Austin FC's $260m Q2 Stadium to be ready for their debut MLS season

Austin FC have confirmed their inaugural Major League Soccer season will begin on 17 April and shared details on the completion of their stadium.

The Texas-based franchise was founded in October 2018 and becomes the first top flight sports team from the Austin area, having been officially announced as the 27th MLS franchise in January 2019.

The Austin Business Journal report that Austin FC's $260m Q2 Stadium will be completed in time to host their first ever home game on 19 June against the San Jose Earthquakes.

Before that, Austin FC make their debut on 17 April against Los Angeles FC, who reached the 2020 CONCACAF Champions League final and finished seventh in the MLS Western Conference.

Claudio Reyna - the club's sporting director - confirmed that season preparations are 'officially underway' and relished the challenge of their season opener in April. Despite their stadium being expected to be completed by early April, Austin will play away games until their first home fixture in June, making for a challenging debut campaign.

The club officially agreed the naming rights for their 20,500-seater stadium with local banking company Q2 Holdings in January 2021 and have also announced sponsorship deals with Yeti Coolers and Netspend who will appear on the jersey, as well as agreements with St. David's HealthCare and Waterloo Sparkling Water.

Austin FC are owned by Two Oak ventures, who were previously known as Precourt Sports Ventures and owned the Columbus Crew. Owner Jay Precout expressed plans to move his Colombus franchise to Austin, but backlash from fans saw him sell the franchise and agree to start a new one in Texas, as ownership of Colombus Crew was transferred.

Josh Wolff earned 52 caps for the USA national team during his playing career and has been assigned as Austin FC's head coach what is his managerial debut, having previously worked at Colombus Crew as an assistant.