512 Soccer

Austin FC and the Austin Soccer Community

Diego Fagúndez

Austin FC Advances to the Western Conference Semifinal

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Austin FC is headed to the Western Conference Semifinal of the Audi 2022 MLS Cup Playoffs on Sunday, October 23 at 7:00 PM CT at Q2 Stadium.

Austin FC to the Western Conference Semifinal

After a wild first-ever playoff match ended in penalty kicks with an Austin FC win over Real Salt Lake, the club made it on to the next round.

And what a match that was, with an early 2-0 deficit equalized in extra time in the second half.

It was stressful and amazing to see Driussi get the brace to tie it, and then a shootout dominated by Austin FC with incredible saves by Brad Stuver and goals from Sebastian Driussi, Diego Fagundez, and Emiliano Rigoni.

Season ticket holders were charged for the next round of tickets if they didn’t opt-out of the automatic purchases.

Otherwise, tickets to the Western Conference Semifinal go on sale on Tuesday, October 18 at 10:00 AM CT.

I can’t wait to get back to Q2 Stadium on Sunday in my verde and black.

The Austin FC Playoff Party Was Packed

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Austin FC threw a Playoff Party at Scholz Garten on Tuesday, October 11 and it was a magical, fun, rowdy atmosphere.

Crowds at the Austin FC Playoff Party

The official start time was 7:00 PM and I arrived about that time and got to the back of a giant line. By the time I made it in, every inch of the place was filled with people in verde and black.

The night kicked off with La Murga playing as Adrian Healey took the stage to pump things up.

This was followed by some words from Claudio Reyna and Josh Wolff, as well as appearances from Alex Ring, Ruben Gabrielson, Brad Stuver, Diego Fagundez, and Sebastian Driussi.

Then it was time for a performance from Annabelle Chairlegs.

Such a fun night leading up to the first ever Austin FC playoff match this weekend.

The First-Ever Austin FC Meet and Greet

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Austin FC’s first-ever Meet the Team event took place Saturday, June 4, 2022, at Q2 Stadium.

Austin FC Meet the Team

I’ve been to these sorts of events for DC United and the Red Bulls and they had a decent amount of people attending. The Austin FC crowd was huge and so were the lines to meet the players and coaches.

Austin FC season ticket holders waiting to meet players

There were five stations set up around the stadium in the Captain Morgan Club, Lexus Club, McKalla Corner, On-Camera Host Set, and Q2 Field Club.

The photos and signatures were set to start at 2:00 PM and I arrived a little before 12:30 PM to get in line. It was hot and they let us in at 1:00 PM.

We headed down to the Q2 Field Level club to be in A/C for a while before the event started. At around 1:40 PM the players came in and I got to get a ball signed by Felipe Martins and Jhohan Valencia. Then we headed out to the tunnel to the field to meet Ethan Finlay, Damian Las, and Diego Fagundez.

Hanging outside of the Q2 Field Club

Each season ticket holder was given three tickets per person to redeem for food and drinks. That was a nice break to get some drinks after the first signing.

Then we headed to the line for Maxi Urruti, Danny Hoesen, Zan Kolmanic, and Hector Jimenez at the On-Camera Host Set.

Checking out the On Camera Host Set at Q2 Stadium

After that line, we looked and the other lines were so long we figured we wouldn’t make it in to meet any more players, so we headed out.

It was really cool to meet some players and awesome to see such a big turnout. I can’t wait for the next match.

The First Goal and Win for Austin FC

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Hundreds of Austin FC fans headed to Denver (#DenVerde) to see Austin FC take on the Colorado Rapids on April 24, 2021, and the match was amazing with a 3-1 victory for Austin FC.

Flying to the Austin FC match

I got my tickets through the Los Verdes supporter’s group, and it was a fantastic time hanging out with fellow fans for days in Denver.

Melissa waving the Austin FC flag

On the day of the match, the members of Los Verdes assembled at the state capital for a picture and then marched to a tavern called The Celtic to pre-game with Colorado fans. After some bonding at the tavern, we all took shuttle buses to the stadium.

After arriving we assembled near the stadium to cheer on Austin FC as their buses arrived.

Cheering on Austin FC as they arrive at the stadium

The scoring started in the first half with a goal for Colorado by Andre Shinyashiki and the first half ended with Colorado leading 1-0.

Even though some spirits of Austin FC fans may have been slightly down from the Colorado goal, the fans were loud and proud all the way through.

In the second half, things got a lot better when Diego Fagundez scored the first goal in club history. The Austin FC fans went wild as the team evened things up. After his goal, Fagundez threw up his hands in an LV as a tribute to Los Verdes.

And then things really went crazy as Cecilio Domínguez added on two more goals to lock down the victory.

Action on the pitch for Austin FC

The fans of Austin FC continued at a fever pitch through the end of the game, and then the players came over to hang out with the fans and cheer LISTOS and VERDE back and forth.

This was followed by the fans singing “True Love Will Find You in the End” by Austinite Daniel Johnston (RIP).

It was a magical time to witness Austin sports history and I can’t wait until my next match.