It's Time to Decide Austin FC's Nickname

What’s in a (nick)name? Superfluous marketing tool or unifying motif? Here in the States, brand-defining monikers, usually wildlife or occupation themed, are often baked into the official names of professional sports teams at birth.

That’s not the case in the “world’s game.” Now, you might have noticed the titles of some of the globe’s biggest soccer clubs – Real Madrid, Manchester United, Juventus, Guadalajara – and assumed that soccer just doesn’t do nicknames. But any supporter of those clubs will tell you that Los Merengues, the Red Devils, the Old Lady, and Chivas are each fundamental to those teams’ identities. The difference? Those epithets were not created in a boardroom, but in the stands.

When the league and Anthony Precourt’s ownership group unveiled Austin’s MLS club as simply Austin FC in 2019, they handed ATX fans a tailor-made opportunity to crowdsource and rally behind a nickname of their choosing. Since then, several candidates have emerged, but none has risen above the rest.

Let’s change that.

Below are the eight Austin FC nicknames the Chronicle has heard most frequently, separated into two categories: Color and Crest. (Note: Three potential candidates were not considered due to their close association with Austin FC supporters’ groups: Los Verdes, The Grackles [Los Zanates], and Oak Army.) This week, fans can vote at austinchronicle.com/austin-fc to select their favorite option from each category, or write in a different option all together. In next week’s “Verde Report” column, the two category winners will match up in a final head-to-head vote, where the more popular name will be officially declared (by us) Austin FC’s unofficial nickname.