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Q2 stadium lights up in green and beer showers commence when Austin FC scores. (Claire Partain/Austonia)
But Austin's first major league pro team is also its most inclusive, and each match is a testament to the city's history and community spirit.
From gameday fashion to parking tips, check out our one-stop guide to the Austin FC matchday experience ahead of the club's second season, which kicks off against FC Cincinnati at 5 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 26 at Austin's Q2 Stadium:
Tickets
Each section provides a unique experience—and nearby food and drink options—at Austin FC's Q2 Stadium. (Q2 Stadium)
Still scrambling for a last-minute ticket? If you're not a season ticket holder, it might seem tough to snag a spot at Austin's season opener. But despite the hype, tickets are still available for the Saturday match starting at $44.
If you're looking for beer showers and nonstop action, search for the more elusive supporters' section tickets. Tickets are slightly more limited in this area due to the constant excitement stirred up by fan clubs Los Verdes and Austin Anthem and fan band La Murga de Austin.
Fans of opposing teams tend to gather around the upper level around Section 228, so avoid that unless you've got an opposing club's jersey. Otherwise, tickets from around the stadium are sure to provide different snapshots of the big game.
Austin FC tickets are powered through SeatGeek. You can download the app, or buy tickets on their website here.
Ground rules
Aside from decking out in Verde, there are a few rules to know before reaching Q2:
- First, leave your cash at home. Q2 is all cashless.
- The stadium is not BYOB, so leave outside food and drinks at home too.
- Bags larger than your hand, professional cameras, selfie sticks, air horns and other materials are also banned. Click here for more info.
- Do charge your phone before the match and download the Austin FC app. You can use it for everything from ticketing to parking info and paying for in-stadium food and drinks.
Q2 fashion: what to wear on gameday
You can't go wrong with an Austin FC jersey fit on gameday. (Austin FC)
With such a prominent signature color, it'd be a crime to not wear some Verde come gameday.
Here are a few tips for your gameday fit:
- Check the weather beforehand. Q2 Stadium is outdoor, though it's designed to stay coolish during Texas summers. Austin's season will open on a gloomy Saturday with chances of showers and temperatures peaking at just 42 degrees.
- Matchday outfits range from casual sportswear to dresses, suits and even Verde face paint, so don't worry about being too bold. Wear comfortable shoes if you plan on touring the stadium or standing throughout the match.
- For the freshest fit to date, check out Austin's minty clean Sentimiento jersey, which was released as the club's secondary outfit earlier this month and offers a more minimalist look.
- If you're looking to dress like a Day One fan, check out season one's white "Legends" jersey or the classic Verde and Black-striped home jersey—it was voted the team's drippiest kit by Austin FC fans in our latest poll.
- If you're still looking for something green, check out the on-site Verde Store at the north of the stadium before the match. It'll be stocked up with the latest merch but may be crowded on game day. Normal hours run from 10 a.m.-6 p.m. every day, while the Verde Store's Congress location is open from 11 a.m.-7 p.m. Monday-Saturday and 12-5 p.m. on Sundays at 506 Congress Ave.
But don't just take fashion tips from us—get inspiration from Austin FC players and even part-owner Matthew McConaughey with our ranking of Austin FC's 10 drippiest moments of 2021.
Parking
A guide to matchday public transportation to Q2 Stadium. (Cap Metro)
Now that you've got Verde on and swapped an air horn for your foam finger, you're ready to take on a more daunting task: getting to the stadium.
Although Austin FC fans have come up with creative ways to make it to game day, our recent Twitter poll shows that most still choose to park.
Stadium parking passes can be found here, but be prepared to pay a pretty penny—home opener passes start at a cool $60. Have your pass ready on your phone before you enter the North, East and Southwest lots.
For more affordable parking, check out Pavemint, which offers spots in offsite lots surrounding the stadium with single-match and season parking passes. It's also common to see crowds of people walking from The Domain or other farther lots as they head to the stadium.
