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Q2 Stadium will host matches as part of the 2021 Concacaf Gold Cup this summer. (Q2 Stadium/Twitter)
Q2 Stadium will seat more than Verde fans for its inaugural season. The 20,500 stadium will also host national teams from around the globe as one of 11 hosts for the 2021 Concacaf Gold Cup in July and August.
"It is an honor for Q2 Stadium, in its first year of operations, to be designated as one of the 2021 Concacaf Gold Cup venues," Austin FC President Andy Loughnan said. "Austin FC and the greater Austin region look forward welcoming Concacaf and qualifying national teams to the world-class Q2 Stadium."
The Cup will feature 16 national teams, including the formidable Mexican Men's National Team, which are eight-time Gold Cup champions, and six-time champions U.S Men's National team.
While 12 teams from the Concacaf Nations League will join the cup, the final slots will be filled by Qatar, winner of the 2019 AFC Asian Cup and host of the 2022 FIFA World Cup. The cup will also hold three more teams that will be decided during the 2021 Concacaf Gold Cup Prelims on July 2-6.
Here are the preset group stage groups, which will kick off play July 10:
The Concacaf group stage was drawn in September of 2020. (Concacaf)
The top two teams in each group will advance to a knockout stage, which will occur as follows:
- Quarterfinal #1: Winner Group D vs Second Place Group A
- Quarterfinal #4: Winner Group B vs Second Place Group C
- Quarterfinal #2: Winner Group A vs Second Place Group D
- Quarterfinal #3: Winner Group C vs Second Place Group B
- Semifinal #1: Winner Quarterfinal #1 vs Winner Quarterfinal #4
- Semifinal #2: Winner Quarterfinal #2 vs Winner Quarterfinal #3
- Final: Winner Semifinal #1 vs Winner Semifinal #2
The best in the Concacaf region will battle it out in Las Vegas for the first time on August 1. Prelims will be held at the DRV PNK Stadium in Fort Lauderdale, Florida and will kick off July 2.
The Concacaf Gold Cup will conclude on August 1 in Las Vegas for the first time in history. (Concacaf)
Austin will be one of 11 hosts for the cup. As the city's first-ever major league soccer stadium, the event will mark history as the first Concacaf match in Austin.
"To host a competition of this caliber is a great honor," said Drew Hays, director of the Austin Sports Commission. "Austin is an event city, and the Concacaf Gold Cup further elevates our offerings. We are thrilled to welcome fans from North & Central America and to showcase the city during this bi-annual competition."
More information including matchups, ticketing and exact locations will be released in the coming weeks. The cup will be played in a "hub" format to ensure safe travel and lessen the risk of COVID transmission. To sign up for updates regarding the 2021 Concacaf Gold Cup, click here.
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Historic preservationists, for their part, overwhelmingly support historic zoning, which would preserve the buildings in perpetuity. The Historic Landmark Commission unanimously voted to initiate historic zoning in July, citing architectural significance, landscape features and association to historic figures. City staffers recommend historic zoning, calling both structures one-of-a-kind examples of vernacular architecture.
Tarrytown neighbors have also banded together to stop the demolition. Many have written letters, and a few spoke at the meeting. “How could anyone buy this property with the intent of destroying it?” Ila Falvey said. “I think it’s an architectural treasure.”
Michael Whellan, an attorney representing the property owner, said that the claims made by preservationists are shaky. The buildings are run down, he said, and have had substantial renovations. A structural engineer hired by the owner said any attempt at preservation would involve tearing down and rebuilding – an undertaking Whellan said would likely cost millions.
Whellan also argued that any historical significance derived from the property’s association with Delisle and longtime owner C.H. Slator is dubious. “These men are not noted for any civic, philanthropic or historic impact,” he said.
What’s more, according to Whellan, Slator likely participated in segregation as the owner of the Tavern on North Lamar Boulevard between 1953 and 1960.
A city staffer, however, said she found no evidence to support the claim. “We would never landmark a property where a segregationist lived, or there was a racist person,” Kimberly Collins with the Historic Preservation Office said.
Commissioner Awais Azhar couldn’t support historic zoning in part due to lingering uncertainty about Slator. “Focusing on that factor is not here to disparage an individual or family. It is not about playing the race card. This is an important assertion for us to consider as Planning commissioners,” Azhar said.
Commissioner Carmen Llanes Pulido said that allegations of racism should come as no surprise. “We’re talking about white male property owners in the 1950s, in Austin, on the west side – and of course they were racist,” she said. But she argued that allowing the house to be demolished based on these grounds does nothing to help people of color who have been harmed by racism and segregation.
The question of tax breaks was also controversial. Michael Gaudini, representing the property owner, said that the tax breaks associated with historic zoning would exacerbate inequality by shifting property tax burdens to less affluent communities. City staffers estimate that the property, appraised at $3.5 million, would get either a $8,500 or $16,107 property tax break annually, depending on whether a homestead exemption is applied.
Commissioner Grayson Cox preferred the commission focus not on tax breaks but on whether the structures merit preservation. “To me, nothing in the historic preservation criteria lists, is this person deserving of a tax break or not?”
Azhar, on the other hand, said he plans to propose a code amendment getting rid of city property tax breaks for historic properties.
The commission fell one vote short of recommending historic zoning, with six commissioners in support and three opposed. Azhar and commissioners Claire Hempel and Greg Anderson voted against.
The odds of City Council zoning over an owner’s wishes are slim. Nine out of 11 members must vote in favor, and there have only been a handful of such cases over the past several decades.
