Latest / Kidcast Daily / Ep118: Austin FC

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Ep118: Austin FC · Kidcast Daily

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  Welcome to Kid Cast Daily, where we bring news, trivia, fun
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  facts, and more just for curious kids like you.
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  Today we're going on a soccer adventure to learn all about
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  Austin FCA, Super cool soccer team from the lively city of
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  Austin, TX. Whether you love soccer or just
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  getting into the game or are simply curious about teams,
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  you're going to love discovering what makes Austin FC special.
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  Let's kick things off with a big question, What is Austin FC?
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  Well, Austin FC is a professional soccer team.
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  That means they play in Major League Soccer, or MLS for short,
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  which is the top Soccer League in the United States and Canada.
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  Think of the MLS as a giant playground where the best soccer
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  teams from all over North America come together to play
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  matches and try to win trophies. Now imagine you and your friends
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  starting a brand new soccer team at school.
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  You'd need a name, uniforms, a place to play, and of course,
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  lots of practice. That's what happened with Austin
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  FC, but on a much bigger scale. Austin FC was officially
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  announced as a brand new team in 2018, and they played their very
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  first season in 2021. That makes them one of the
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  newest teams in the entire league.
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  It's like being the new kid at school.
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  Exciting, a little nervous, and full of possibilities.
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  Austin FC has a cool nickname, the Verde, and black Verde is
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  the Spanish word for green, and it's the main color of their
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  uniforms. When you see Austin FC on the
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  field, you'll notice their jerseys are a bright, leafy
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  green with black stripes. It's like running through a
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  field of grass, or maybe even like a bunch of speedy lizards.
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  Starting around, their team colors are inspired by the
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  natural beauty of Austin, which is famous for its trees, parks,
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  and green spaces. Speaking of trees, did you know
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  that Austin FC's logo features a big, bold oak tree?
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  Oaks are strong, sturdy, and can live for hundreds of years.
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  The tree in the logo stands for strength and Unity, showing that
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  the team is deeply rooted in the city of Austin.
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  The tree has 11 branches and 11 roots, representing the 11
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  players on a soccer team. It's a reminder that every
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  player is important, just like every branch and every root
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  helps the tree grow tall and strong.
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  Now, where do all these soccer adventures happen?
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  Austin FC plays their home games at a stadium called Q2 Stadium.
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  This stadium is located in North Austin and can hold over 20,000
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  fans. Imagine a giant bowl filled with
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  cheering fans waving green scarves and singing songs.
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  Q2 Stadium is famous for being super loud and energetic.
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  The fans are called the Verde and they're known for creating a
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  sea of green in the stands. Some fans even bring big drums
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  and flags, making every game feel like a giant soccer party.
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  Let's talk about the players. Just like your school soccer
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  team, Austin FC has a group of talented players who come from
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  all over the world. Some grew up playing soccer in
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  Texas, while others traveled from far away places like
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  Argentina, Paraguay, or even Africa and Europe.
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  Each player brings their own special skills to the team.
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  For example, some are super fast runners, others are excellent at
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  passing, and some are great at defending the goal.
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  The players work together, just like teammates in any sport, to
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  try to score goals and stop their opponents.
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  Of course, every team needs a leader.
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  For Austin FC, that's the head coach.
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  The coach helps decide which players will play, what
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  strategies to use and how to improve during practice.
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  The coach is like the captain of a ship, steering the team toward
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  victory. Here's a fun fact.
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  The very first goal in Austin FC's history was scored by a
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  player named Diego Fagandez. Imagine being the first person
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  ever to score for your team. That's a moment Diego and Austin
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  FC fans will never forget. Since then, other players have
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  become fan favorites, like Sebastian Drusi, who is known
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  for his awesome dribbling and scoring skills.
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  Now, you might be wondering, how does Austin FC fit into the city
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  of Austin? Well, the team is a big part of
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  the community. Austin is known for its amazing
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  music, delicious food, and friendly people.
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  Austin FC brings everyone together, whether you're a
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  lifelong soccer fan or just learning the rules.
