If you are unfamiliar with the concept of The False 9’s La Murga Report, click here.
We’ve mentioned it before, but “Matador” is very dear to us here at the Murga Report. And so we found it especially poignant that this is the song that propelled Austin FC through penalty kicks and onto the Western Conference Semifinals. In the interest of scientific rigor, we will only award “Matador” with one goal contribution, but know that in our minds it has already been crowned Song of the Year for 2022 (and every other year, for that matter). Es un sentimiento plantado en mi corazón. Now let’s get to the numbers.
What Songs Were Played, and How Many Times?
Random thoughts: FIFTY-FOUR SONGS. 120 minutes of soccer plus PKs. And let’s not forget that La Murga played during the march to the match and in front of the stadium. Their stamina is legendary. Your favorite band could never. We will forever be in awe of these people.
We reviewed the tape, and this is the first time all season that a “Ref You Suck” chant has broken out during the run of play. It was thus been added to the record.
What Songs Were Playing When Austin Scored
Random thoughts: That’s back to back matches where “Dale Austin” contributed to a goal, after being shut out in all previous games this season. We absolutely love to see it.
This is the first time that “Ole Ole Ola” has contributed to a goal since March 6 (the second match of the season), which is the longest stretch between goals of 2022.
As mentioned before, “Matador” is the GOAT and we will accept no other arguments.
What Songs Were Playing When Salt Lake Scored
Random thoughts: It’s absolutely wild how many goals have been scored during “Bella Ciao” this season. Nine goals out of forty-one performances! 22% of the time that LMdA plays “Bella Ciao,” someone scores. Only “Ole Ole Ola” even comes close to that number, with nine goals scored out of fifty-one performances. It is the editorial position of the La Murga Report that, should Sunday’s match remain tied going into the second period of stoppage time, the band should just play “Bella Ciao” on a continuous loop. The odds are very good that someone will score and spare us the collective heart attacks of PKs.
Season Totals
Final Thoughts
This week saw more shakeups at the top of the Song of the Year table, as “Bella Ciao” fell further off of the pace. “Is This Love?” still holds the crown for now, and every match where it is not played probably gets it one step closer to victory.
At the bottom, no one is catching “Colors.” But it’s interesting that there are only four songs that currently have a negative net success percentage, and two of them are the first two songs that are played at virtually every match. This is further proof that Austin has been really, really bad at falling behind early this season. Let’s hope that this trend doesn’t continue against Frisco.
Hilariously, “Dale Austin” has now leap-frogged “Dale ATX” in the less-heralded (but no less prestigious) Dale of the Year race.
H.E. Pennypacker
H.E. Pennypacker spends far too much time thinking about Austin FC, much to the consternation of his friends, family, and employers. He could really go for a sandwich right about now.