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Austin FC: Momentum keeps gathering for 2021 team debut

By Chuck Wharton

AUSTIN, TEXAS - AUGUST 23: (L-R, back row) Marius Haas, President and CCO of Dell Technologies, Camila Alves, Matthew McConaughey, Academy Award-winning actor, 'Minister of Culture' / M.O.C., Agatha Matosek, Anthony Precourt, majority partner and CEO of Austin FC and Two Oak Ventures, Eddie Margain, founder of PIXIU Investments, and Bryan Sheffield, founder and Executive Chairman of Austin-based Parsley Energy (L-R, front row) Levi Alves McConaughey, Livingston Alves McConaughey, Vida Alves McConaughey, and families attend the Austin FC Major League Soccer club announcement of four new investors at 3TEN ACL Live on August 23, 2019 in Austin, Texas. (Photo by Rick Kern/Getty Images)
AUSTIN, TEXAS - AUGUST 23: (L-R, back row) Marius Haas, President and CCO of Dell Technologies, Camila Alves, Matthew McConaughey, Academy Award-winning actor, 'Minister of Culture' / M.O.C., Agatha Matosek, Anthony Precourt, majority partner and CEO of Austin FC and Two Oak Ventures, Eddie Margain, founder of PIXIU Investments, and Bryan Sheffield, founder and Executive Chairman of Austin-based Parsley Energy (L-R, front row) Levi Alves McConaughey, Livingston Alves McConaughey, Vida Alves McConaughey, and families attend the Austin FC Major League Soccer club announcement of four new investors at 3TEN ACL Live on August 23, 2019 in Austin, Texas. (Photo by Rick Kern/Getty Images) /
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Austin FC isn’t ready to take to the pitch tomorrow. But their stadium unveiling made it very real: Austin’s joining the cities with major pro sports.

When owners, Major League Soccer officials, supporters and other Austin FC stakeholders broke ground on the team’s new stadium last September 9, it got real. Austin will enter the world of major professional sports.

The Austin FC fury even gathered and swept away Austin-based actor Matthew McConaughey in its wake. He wasn’t satisfied watching the gathering momentum from the crowd. So McConaughey now is one of the team’s investors and has a title, Minister of Culture. Supporters plan to acknowledge McConaughey in every game with a chant including his signature phrase, ‘Alright, alright, alright’.

Austin has been identified on the list of major population areas lacking a major professional sports team. It now comes off that list when their MLS team takes the pitch in 2021. What astounds many MLS watchers is that the team’s 20,500-seat soccer-specific stadium opens the same year. It’s the 21st soccer-specific stadium in the league. The venue will become part of a 24-acre complex.

The momentum felt by supporters group Austin Anthem and others in the city shows no signs of leveling off. The team offices feature a virtual reality Experience Center. There, prospective season ticket holders can get a sense of the view from their seats.

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Austin’s leading MLS suitors had originally sought to move the Columbus Crew, the league’s first franchise, to their city. When the state of Ohio got involved and stopped the move, MLS made a deal with former Crew owner and new Austin FC owner Anthony Precourt to initiate an entirely new franchise.

By that time, Precourt and Austin officials had a year of intense and detailed negotiations and plans to place an MLS team in the city in the books. So when a no-move clause was inserted in Ohio’s bill to prevent cities losing teams, Precourt said he and Austin would finish what they all had started.

It turned out that MLS is still capable of surprises when the league announced that Austin would get an expansion team. The stadium, player development and all the other pieces that complete the MLS puzzle have been rapidly appearing ever since.

Next. MLS: Ranking all 24 stadiums. dark

Some Austin supporters thought without the Columbus Crew moving, they might have nothing. In fact, that’s when the Austin FC momentum had just gotten strong enough to be seen. Stand by for more surprises because that momentum won’t stop now.

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