'The 100-year war': McConaughey talks all things Austin FC on Twitter Spaces

Minister of Culture and Austin FC part-owner Matthew McConaughey talked about the "long-run goals" of Austin FC with club commentators Adrian Healey and Mike Lahoud on Twitter Spaces on Wednesday.

Like a cowboy storyteller over a campfire, McConaughey painted a picture of Austin FC's triumphs and battles, the origins of his iconic Verde suit and his recent phone call with Head Coach Josh Wolff.

The team is hot off of a 3-1 triumph over the Portland Timbers but remains tied for last in the Western Conference with the fewest goals in MLS. But he isn't too worried about the losses—McConaughey, who coined the phrase "100-year war" for the team, said that their long-haul mentality is what will get the team through its pitfalls.

"What the '100-year war' mentality does is, when you don't win today, it doesn't suck everything out of you," McConaughey said. "It's an owner's mentality—we're not for rent, we're here to own."

McConaughey has been part of the team for years, watching as it was built from an idea to a stadium to a fanbase of thousands. "I had real chills when we laid the grass down in Q2," McConaughey said.

The award-winning actor also brought out his talents as a performer for Austin FC's first home match on June 19, when he banged a conga drum in front of the thousands-strong supporters' section. McConaughey said he was honored to help chant the fan base's mantra on the pitch of the first-ever home crowd.

McConaughey took to the pitch in none other than a Verde suit on June 19, an investment he said he had made over two years ago with his suitmaker in England.

"I got the swath of the trademark Verde that day," McConaughey said. "I hadn't worn it because I was saving it for that night...and the only thing when I looked at it before I headed out to go to the stadium I was like, 'I hope the damn thing still fits.'"

McConaughey said that the Black Angels song that Austin FC uses as they enter the pitch evokes the grit and battle mentality that the club has every time they play. "Win, lose or draw, if we can play with that fierceness, vitality, attack, and mental acuity just absolutely locked in that song, then we're on the way forward, and we can play that song for the next 100 years."

But the club hasn't always seemed fully fit for battle. An expansion team has unique obstacles and pressure, especially on Wolff. McConaughey said he gave Wolff a call a week or two ago at the height of his criticism as the team was losing games.

"We've gone through a rough patch, trying to move around some chess pieces, you know, got a few losses in a row," McConaughey said. "And I can see he's grinding. I can see the players grinding. I can see his own molars are meeting in the back of his mouth... And so I just wanted to give him a call for support and just say, 'Hey, how are you doing?"

Now with a "flash of excellence" here and there, especially at the hands of keeper Brad Stuver, McConaughey said the team just needs to settle in their identity to keep consistently triumphant.

"It's part of trust in teammates, it's part of trust in each player and trust in themselves," McConaughey said. "We're still intellectualizing some of what we're doing and what we need to do to win is when that mind process slips down into the guts, hearts and minds of our players. It's not a thoughtful process, it's an instinctual process... we're growing with it and I think we've got a great base."