The offseason has an end date.
Austin FC will host FC Cincinnati during the opening weekend for Major League Soccer, with kickoff set for 5 p.m. CT on Feb. 26 at Q2 Stadium, the club announced Monday. It will be the first time that Verde hosts a season opener, after spending the first two months of last season away from home.
This will be the first meeting between Austin and Cincinnati, which finished the 2021 season at the bottom of the Eastern Conference standings and had the worst record in MLS for the third season running. The match will feature a regional broadcast in English and Spanish, with channel assignments to be announced later. Austin FC also teased expanded distribution platforms across Central Texas that will be announced prior to the start of the season.
Last season, ATX played only two matches against opponents from the East, traveling to Nashville before hosting the Columbus Crew. The addition of Charlotte FC will mean that Nashville moves to the West in 2022, and both conferences now include 14 teams.
The full schedule and format for the 2022 schedule will be released at a later date. MLS announced earlier this month that teams will face eight non-conference opponents, with the regular season running through Oct. 9. Each club will play five or fewer matches on weekdays, with the rest all falling on weekends.
Austin FC sold out all 17 of its home matches in 2021, with a capacity of 20,738 fans. Season tickets have been sold for 2021, and fans looking to purchase tickets for the home opener or future home matches are encouraged to join the waitlist, the Oak Collective, via the Austin FC website.
Individual match tickets will go on sale in the days that immediately follow the release of the full 34-match schedule.