Armadillo World (Cup) Headquarters

Announcing Austin’s – maybe America’s – maybe even the world’s! – premiere World Cup fan site

(Psst, this is just the post that explains it. The actual recommendation page is at: http://violetcrown.soccer/armadillo!)

Hi, I’m Chris, and I’ll be your host for following the 2018 FIFA World Cup™!

All right, not your only host, I mean come on. You’ll watch games and see clips and read other sites and follow Twitter and get on Facebook and snap some Snapchats… (That’s … Read the rest “Armadillo World (Cup) Headquarters”

Not that there’s a shortage of soccer news in Austin this week, but don’t forget: the World Cup starts in TWO WEEKS! I’m excited, and going to give this idea a try. Announcing: Armadillo World (Cup) Headquarters #AWCHQ #WorldCup2018 ⚽️

Abby Wambach’s commencement speech at Barnard (video, or text) is just fantastic. “Oh. Does that mean you know Alex Morgan?” ⚽️

Road Report: North Carolina Courage at Houston Dash

On Saturday Chris G. road-tripped to Houston to watch the North Carolina Courage take on the Houston Dash in a regular-season NWSL match.

I try to get over to Houston at least once a year to catch an NWSL game, though I missed last season, with Hurricane Harvey screwing up the last few games of their schedule (among many more serious effects, of course).

The Dash front office contacted me earlier in the week and offered a stadium tour prior … Read the rest “Road Report: North Carolina Courage at Houston Dash”

Road Report: Dallas in CCL Round of 16

On Wednesday Chris G. road-tripped to Frisco to watch FC Dallas vs. Tauro FC in CONCACAF Champions League action.

The plan was to take a quick trip north, visit our favorite University of North Texas student, and have a pleasant evening watching my MLS team advance through the first knockout round of CONCACAF Champions League. Some of that plan worked out, and some of it didn’t.

With a rain forecast of 100% chance, my wife & daughter showed what fair-weather … Read the rest “Road Report: Dallas in CCL Round of 16”

My Stadium Pick: McKalla Place

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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”

A Suddenly Crowded Stadium Scene

Not long ago, supporters of professional soccer in Austin had little hope for a team, and certainly nothing tangible on the horizon. But as we near the end of 2017, the story of local pro soccer is riveting.

In addition to Bobby Epstein’s announcement that USL would return to our city in 2019, we have also had the seismic news that Anthony Precourt is considering relocating MLS’s Columbus Crew to Austin to begin play that very same year. We have … Read the rest “A Suddenly Crowded Stadium Scene”

Making a Case for Austin Soccer

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There are a lot of great things about living in Austin. We could make our list of the top 10 things to do in the City of the Violet Crown, which would certainly be different from yours. You might choose the music scene, Spamarama, SXSW, Eeyore’s birthday party, or hiking and biking along the miles of trails in our green belts. However, supporting a local professional soccer team couldn’t be on either of our lists; we don’t have a team.… Read the rest “Making a Case for Austin Soccer”

Team Relocations Past & Future

Austin Aztex 1.0

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).

As … Read the rest “Team Relocations Past & Future”

Epstein: The Logic Behind a COTA Stadium

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[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”