Sonny Guadarrama dreamed of representing his hometown in Major League Soccer. He always thought it would be on the pitch.
On Friday, Austin FC announced that Guadarrama will be the Spanish-language color analyst for broadcasts on Univision 62 (KAKW) and UniMás Austin (KTFO). It’s not quite the signing announcement that he dreamed of, but there are few faces that soccer fans in Austin would rather see than that of Sonny G.
“He has the kind of personality that makes everybody feel confident. Everybody feels good being with him,” said Ruben Pizarro, the longtime host of Contacto Deportivo 62. “Whatever he says to a player, a parent or a coach, he chooses the best words. He’s very straightforward and humble.”
Guadarrama, 34, hung up his boots this spring after 15 years playing professionally, starting in Mexico with Santos Laguna in 2006 up until his last two seasons playing for Austin Bold FC in the USL Championship.
I am born and raised in Austin and have seen soccer grow baby steps in my city. I was an advocate for Austin Fc and now I’m a player for The Bold. I support Austin Soccer! pic.twitter.com/wbRe1VEQUv
— Sonny Guadarrama (@Sonny_g52) May 27, 2019
On Saturday, he’ll be watching the action from a different vantage point, on a monitor inside the press box at Q2 Stadium as Austin FC plays its first regionally-televised match against the Colorado Rapids at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park in Commerce City, Colo.
“You always want to be on the field,” he said. “But I think that if you can become okay with not being on the field then that's a good start. Being in the professional game is a blessing still, I think. Because it's kind of like an addiction to be in that atmosphere all the time.”
Guadarrama will be joined on the broadcast by play-by-play voice Roger Valdivieso, a Katy-based commentator whose work has been featured by ESPN and Fox Sports. Their voices can also be heard on TUDN Radio Austin (104.3-HD2, KLQB).
Univision 62 will have the rights to air all 23 matches that aren’t on national airwaves. The match against LA Galaxy on May 15 will also air on the network, but with the national feed from Univision. All regionally televised matches can be streamed via the Univision 62 Austin mobile app and website, UnivisionAustin.com.
“Austin FC’s multiplatform partnership with Univision is a collaborative commitment to innovation and audience accessibility” commented Andy Loughnane, Austin FC President. “Roger and Sonny are outstanding additions to our broadcast booth and Austin FC and Univision are extremely honored to have their voices call Austin FC’s inaugural season.”
The platform will allow Guadarrama, a 2005 graduate of Cedar Park High School, to keep doing what he loves: spreading his love of soccer.
“I'm happy that I get this opportunity, happy that it's in Spanish, happy that I'm from Austin and I get to speak to the people from Austin,” he said. “It's not going to change what I was doing before Austin FC, which is trying to help out the soccer community, not necessarily just the Hispanic community, but a lot of the Hispanic community is part of that. I think it'll help me still have that kind of platform to be able to reach to a lot of people.”
In addition to his role with Austin FC, Guadarrama recently opened a new facility in Pflugerville called Roots Fútbol where he teaches soccer fundamentals, particularly focused on younger age groups.
