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Hopsquad Brewing is one venue to watch Austin FC matches. (Josh Jaxon/Twitter)
Austin FC are fighting off a tough loss after their ringleader, Captain Alex Ring, was kicked off the field due to a second yellow card last weekend. Now, they'll have to fight the odds even further as they take on the formidable LA Galaxy, headlined by Chicharito, in Los Angeles this Saturday.
A match with this high of stakes can't simply be watched from home (unless you'd like to, no judgment here). If you're looking to grab a beer with some friends and drop your taco when your club scores, check out these watch parties happening in Austin this weekend.
Austin FC official watch party—Pluckers, 6406 N. I-35 Frontage Road
For the ATX. 🌳
— Austin FC (@AustinFC) May 11, 2021
Come join us for our official #AustinFC Watch Party at @Pluckers. Doors open at 1pm. pic.twitter.com/xp5zSSN9Kh
Looking to replicate the 1,000-plus-member watch party when Austin FC took on fellow Los Angeles team LAFC for their first match, the club is hosting its own official watch party this Saturday. Located outdoors and presented by Pluckers, the event comes with wings, a live DJ, prize giveaways and a party tent. Pack a mask and head to the spot after 1 p.m., when doors officially open.
Los Verdes watch party—Hopsquad Brewing, 2307 Kramer Ln
WE ARE RELEASING THE MICHE!
— Hopsquad Brewing Co. (@HopsquadBrewing) May 11, 2021
Come on out to our @LosVerdesATX watch party this Saturday where we will have MICHELADAS available created with a special house blend michelada mix and our Zapatista Mexican Lager. Available at 12pm until we run out. Your move, @AustinFC #releasethekit pic.twitter.com/vbvpvJIOn9
Hopsquad Brewing is bringing back its signature LED screen, local food trucks and live music in partnership with Austin FC fan club Los Verdes this weekend. They're also releasing much-awaited micheladas and bringing a rain tent in case it pours. Come early with a lawn chair and rain gear well before kickoff at 2:30 p.m. if you want a good spot.
Los Verdes South Side—Armadillo Den, 10106 Menchaca Road
Y’all were taking the #Verde vibes South this weekend to Armadillo Den with @LaMurgaATX 🔥 pic.twitter.com/xFXG6IEerV
— Los Verdes (@LosVerdesATX) May 11, 2021
For those a little bit south of Q2 Stadium, Los Verdes is offering a second watch party complete with the official fan band, La Murga de ATX. Expect live music and a rowdy crowd starting at the 2:30 p.m. kickoff. *Warning: parking is limited.
Austin Anthem—Celis Brewing, 10001 Metric Blvd.
Your watch party HQ update:
— Austin Anthem (@AustinAnthem) May 12, 2021
🐖 Join us Saturday at @CelisBeers for the #verde, stay for the luau & Cajun China-Style Pig Roast.
😎 It’s an afternoon match as #AustinFC returns to CA to take on the almost-in-LA Galaxy. 2:30pm.
RSVP and full schedule.https://t.co/EdiBruw4Ae pic.twitter.com/9M0uQaF6x2
The fan club that brought over 1,000 people to its own watch party as the season began, Austin Anthem is back at Celis Brewery but has added a new twist to its typical watch party fare. Enjoy plenty of beer and a Cajun China-style pig roast as the club hosts a limbo-infused luau right after the match. RSVP here.
Austin Anthem goes West—Dreamland, 2770 W. Highway 290
As #AustinFC travels west, so do we… to Dripping Springs!
— Austin Anthem (@AustinAnthem) May 14, 2021
In addition to our Celis Beers watch party, we’ll also be at @dreamlanddstx. Join us for pickleball, mini-golf, art, 90 self-pour taps, and #verde on a big screen!
🆚 #LAGalaxy
🗓 Sat. 2:30pm.