Many fans also try out public transportation through Cap Metro, which is speeding up its gameday process this season. Four routes, including the MetroRapid 803, MetroBus 3, MetroBus 383 and MetroBus 392 will drop off in front of the stadium as often as once every 10 minutes. MetroBus 392 is slightly slower with drop offs every 30-35 minutes between Q2 Stadium and Tech Ridge Transit Center.
If routes to Q2 aren't available near you, you can also park your car and catch a bus at four Park & Ride locations including the North Lamar Transit Center, Pavilion Park & Ride, Tech Ridge Park & Ride and Westgate Transit Center.
The club has also mapped out walking and biking routes and a drop-off point for those coming in via limousine or rideshare apps.
For more maps and parking information, click here.
Pregame and watch party action
Last night was 🔥🤪 pic.twitter.com/n1moYpROBY
— Los Verdes (@LosVerdesATX) February 13, 2022
Those Texas-sized beers tend to go for Texas-sized prices inside Q2, but have no fear: local breweries are always ready for Austin FC traffic within walking distance of the stadium.
Grab a brew at Hopsquad Brewing (2307 Kramer Ln.), the home of Los Verdes, or the Austin Anthem HQ Circle Brewing (2340 W Braker Ln) to get some pre-game hype.
Due to a cold weather forecast, outdoor festivities including live music performances have been canceled at Hopsquad for the home opener, but the party will still rage on at both venues in the warmth of the indoors.
Weather permitting, both breweries will stock up on food trucks, live music and even Austin FC-centric beers for each game as the roar of the stadium echoes nearby.
You're in! What to eat, buy and look for inside Q2
Once at the stadium, hopefully, you'll have time to take in the sights, sounds and smells before the match.
Here are a few things to expect, from local food to craft beers on tap:
- The facility- Enter through one of four gates, which open 90 minutes before the match, and witness plenty of local murals as you scope out your spot in one of the stadium's 20,500 seats. Everything will be Verde, including most people you see lining up in front of each gate.
- The Austin FC Beer Hall- Open four hours before kickoff, it stays open about an hour and a half after. It features 16 beers on tap, including an assortment of local craft beers. The stadium also hosts Michelob Ultra bars, a Bulleit Bar and plenty of places to grab a Dos XX.
- Beverages- Expect offerings from partner Diageo North America, which includes Captain Morgan, Bulleit Whiskey, Ketel One, Don Julio and Crown Royal, as well as Anheuser Busch, Heineken, Dos XX and Austin Eastciders. Non-alcoholic options include Coca-Cola Products, C4 Energy and Waterloo Sparkling Water.
Food, food and more food
We could go on all day about the food offerings at Q2 Stadium—and we did. From Valentina's Tex-Mex BBQ to T'Loc's Sonoran Hot Dogs, Austin FC worked to represent Austin by partnering with 512 Food Co. and loading the stadium up with as many local eats as possible. For a complete list of food options, including the iconic Queso Fountain, click here.
On-pitch action
Austin FC's Diego Fagundez is a favorite on and off the pitch. (Austin FC/Twitter)
Not up to date on last season? No need to fear—lamenting about last season's disappointing nine-win season will help you fit in quickly. The club finished second to last in the MLS' Western Conference for its first season last year, and the season came with peaks and valleys that were not reflected by the team's ever-present fans.
But that won't happen again this season, according to head coach Josh Wolff, who told Austonia he expects the team to make playoffs this season.
The club has had a mixed bag of results in preseason, including a 4-0 win over the Dynamo and a 1-1 draw to Mexican league champions Atlas FC as well as losses to Toronto FC and Chicago Fire FC. Each match was a chance to tweak the lineup and test out the club's eight new players, including:
- Maxi Urruti, a former Houston Dynamo striker
- MLS veteran midfielder Felipe Martins (he just goes by Felipe)
- Norwegian center back Ruben Gabrielsen
- Kipp Keller, Austin’s No. 1 MLS SuperDraft pick of 2022
- Colombian midfielder Jhojan Valencia
- Ethan Finlay, an experienced MLS winger
- Left back Charlie Asensio, also picked in the SuperDraft
- 19-year-old keeper Damian Las
If in doubt on what to banter about, get up to date on the new signings or discuss the club's most popular players, including top-billed forward Sebastian Driussi, fan-favorite Diego Fagundez (Austin FC's first goalscorer) or keeper Brad Stuver, who will be welcomed to the pitch by stadium-wide "Stuuuuuv!" chants (don't worry, they're not booing him).