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  The team hosts special events, supports local charities, and
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  even visit schools to teach kids about teamwork and healthy
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  living. It's like having a big green
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  family that cheers for each other on and off the field.
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  Did you know that Austin is sometimes called the Live Music
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  Capital of the World? That's because there are more
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  live music venues per person in Austin than almost anywhere
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  else. Austin FC celebrates this by
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  inviting local musicians to play at their games.
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  So when you go to a match, you don't just get to watch soccer,
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  you also get to enjoy awesome music and tasty snacks from food
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  trucks. Here's another cool fact.
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  Austin FC's mascot is named Verde the Tree.
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  Verde is a big, friendly green tree who loves to dance, wave to
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  fans, and make everyone smile. Mascots are important because
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  they help get the crowd excited and cheer on the team.
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  Some kids even get to meet Verdi and take pictures together.
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  Now, let's talk a little about how soccer works.
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  Just in case you're new to the game.
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  Soccer is played with two teams of 11 players each.
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  The goal is to kick the ball into the other team's net to
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  score points called goals. The team with the most goals at
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  the end of the match wins. Players aren't allowed to use
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  their hands, except for the goalie, who can use their hands
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  to stop the ball from going into the net.
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  Matches are usually 90 minutes long with a break in the middle
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  called halftime. Austin FC's matches are full of
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  action, excitement and surprises.
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  Sometimes they win, sometimes they lose, but they always play
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  with heart and never give up. That's what makes sports so much
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  fun. You never know what will happen
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  next. Let's take a quick look at some
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  of the cool traditions that Austin FC fans have.
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  One of the most famous is something called La Mirga de
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  Austin. This is a special supporters
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  band that plays music and leads chance during games.
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  Picture a marching band with trumpets, drums and lots of
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  energy making everyone in the stadium want to sing and dance.
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  The band helps keep the spirits high even if the team is behind
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  in the score. Another tradition is the Y'all
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  Means All banner. This big sign is displayed at
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  games to show that everyone is welcome at Austin FC, no matter
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  where you're from or what you look like.
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  It's like saying we're all in this together.
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  Did you know that Austin FC was the very first professional
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  sports team in Austin? Before Austin FC, the city
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  didn't have any teams in the big national leagues.
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  So when Austin FC arrived, it was a huge deal.
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  Fans were so excited to finally have a team to cheer for.
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  Now you'll see people all over Austin wearing green jerseys,
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  hats and scarves to show their team spirit.
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  Austin FC also cares a lot about the environment.
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  They try to make their stadium as green as possible, not just
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  in color, but by being eco friendly.
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  They use solar panels to get some of their energy from the
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  sun, recycle lots of materials, and even have special water
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  systems to help save and reuse rainwater.
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  It's like turning their stadium into a superhero for the planet.
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  If you ever get the chance to visit an Austin FC game, you'll
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  notice how everyone comes together to have fun.
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  There are families, groups of friends, and people from all
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  different backgrounds. Some people paint their faces
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  green, others wear funny hats, and everyone shouts Vamos Verde,
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  which means let's go green in Spanish.
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  Let's do a quick recap of what we learned today.
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  Austin FC is a professional soccer team from Austin, TX,
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  playing in Major League Soccer since 2021.
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  Their colors are green and black, inspired by Austin's
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  beautiful nature, and their logo features a strong oak tree.
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  Austin FC plays home games at Q2 Stadium, where fans create a sea
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  of green and cheer loudly for their team.
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  The team's mascot is Verde the Tree, and their fans are known
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  as the Verde. Austin FC is all about
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  community, music, fun, and making everyone feel welcome.
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  They care about the environment, using green energy, and
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  recycling at their stadium. And most importantly, Austin FC
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  is a team that brings people together to celebrate soccer and
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  friendship. Thanks for joining us on Kid
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  Cast Daily to learn all about Austin FC.
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  Remember, whether you're playing soccer with friends or cheering
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  for your favorite team, what matters most is having fun,
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  working together, and showing good sportsmanship.
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  Who knows, maybe one day you'll be out on the field scoring
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  goals and making memories just like the players of Austin FC.
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  Stay curious, keep exploring, and we'll see you next time on
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  Kid Cast Daily.