Ever wonder how much soccer field space there is in Austin for rec soccer? We talk to Founder and CEO of Austin Sports and Social Club Marc Tucci! This co-ed sports league started in 2005, after Marc noticed the absence of RecSports, he touches on his love for soccer, and its future in Austin. To find out more or become a member, visit austinssc.com.

Listen to our reactions regarding Austin FC's new ownership which seems an, "Alright, Alright, Alright" move. The new names include, Matthew McConaughey, Eddie Margain, Marius Haas, and Bryan Sheffield. We also break down Bold FC's loss against OKC Energy over the weekend.

Don't forget to follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram, and leave us a rating and review wherever you listen. You can also email us at [email protected].

On this week’s episode we interviewed Ismail Elfath, who is one of only four FIFA international referees from the U.S. and has lived in Austin since 2001. Elfath was honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award at the annual Austin Soccer Foundation awards gala.

He told us his story of moving to the U.S. for college from his home country of Morocco, the chance encounter began his referee career, and the major role he played in developing the Video Assistant Referee system now in use around the world.

Meet the Austin family that was at the heart of one of this summer's great soccer stories. Sade Adamolekun played in the FIFA Women's World Cup and the Pan American Games for Jamaica, and her mother Michelle Adamolekun is the founder and president of the Reggae Girlz Foundation. We caught up with both of them to talk about their experiences in France and what's being done to ensure the buzz around women's soccer in Jamaica stays long past the World Cup.

Also, we discuss Austin Bold's 2-2 draw with New Mexico United and provide an update on the progress with the Austin FC "experience center."

Learn more about the Reggae Girlz Foundation: https://reggaegirlzfoundation.com/support/

Follow Sade: https://www.instagram.com/olufolasade_adamolekun/

Music — "Molly" by MidCentury: http://www.midcenturyband.com/

Austin FC has its first head coach! We hope to get Josh Wolff on the podcast soon. For now, we catch up with another Josh — the founder and president of Austin Anthem, Josh Babetski. We start by giving our reactions to the Wolff hire, then move on to discussing the first supporters group for Austin FC with the person who created it.

Austin Anthem has come a long way since it began as MLS in Austin way back in 2013. Babetski tells us all about that growth, and how the organization has become much more than a place for soccer fans. To find out more or become a member, visit https://austinanthem.org/.

Don't forget to follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram, and leave us a rating and review wherever you listen. You can also email us at [email protected].

Investigative journalist Jessica Luther sits down with Michelle to discuss her trip to the FIFA Women’s World Cup, her life as a journalist, her role as a co-host for Burn It All Down and more.

Burn It All Down podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/burn-it-all-down/id1235386795?mt=2

There's been nothing official yet, but The Athletic reported on July 8 that Josh Wolff is "widely expected" to become the first Austin FC head coach. Chris caught up with Sam Stejskal to discuss Wolff, as well as how other MLS front offices are viewing what's been happening in the Texas capital.

After the interview, we gave some of our own thoughts on the Wolff rumblings, then dove into Austin Bold's 3-2 win over Orange County SC that was capped by a stoppage-time stunner from Kris Tyrpak.

Here's the link to The Athletic report from Stejskal and Paul Tenorio: https://theathletic.com/1067820/2019/07/08/sources-josh-wolff-expected-to-become-austin-fcs-inaugural-head-coach/

MidCentury: http://www.midcenturyband.com/

It's our fourth episode, and the U.S. Women's National Team has four stars on its shirt! This week's interview is with Kaitlin Swarts, the founder and CEO of Upper Ninety. She tells us about how she developed the soccer and educational program that is based in East Austin, and how it is changing the lives of students in the underserved communities of East Austin.

Then we recap the FC Austin Elite match at Bold Stadium, and talk about the USWNT triumph and our takeaways from the 2019 Women's World Cup.

This week we talk with FC Austin Elite forward/defender Bethany Cyrtmus ahead of the team’s match at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, July 6 against the San Antonio Athenians at Bold Stadium. Admission is free, so there’s no excuse for missing it.

Bethany shares her story of being transgender and chasing the dream of playing professional soccer. She covers a lot of topics, from her transition at 28 years old to how playing pickup soccer in Chicago sparked an interest in playing at the highest level (11:40), and all the steps that led her to United Women’s Soccer and FC Austin Elite. She also delves deep into the topic of competitive advantage (22:45) and her own experiences with hormones affecting performance (40:05), and using public bathrooms (50:10).

Around the 21-minute mark, Bethany mentions U.S. Soccer’s inclusion policy, which you can find at this link (Policy 601-5, Section 6 and Bylaw 105, Section 3): https://www.ussoccer.com/governance/bylaws

Here are just a few of the many organizations helping the LGBTQIA+ community in Central Texas:

Out Youth offers youth programs and services: https://www.outyouth.org/

The Trevor Project offers crisis intervention and suicide prevention: https://www.thetrevorproject.org/

The Kind Clinic is a full-service sexual health and wellness clinic: https://kindclinic.org/

Planned Parenthood provides a range of health care services and education: http://ppgreatertx.org

PFLAG offers free support groups to families and friends: https://pflagaustin.org/

Waterloo Counseling Center offers affordable mental health counseling: https://www.waterloocounseling.org/

AIDS Services of Austin provides direct-care services and HIV prevention education: https://www.asaustin.org/

On the second episode of Austin's Soccer Pod, we sit down with Austin Bold FC midfielder Sonny Guadarrama. Born and raised in Cedar Park, Guadarrama played 11 seasons in Mexico with Santos Laguna, Mérida, Atlante, Necaxa and Dorados before returning home in 2016. He tells stories of his battles with brother Willy in the "indoor facility" built by their dad, his feelings on the split in the Austin soccer community and his continued support for Austin FC, what it's like to play for Miguel Herrera and much, much more.

(P.S. Sorry about the audio levels. We're working on it!)

Music: "Molly" by Midcentury: http://www.midcenturyband.com/

Twitter: @AustinSoccerPod

Facebook: Austin's Soccer Pod

On the first episode of Austin's Soccer Pod, we talk with Austin FC Chairman and CEO Anthony Precourt. Topics include his team's MLS record-breaking season ticket deposit campaign, the search for a coach and general manager, recruiting Chicharito, favorite Austin hangouts, Matthew McConaughey, Gregg Berhalter, his interest in an NWSL franchise and more.

We also break down Austin Bold FC's 3-2 loss to the Houston Dynamo in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup, chat a little Women's World Cup and wish a happy Father's Day to our Soccer Dads.