To get even more in the know, check out Austonia's one-month out report for a predicted starting lineup, club culture and more must-have information on the second-year team.
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Sans Bar holds live music, sobriety conferences and more in its East Austin venue. (Chris Marshall)
Sans Bar, located at 1818 E. 12th St., looks and feels like a bar, holds live music like a bar and makes cocktails—with non-alcoholic spirits of course—like a bar. The bar has built a strong community of regulars, who say it's exactly the kind of place those wanting a sober kind of fun want to be. In fact, the bar says it sees an uptick in visitors from January-March.
Founded in 2017 by Chris Marshall, Sans Bar is a place for the sober curious, the sober sometimes, the sober serious and anyone in-between. It carries a whole menu of alcohol-free beers, wines and cocktails made with local spirits like Tenneyson and Spiritless. Marshall said the bar is the only one of its kind in Texas, and one of only a handful across the U.S.
“I just saw that there was a real need for a space that didn't include alcohol,” Marshall said. “I really like to see anti-alcohol, pro-authentic connections and I just believe that the best version of ourselves is alcohol-free."
Alyssa Hart, an event coordinator living in Tarrytown, discovered the bar in 2019 during a “Sober by Southwest” event. She had been sober for a few years, was going through a hard breakup and was looking for a supportive community while she felt like she was starting over.
“It was like the crashing together of these two things—spending a lot of time, money and energy on drinking and also realizing that it had really never been a positive thing in my life,” Hart said. “I feel like because it's so ingrained in our society, it becomes something that we are kind of asleep at the wheel about.”
The bar was spurred in part by Marshall’s own journey into sobriety; Marshall quit drinking in his early 20s and will hit 15 years of sobriety in February. If the idea of a sober bar is confusing, Marshall equates it to the rise of plant-based foods as it’s a convenient and familiar way to abstain.
After working almost a decade as a licensed counselor Marshall just wants to see people examine their relationship with alcohol but said everyone on the spectrum from straight edge to drinkers on a night out stops in. He says about 75% of customers who come in identify themselves as just sober sometimes.
“We will never, ever, ever turn someone away who says that they're struggling because we want to be a space for people who are struggling,” Marshall said. “We're not prohibitionists. We're not trying to tell people not to drink alcohol. We totally accept and respect whatever your relationship is with alcohol.”
Marshall said everyone is welcome at Sans Bar, even if you've already had a few. (Chris Marshall)
Likewise, Jon Flores has been sober for nearly four years, aside from the beer he allows himself every year on his birthday. Flores discovered Sans Bar through a targeted social media ad and now says he frequents the bar so much, he is often called the “Sansbassador.”
“Sans Bar came into my life when I really needed it and I'm very grateful that it exists,” Flores said. “Chris has really helped me—he just wants the best for everyone, even strangers on the street. He just wants the best for everybody and it's so refreshing to come across people like that.”
Both Hart and Flores said they try to come in every Friday for a non-alcoholic “Gold Fashioned” or a Budweiser Zero. Both said they have become close friends with Marshall, and Hart said she has since become very active in the sober community, co-founding amplification platform Sober Voices.
The bar is only open on Friday nights from 7 p.m.-midnight for now, with possibly more hours in 2022, but patrons say it works for the bar and makes the time more “precious.” Marshall encourages people to think of it as more of a community-oriented weekly social hour.
“A lot of people are excited about the prospect of drinking less and really taking a month off to examine their relationship with alcohol, so there's a lot of excitement around it, but there's also a lot of fear,” Marshall said. “Austin is becoming the epicenter of the non-alcoholic movement. I think there's something really special that's happening here.”
