Punting the ball as young soccer fans rushed towards him, Verdisimo, Austin FC’s luchador dressed in a custom black and green body suit and mask, kicked off Family Fest this past Sunday with lively energy and good company.
The first of many, Family Fest started a week of free events, known as Verde Week, leading to Austin FC’s season opener at Q2 stadium against Minnesota United FC on Feb. 21. As teens split into teams, those too small to participate perked up at the prospect of getting their faces painted and parents and older fans lined up in anticipation, waiting to see which players would be in attendance. One supporter in the queue, Roxanna Woods, said despite being from Houston, she started rooting for the team after visiting her aunt.
“I feel like even though Houston might be a little better, the players on Austin are more fun and chill,” Woods said.
The Austin FC community goes beyond their events and games. Similar to UT, Austin fans created their own chants, trademarked an iconic color and formed connections with one another that last more than 90 minutes. Lesley Martinez said she decided to bring her two kids, one of whom plays soccer, to these events after moving to Austin from Tennessee.
“These (events) are very family-friendly,” Martinez said. “It gets people involved and connected to their community. The great thing about sports is that it brings people together, but it can also bring the community together and get them rallied behind something to cheer for. That’s why I like sports. That’s why I like doing things like this.”
After almost an hour of waiting, playing, painting and shopping at the team’s pop-up store, two players walked out, smiling and waving to their fans who waited in the summer heat. Midfielder Owen Wolff, one of the best young players in the major league and a fan favorite, sat next to other midfielder Joseph Rosales, one of Austin FC’s newest players. Ryan Madden, senior vice president of marketing for Austin FC, said they plan to send other new players to the rest of the Verde Week events.
“These are good events to try and integrate some of our new players into the (culture),” Madden said. “Fans have an opportunity not just to read about them in a press release or online or through social media, but actually come to the Domain, shake their hands, get an autograph, meet them in person. It’s fun.”
Although this first event felt more family-focused, for die-hard fans, he recommends attending the event at the Verde store inside Q2 stadium for a chance to meet new players, environmentalists at their tree planting event and students at their kickoff party.
“That’s the cool about this Verde week,” Madden said. “There’s something for everybody.”
