“Happy soccer fanbases are all alike. Each unhappy soccer fanbase is unhappy in its own way.” — Leo Tolstoy, probably
What a bizarre game on Saturday. Josh Wolff’s substitutions mostly worked. Hector Jimenez probably had his best 30 minutes of the current decade. Seba returned. The replacement refs made themselves despised and seen for the cartoon villains that they are. Goals were scored. Austin took the fight to one of the perennial Eastern powerhouses and came away with a point. And every Austin fan that we know walked away disappointed at best and vehemently pissed off at worst. A funny game, this. Anyway, La Murga remains undefeated, so let’s get to the numbers.
What Songs Were Played, and How Many Times?
Random observations: Eight different songs were played at least three times, which feels like a lot. In fact, we can’t find any evidence of so many songs hitting a third go-round in a single match. We aren’t exactly sure what to make of this, but it could be the songs were a tad shorter than usual? Forty-four songs were played on Saturday, which is the most of 2024, and it stands to reason that many of them would need to be tripled up. Still, it’s an interesting data point that we’ll keep a closer look on as the season progresses.
Last week we noted that “McKalla” was not being played multiple times per match, and on Saturday it was dropped from the setlist entirely. Was this purely a function of game state and Murga reading (and reacting to) the tenor of the crowd, or was this a premeditated decision to exile it for at least one match? We don’t have an answer, but we’ll be watching its further deployment (or lack thereof) with great interest.
What Songs Were Playing When Austin Scored
Random observations: It has been a long time since Austin FC scored during “Alright Alright Alright,” which means that they haven’t been scoring goals in the first few minutes of a match and they haven’t been scoring goals in quick succession. Anyone paying attention for the past season-plus should be able to confirm that this is true. So Saturday night was a welcome return to the heady days of 2022 when we scored goals both early and often.
What Songs Were Playing When Philadelphia Scored
Random observations: So two songs, both based on hit singles from 1958 and sung entirely in Spanish, gave up goals in successive halves? Hmmmm…
Season Totals
Final Thoughts
Based on usage rates, “El Equipo de la 512” appears to be the most eventful song of the young season. Though played only six times to date, it’s already had a goal scored AND conceded on its ledger. The only other song with multiple goal events is “Feliz Feliz,” and it has been played seven times.
On the other end of the spectrum is “Verdi Negro (Matador),” which has already been played nine times without a single goal for or against. Excluding the comparatively brief “(clapclapclap) ATX” chant, this is the highest usage of 2024 that has not corresponded to a single goal event. “Matador” is now the early leader for the 2024 Noble Gas Award, given to the song in the Murga playlist that results in the fewest reactions. But it still has a looooong way to go to catch “Dale Austin” in 2022, which was played THIRTY-FOUR times before resulting in a goal.
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.