From the West Stand: The best thing the Austin FC supporters did this week brought them Twitter hate (sorry, everybody)

So, it turns out, between tweeting out some photos and videos of last night’s in-stadium practice for about 500 Austin FC supporters, and getting on a plane for Kansas City today to cover tomorrow night’s match between Sporting KC and the Fightin’ Verde, I went mildly viral. Here’s the tweet that did it, where I got online fancy and put three photos together into one layout. 

That seemed to set some supporters off, particularly the ones who think there’s only one way to fan. One of the most common themes in my replies (and in the quote tweets) was the assumption that because La Murga de Austin, Los Verdes, and Austin Anthem got permission to be in the stadium to do what’s essentially a dress rehearsal for the June 19 opening match, that the support is somehow “bought” by the front office or is otherwise not (and this is a big buzzword) "organic." 

As readers of The Striker Texas know, and will get to read more about as our coverage of the Q2 opening ramps up in the next week, La Murga has been working on the musical arrangements on the chants for over two years now. Some are as easy as being able to sing, “Vamos, A-T-X.” Others riff on Selena and Camila Cabello and have a bit more going on. While some haters suggested there’d be choreography, there actually is a bit of choreography in at least two of the numbers. 

Getting to use the stadium — and working out the best place to put the drums and trumpets, learning how sound travels within the supporters’ section, what it feels like to stand in humidity for two hours in a not-so-dry run for the real thing — seems really smart to me. I’ve talked to a lot of supporters over my years covering soccer, and a few of the ones I respect jumped in to essentially say, “Hey, this is a good idea if you want your SG to sound good.” 

As one fan said, “I think folks aren’t understanding that this is band practice. We’re preparing for two 45 minute non-stop live music performances with @LaMurgaATX and 3500 of their lead singers. We’re not just gonna stand around chanting ‘we love ya’ a few dozen times a game.”

But the move got a few people to accuse the Austin supporters to call the fans “plastic” and “fake.” The lightly trafficked NA Ultras Twitter account, billing itself as, “A non-profit news source posting pictures from the North American Ultras scene,” bellowed, “Until further notice, Austin FC SG’s will not be featured on our Twitter or Instagram. Embarrassing.” 

I had a Twitter exchange with an acquaintance who is an FC Dallas fan, asking if practice in the stadium was a usual thing. When I called it “next level,” a fan using the nom de Tweet Nunya Business chimed in to crack “Yeah, next level down,” adding, “I don't dance and sing for the FO's pleasure. I dance and sing for my TEAM.” 

That’s certainly one way of looking at MLS fandom, and that’s certainly an endemic sentiment among those SGs that have more adversarial relationships with their clubs. But what I saw last night was a lot of people having fun and getting to be together in anticipation for one of the biggest days of their lives. Last night allowed me to see and fist-bump a lot of people I haven’t been close enough to fist-bump in 15 months, and that was incredible on a personal level. 

On a writing-about-soccer level, it unexpectedly opened up some interesting conversations. Some came into my mentions to say they are neurodivergent and would appreciate the opportunity to practice with their fan bases — a great point I hadn’t pondered prior to seeing that in my mentions — while others told critical fans, “You know, maybe you could use the practice.” I also got an Orlando fan braying about how Exploria Stadium is a fortress and how they’re “winning the terraces.” Also, someone called me a “fukn nerd" (with that spelling), but I wear nerdery as a badge of honor. (I may actually find a way to work that into my Twitter bio.) 

And how are the fans taking it? Tony Cardone, the primary voice behind @AustinAnthem’s on-point Twitter account, went with a “They hate us ‘cause they ain’t us.” 

Soccer with fans is back, and I couldn’t be happier. If you’re going to Q2 on the 19th and you’re not in the Verde Wall, take a look over there when you’re not keeping your eyes on the field. I feel pretty confident they’re gonna put on a show.