UPDATE (6:05 p.m. on 5/17): An Austin FC spokesperson confirmed that the Verde Store had sold out of the Verde keeper kit on the first day that it went on sale.
Update: I was just told that #AustinFC closed the Verde Store having sold out of the #Verde keeper kit. Store opened at 10 a.m. this morning. https://t.co/yNgF0L8d98
— Chris Bils (@ChrisBils) May 17, 2021
The original story is below:
The Verde Store just got more Verde. On Monday, Austin FC majority owner and CEO Anthony Precourt tweeted that the Verde keeper kit, the one worn by Brad Stuver during the first three matches of the MLS season, is now for sale.
The announcement set off a firestorm on Twitter, where #ReleaseTheKit had been the mantra of a two-month long social media campaign led by Los Verdes member Brad Tillery and his wife Kerry Tillery.
Day 53. Again:
— Brad (@au_trout) May 17, 2021
A two video finale with important messages and a donation link:https://t.co/dDXOUT4GKx https://t.co/T5py3QaSGG pic.twitter.com/KzGgb8bVoC
Brad Tillery first spotted the kit in social media posts from the second Austin FC scrimmage on March 25 against Louisville City FC. He began the campaign the very next day with a single tweet. Monday was Day 53. Eventually, his initial campaign of GIFs gave way to a series of creative parody videos produced by Brad and Kerry.
Day 19:
— Brad (@au_trout) April 13, 2021
Are you an @AustinFC fan and need a VERDE KEEPER KIT now?
Call FC Wentworth.
877-KIT-NOW pic.twitter.com/ycEN6FHy9M
Finally, on Saturday — the same day Stuver stopped a penalty against Chicharito — a package arrived at the Tillery house. It was addressed from Stuver, and inside was a personalized Verde keeper kit with the name "FC Wentworth" across the back — a nod to one of their most popular videos.
Here’s @au_trout on Saturday coming back from the mailbox and opening the package from @brad_stuver. Notice his death grip on the box. pic.twitter.com/zaTe1cvn34
— Kerry (@Kerry_Pro) May 17, 2021
The store opened at 10 a.m. on Monday, and by the afternoon it was apparent that the Tillerys weren't the only ones trying to get their hands on a keeper jersey. Far from it. One fan on Twitter reported that nearly all of the short-sleeve jerseys had sold out by 1 p.m., and there were also pink goalkeeper jerseys flying off the shelves.
It helps that the Verde hysteria has coincided with Stuver's ascendance as the starter between the posts for Austin FC in its first season. At 30 years old, the career backup has taken full advantage of his chance to shine. Stuver is tied for the league lead in saves (22), is third in passing percentage (80.7%) among 'keepers with more than two matches played, and earned his first clean sheet in a 1-0 win over Minnesota United on May 1.
He's also become a fan favorite off the field for the charity work he and his wife do with The Laundry Project, and his love of Harry Potter that came to the surface when Minnesota fans dug up a 10-year-old tweet he made praising Professor McGonagall. Now, fans can finally wear his jersey, which you'll be seeing plenty of around Q2 Stadium.
Gary A. Vasquez | USA Today Sports
