Austin Bold FC

"USL Austin" redirects here. Not to be confused with the USL clubs Austin Aztex FC (2008), or Austin Aztex (2015).

Austin Bold FC was an American professional soccer team located in Austin, Texas. Founded in 2017, the team made its debut in the USL Championship in 2019.^[1][2][3] In 2021, Austin Bold FC announced it would be moving to Fort Worth, Texas leaving Circuit of the Americas at the end of the season but may have to wait until 2023, depending on the construction of their stadium.^[4] As of August 2024,^[update] the team remains inactive.

Austin Bold FC

Full name	Austin Bold Football Club
Founded	August 9, 2017; 7 years ago (2017-08-09)
Stadium	Bold Stadium
Capacity	5,000
Chairman	Bobby Epstein
Head coach	Ryan Thompson
League	USL Championship
2021	6th, Mountain Division 9th, Western Conference Playoffs: DNQ
Website	https://www.austinboldfc.com/
Home colors Away colors

Stadium

The club played at Bold Stadium on the grounds of the Circuit of the Americas race track, located between the amphitheater and the grand plaza.^[5] The first goal in the stadium was scored by Kleber Giacomazzi in a 1–0 win against San Antonio FC on March 30, 2019.^[6]

Ownership

Bobby Epstein, chairman of the Circuit of the Americas, has led the ownership group after becoming majority owner in 2017. He became involved in a public relations battle with Anthony Precourt, the primary owner of Austin FC, who had been sanctioned by Major League Soccer to create a franchise in Austin after selling his stake in the Columbus Crew amid controversy. Epstein was criticized for his tactics, including hiring petition campaigners who are accused of lying to the public.^[7][8][9]

In December 2021, a new ownership group was approved by the USL. The new ownership group consists of Donnie Nelson, Neil Leibman, and Epstein. The team did not participate in the 2022 USL Championship as it sought relocation to another city in Texas.^[10]

Sponsorship

Period	Kit Manufacturer	Shirt Sponsor
2019–2020	BLK	Ascension Seton[11]
2021	Puma

Players and staff

Roster

As of September 15, 2021^[12]

No.	Pos.	Player	Nation

Staff

As of September 4, 2021^[13]

• Rick Abbott – acting general manager
• Brandon Brock - Director, Ticket Sales
• Catherine Ryland – team administrator
• Marcelo Serrano - sporting director
• Ryan Thompson – head coach
• Vacant – assistant coach
• Michael Alcaraz – goalkeeper coach
• Ally Furey – head athletic trainer
• Sarah Khalifa – assistant athletic trainer / assistant performance coach

Team records

Year-by-year

As of December 20, 2022

Season	USL Championship								Play-offs	U.S. Open Cup	Top scorer 1		Head coach
	P	W	L	D	GF	GA	Pts	Pos			Player	Goals
2019	34	13	12	9	53	52	48	8th, Western	Conference quarterfinals	4th Round	André Lima	14	Marcelo Serrano
2020	16	5	4	7	30	27	22	3rd, Western Group D	Did not qualify	Cancelled	Billy Forbes	7	Marcelo Serrano
2021	32	10	10	12	32	42	42	6th, Mountain	Did not qualify	Cancelled	Xavier Báez	6	Ryan Thompson

^ 1. Top scorer includes statistics from league matches only.

Head coaches

• Includes USL regular season, USL playoffs, U.S. Open Cup. Excludes friendlies.

Coach	Nationality	Start	End	Games	Win	Loss	Draw	Win %
Marcelo Augusto Silva Serrano	Brazil	August 3, 2018	September 4, 2021	75	27	24	24	036.00
Ryan Thompson	Jamaica	September 4, 2021	present	12	4	4	4	033.33

Average attendance

Year	Reg. season	Playoffs
2019	2,395[14]	2,656[15]
2020[lower-alpha 1]	2496[16]	DNQ
2021	957[17]	DNQ

1. Due to COVID-19, attendance at games was restricted

Honors

Minor

• Copa Tejas (Division 2)
  • Winners (1): 2019

References

1. "USL Announces Return to Austin in 2019". USL Soccer. Retrieved August 9, 2017.
2. "Austin pro soccer franchise will roll in 2019 in 5,000-seat COTA venue". Mystatesman.com. Archived from the original on June 30, 2018. Retrieved August 9, 2017.
3. "Austin Bold FC Hosts Official Launch". USL Soccer. Retrieved August 3, 2018.
4. Partian, Claire (October 26, 2021). "REPORT: Austin Bold FC to relocate to Fort Worth, citing Austin FC's success". austonia.com. Archived from the original on June 14, 2022. Retrieved November 4, 2021.
5. Bils, Chris. "Austin Bold FC breaks ground on stadium, signs former Liga MX midfielder". Austin American-Statesman.
6. Clynch, Shawn (March 30, 2019). "Austin Bold FC claims 1st win of the season in 1st ever home match". KVUE. Austin, Texas. Retrieved March 23, 2024.
7. "Austin PAC Under Fire for Transphobic Comments, Racist Campaign Ad". Spectrum Local News. Retrieved November 13, 2018.
8. "Austin PAC says they mistakenly used 'racist' frog in ad against Adler". FOX 7 Austin. Retrieved November 13, 2018.
9. "Caught on Video: Petitioners giving misinformation about MLS stadium deal". FOX 7 Austin. Retrieved November 13, 2018.
10. "Texas-Based Ownership Group Purchases Austin Bold FC". USL Championship. Retrieved December 12, 2021.
11. "Austin Bold FC Unveils Inaugural Jersey and Announces Partnership with Ascension Seton". Austin Bold FC. March 5, 2019. Retrieved April 8, 2019.
12. "Austin Bold FC Roster". Austin Bold FC. Retrieved August 23, 2021.
13. "Austin Bold FC Staff". Austin Bold FC. Retrieved August 29, 2022.
14. "2019 USL Championship Attendance". SoccerStadiumDigest.com. Soccer Stadium Digest. October 20, 2019. Retrieved March 23, 2024.
15. "Austin Bold FC - LA Galaxy II". USLChampionship.com. USL Championship. October 29, 2019. Retrieved March 23, 2024.
16. "Austin Bold FC - New Mexico United". USLChampionship.com. USL Championship. March 7, 2024. Retrieved March 23, 2024.
17. "2021 USL Championship Attendance". SoccerStadiumDigest.com. Soccer Stadium Digest. Retrieved March 23, 2024.

External links

• Official website