Soccer Watch

View from the north end line, facing the concert stage and scoreboard (Photos by John Anderson)

Austin FC hosted a media tour of their McKalla Place stadium Tuesday, showing off the new grass pitch that's just been installed, along with the rest of the construction, which remains on schedule for a March opening despite the pandemic handicap. No one's willing to hazard a guess as to exactly when that first game will be; this year's MLS season started Feb. 29, but the 2021 start date will almost certainly be later; the league may not set a schedule until after the first of the year.

See photo gallery for more images from the under-construction stadium.

View from the upper deck on the east sideline. To the right is the glass-fronted beer hall, plus the store and club spaces. The soaring canopy is almost entirely supported by the four tall corner pillars.

Meanwhile, happy birthday to Gio Reyna, who will likely earn his first appearance for the U.S. men's national team today, as they take on Wales one day before his 18th birthday on Friday, Nov. 13. But the 17-year-old son of AFC sporting director and former USMNT captain Claudio Reyna may not be the youngest American on the pitch in Swansea today; fellow 17-year-old Yunus Musah is expected to make his USMNT debut as well. The future certainly looks bright for this newest generation of U.S. soccer talent. USA-Wales is at 1:45pm Thursday, Nov. 12, followed by USA-Panama at 1:45pm Monday, Nov. 16, in Austria; both on FS1 and UniMás.