⛳️ https://t.co/ZakDLqm3vG pic.twitter.com/Gkrjio5Jib
Austin Anthem is going West with their club in a big way as they add a watch party in Dripping Springs. The event will be complete with 90 self-pour taps, art, pickleball and mini golf. Starts at kickoff, 2:30 p.m.
40 pub partners
From Round Rock to San Marcos, these 40 pubs are set show the match as official pub partners of Austin FC. They could get packed, so make sure to be there before kickoff at 2:30 p.m. Saturday.
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Popular
(Bob Daemmrich)
After months of speculation, a new report says political personality Beto O'Rourke is mulling a run for Texas governor that he will announce later this year.
Sources tell Axios the former congressman is preparing his campaign for the 2022 election, where he will likely vie for the position against incumbent Gov. Greg Abbott. The only other candidate that has announced he will take on Abbott for governor is former Texas GOP Chairman Allen West—no Democrats have announced they are running as of yet.
"No decision has been made," Axios reports David Wysong, O'Rourke's former House chief of staff and a longtime adviser, said. "He has been making and receiving calls with people from all over the state."
A new poll from The Dallas Morning News and University of Texas at Tyler shows O'Rourke is narrowing the gap between himself and Abbott's prospects for governor. In the poll, 37% said they'd vote for O'Rourke over Abbott, while 42% said they'd vote for Abbott.
Abbott has been in the hot seat due to his handling of COVID-19 and the signing of landmark legislation into law, including new abortion and voting rights laws; 54% of poll respondents voted they think the state is headed in the "wrong direction." Still, Texas hasn't had a Democrat as governor since the 90s.
O'Rourke's people-focused approach to the 2018 Senator race, which he lost to Sen. Ted Cruz, gave him a widespread following and many hoped he'd throw his hat into the ring since he said he was considering it earlier this year.
"We hope that he's going to run," Gilberto Hinojosa, the state chair of the Democratic Party, told Axios. "We think he'll be our strongest candidate. We think he can beat Abbott because he's vulnerable."
Jordi is an Austin-based rapper who represented Texas at the 2021 Red Bull Batalla. (Esparza)
Austin rapper Jordi Esparza may not have won the 2021 Red Bull Batalla, the world's largest Spanish freestyle rap competition, but for a spirited two rounds, the 22-year old Mexican native looked like he had every right to.
On Saturday evening in Los Angeles, the event itself looked like Cobra Kai meets Star Search with graphics adding a very Batman Beyond aesthetic. Over a dozen rappers hoping to represent the U.S. in the international round of the competition took to the stage with in-your-face jabs at accents, sexual orientation and odors, among other things.
This was Esparza's second rodeo; he had placed third at the 2020 National Finals, automatically securing him a spot this year.
However, things were different this year. He was not nervous about the contest. Unlike in 2020, when he made his Red Bull Batalla debut, the anxiety of the event led him to "feeling so bad."
Affecting a casual calm, the locally-based landscaper said he just felt "so relaxed, so happy" and primarily wanted to "enjoy everything."
Choosing his first-round opponent, Esparza, whose stage name is Jordi, elected to go against LA-based Boss.
Esparza freestyled an attack on his opponent's weight and cholo style of dress.
Boss—bracketing his Latin freestyle with English appeals to the crowd—mocked Jordi's lack of education, made fun of how clean Jordi's shoes looked and suggested that Jordi just came back from a Footlocker.
That first round went to Jordi.
But his next opponent Eckonn would prove to be his undoing.
Eckonn compared Jordi to Hannah Montana, while Jordi soulfully explained that he had learned from the best.
Esparza's verbal dexterity is matched by a rattling rhythm and a game face that is as mawkish as it is mockish. The overall effect is that of an underdog with bite.
Eckonn beat Esparza in that round with the overall championship going to Palm Beach-based rapper Reverse.
However, Esparza was just happy to be there. He recently told Austonia going to the finals again was a dream come true—a pinnacle that he said he won't know how to top.
With his nimble jabs and sneaky prowess, honed from pop culture and the swagger of a young working man hungry to be more, Jordi Esparza is just getting started.
