by Lee Nichols
One of my favorite sayings is “the perfect is the enemy of the good.”
I usually apply it to politics, when I’m annoyed at those who demand ideological purity and refuse to consider a candidate who is actually electable.
I think it may apply to our Major League Soccer stadium search, as well.
On Tuesday, City of Austin staff released a map of public properties that might be used for the Columbus Crew if the team relocates … Read the rest “My Stadium Pick: McKalla Place”
The following is an editorial by Chris G.
You’ve heard the news that the owner of the Columbus Crew says he’s considering relocating that franchise to Austin after the 2018 season. You’ve followed all the opinions, arguments, thoughts, and feelings on forums and social media. You’ve read the latest newsletter from Eberly’s Army (because if you give a damn about soccer in Austin you’re at least on the mailing list of the oldest & best supporters’ group in town).
[Editor’s note: The following was originally submitted by Bobby Epstein, COTA chairman and majority owner of USL Austin, as a reply to Lee Nichols’ Why COTA Can Work and the comment thread there. With the author’s permission, we present it instead as a standalone post.]
After reading your thoughts about our efforts to bring professional soccer back to Austin, the responses to what you wrote and the various other opinions, I thought I’d give you some rationale behind the decisions.… Read the rest “Epstein: The Logic Behind a COTA Stadium”
[Editor’s note: it’s been a while since we’ve had much going on here on the Violet Crown Soccer Network. With confirmed news of a real-life pro team returning (eventually), we’re coming out of hibernation. First up: the following post by Lee Nichols, a rabid Austin soccer fan and former Aztex season ticket holder. If you’re interested in contributing, let us know!
By now, every soccer fan in Austin has surely seen the announcement that the United Soccer League (USL) … Read the rest “Why COTA Can Work”
CONCACAF recently announced the dates and venues for the 2017 Gold Cup, and fans in Texas will have a variety of venues to pick from. Which teams teams will play where is not yet known, but venues include both MLS teams’ home fields (FC Dallas’ Toyota Stadium and Houston Dynamo’s BBVA Compass Stadium), the Alamodome in San Antonio, and AT&T Stadium (aka Cowboy Stadium, or Jerry World) in Arlington.
To date, seven national teams from the ultimate field of … Read the rest “Four Texas Venues Named for 2017 Gold Cup”
If you’re a regular reader of this site, you probably already received or heard about this: an organization called Barrett Sports Group has been retained by MLS to conduct a survey to evaluate potential support for major league soccer in Austin. It’s unclear where exactly they got the mailing list, or who is behind this effort, but hey, it’s more action than we’ve seen since the Aztex left the field last year.
If you haven’t filled it out yet, here’s … Read the rest “MLS Austin Market Survey”
Word came out first from Scratching the Pitch, after seeing information from the USL ahead of their annual summer meetings:
… Read the rest “Statesman: Aztex Return Unlikely in 2017”Though not explicitly stated, the proposal is a harbinger of another dormant season for the Austin Aztex, which suspended operations in 2016 to get its house in order. Thirty teams is one more than currently compete in the league. The much-hyped inclusion of Reno in the 2017 schedule would achieve the total of 30 teams, and would leave no
Following is the press release from the Austin Soccer Foundation for Thursday’s awards banquet.
AUSTIN, Texas (July 8, 2016): The Austin Soccer Foundation (ASF) today announced that it will host the inaugural Austin Soccer Awards Banquet on Thursday, July 14, 2016 at 6:30 pm at the South Congress Hotel. The banquet will include recognition of ASF’s 2015 Scholarship Award Winners, Austin-area High School Players of the Year and the presentation of a special lifetime achievement award.
The banquet’s keynote speaker … Read the rest “Foundation to Hold Inaugural Austin Soccer Awards Banquet”
Last week Chris G. visited New York City with his family, and managed to squeeze a soccer game in, in between visiting museums and monuments.
Taking the better part of a day out of our NYC sightseeing trip to travel to the Bronx for an MLS game was partly due to my own soccer fandom, sure. But it was also due to my wife’s growing interest in the sport, especially as played by the handsome megastars who happen to be … Read the rest “Road Report: Hudson River Derby”
Austin soccer fans who followed the 2012 Aztex saw first-hand what a talented player Kekuta Manneh was, and how he grew under coach and father-figure Paul Dalglish. The following year saw him drafted by MLS’ Vancouver Whitecaps, where his growth has continued without slowing. The past few weeks have seen the young goal-scorer in headlines across the Internet; here are a few highlights of what the former Aztex striker is up to.
… Read the rest “Manneh’s Stock Continues to Climb”