Along with 300 of my closest Verde brethren (250+ supporters joined by dozens of friends and family), we set foot for a march on the Capitol to see if Austin FC could finally win a road match. By now, y’all know the heroic tale of our fearless leader Pollo, but my job is to tell the rest of the story.
False 9 Ratings (On a scale of 1 to 9):
Stadium and Atmosphere Rating: 6
Match Rating: 8
It may have taken 40 matches, but Austin FC finally played its first match in the Eastern time zone this weekend in the shadow of our nation’s Capital. While DC is not the easiest or cheapest place to reach, our fans were excited for a once every four year trip to a fun city. With a combination of Austin expats living in DC/east coast and much of our normal away travel crew (it was the first time that every Austin FC away travel captain had attended a match together outside of Texas), we were able to fill 300 seats in the upper echelons of Audi Field.
Getting to Stadium: Unlike most American cities, DC doesn’t have a traditional downtown. That being said, Audi Field is pretty easy to reach in the city’s Navy Yard near a Metro stop, plenty of bars/restaurants/hotels, and more. As long as there is not a Nationals game next door, it’s an easy process, pending the ongoing DC construction. At least the road projects are eventually finished unlike 99% of legislation up on the Hill.
Pre-Game Scene: Since we had a large crew, we gathered the night before at Exiles Pub on U Street NW. The scene got pretty crazy, and it provided the right energy to kick off the weekend.
The Austin FC contingent started the matchday outside of Nation’s Capitol for a group photo before taking the half hour march over to Solace Outpost. It was pretty wild to see a group that large in front of the Capitol, and the tourists from all over the world who had no clue what to make of our chants (with instruments at that point).
After the scene at the Capitol, the friendly people over at Solace Outpost let us mingle with their crowd where we bought plenty of tasty craft beers and food from them. The weather was absolutely lovely in the afternoon, and the shaded patio and river breeze were perfect complements to the upper 70s.
Thankfully, the only place in DC we stormed was Audi Field. However, we had to get there 2 hours before the match, which turned into 2.5 hours when the thunderstorms showed up. Luckily, our fans took it in stride and started chanting on the 4th floor concourse. Heck, even the DC United security guards were singing Colors with us (and shoutout to Mateo for double fisting while doing it!)
Home Fans/SGs: We saw them on the other side of the stadium. We occasionally heard some drums from over there, but the section wasn’t full and was frankly lackluster. The setup of Audi Field doesn’t allow for many home (or away banners), and DC’s SGs are notorious for not liking one another. Despite having a 75% full stadium last night, there were plenty of empty bleachers at the top of their supporter section.
Our Performance in the Stands: Maybe my colleague H.E. Pennypacker took notes on the instrument-less La Murga performance in the stands, but I didn’t. I will note that we did have a few modified chants for this match connected to Pollo. Before the match, there were multiple adamant “Free Pollo” chants that were replaced by “Pollo Libre!” once DC United security returned him to our section in the 76th minute of the match. Instead of “Austin F-C”, our fans replaced that chant with a “Pollo F-C”. Considering the results, something tells me that these chants will be returning to future matches both at McKalla and on the road.
We did also bring out the bam bam (or boom boom) verde sticks in the second half. They made for a great sight even if we haven’t entirely figured out the full rhythm yet.
Additionally, it was Brad Stuuuuver’s birthday, so we greeted him with a “Happy Birthday” at the start of warmups and at the end of the match. While all of the players ran over to us right after the match, I have to give credit to Stuver and Diego for staying the longest along with Dani P and Ethan Finlay, who had multiple friends and family in attendance.
Finally, climbing up the stairs at Audi Field is no joke. Our section started in Row 28 and went to the top in Row 37. You need some time to catch your breath after climbing up those stairs of the single decked stadium.
Home “We Love Yas”: I couldn’t hear them, so I have no clue.
Food Options and Craft Beer Options: Since we got into Audi Field pretty early, we had plenty of time to scope out the scene. FootyScran had highlighted the pupusas on Friday, so I had to try them. Even on the fourth floor concourse (near our seats), they had a fresh pupusa stand. I went with the basic cheese. They were $12 (not $9) as FootyScran falsely claimed. However, they were homemade, and pretty solid. I know they would be $4 at a local stand, but for stadium food, it works for me. Next time, I’ll have to try the Old Bay chicken wings.
The craft beer scene was sad from what I witnessed. The old thing resembling craft beer was Lagunitas IPA, which is no longer a craft product. Unlike most stadiums, they did have beer guys coming around the away section with Heineken, XX, and Ranch Waters throughout the night. They had $2 waters with Apple Pay, but I didn’t even get one, which I promptly regretted the next morning.
Bathroom Situation: The fourth floor concourse had a nice large bathroom. It was one of the better visiting bathrooms in the league with amble space on the men’s side. I didn’t hear any complaints on the ladies side, so it must have been good enough.
The Match Itself: Well, the first 75 (well 83) Pollo-less minutes were pretty ugly. Ola Kamara scored a brace and then managed to get an unnecessary red card. Even more important than DC dropping down to 10 men was an early sub for Andy Najar, who had been destroying us down the flank. However, when it really mattered, once Pollo returned, our boys in mint turned it on by scoring 3 goals in 10 minutes. It was surreal to witness in person.
Rating (1 to 9): Here at the False Nine, we rate matches on a scale of 1 to 9. A 1 is a typical Houston or Frisco match and a 9 is a trip to McKalla. For this match, we gave the stadium and atmosphere a 6, mostly due to our fans and the fact that their stadium was at least mostly fully and the match itself an 8. If we are just talking about the final 25 minutes, it’s a 9, but we can’t ignore the first 80 or so minutes of this match (yes, there was an absurd amount of stoppage time in both halves).
Next Up: We’re back on the road on Wednesday to head down to San Antonio for the Open Cup. We expect it’s going to be a hard fought match down there between squad rotation, their desire to pull a Cupset, and the magic of the US Open Cup. We’ll have a match preview/prediction here at the False Nine before kickoff.
(Photos courtesy of Zach Lyons, Tim Elliott, and Seth Rau)