with the Columbus Crew and had two shutouts among his seven appearances.