Watson Wire: For the Love of the Game

One of things I love about going to an Austin FC game at Q2 Stadium is the happy energy of the people – families, youth teams, adult teams, and kids of all ages from all over the world and from all over this great town.

Q2 Stadium brings together such an amazing diversity of cultures that love their soccer. On Saturday, U.S. Soccer celebrated Hispanic Heritage Night at Q2 and invited local Hispanic coaches to the match. These coaches play a special role in the lives of their players and communities so it’s neat for them to be recognized.

It was also pretty great to have the work of Cat Barrera, an Austin-based artist, featured prominently throughout the night including, on stadium signage, a special edition soccer ball, and the U.S. captain’s armband.

The U.S. Men’s National Team played an international friendly against Panama on Saturday, getting ready for the 2026 World Cup that is being hosted by the United States, Mexico and Canada.

While the closest World Cup venues will be in Dallas and Houston, Q2 will likely see some spillover action in the run-up to the tournament. We’ll get a taste of what’s expected to be the biggest international sporting event in history.

Next week, the Olympic gold-medal winning U.S. Women’s National Team comes to Q2 for the first domestic match after a remarkable run in Paris.

Austin has a pretty special place with Q2, and I expect we’ll see a lot more great soccer and fun and community in years to come. ?