It’s impossible to overstate the value of a good home. It’s one of life’s core essentials, having a safe, comfortable place to hang your hat at the end of a hard day.
Austin FC is fortunate to have a very good home in Q2 Stadium, where fans turn out by the thousands, regardless of the weather, to support their club, regardless of its recent form. As a result, even in a wretched season which has already seen major turnover in the club’s leadership, Austin FC maintains a perfectly respectable record of 4W-2D-2L at home.
Unfortunately, as important as home is, a good chunk of life still takes place away from it. And that has been Austin FC’s struggle in 2026. A 1-0 loss to the Colorado Rapids at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park over the weekend lowered ATXFC’s road record to a laughable 0W-3D-7L in 10 tries. Austin is the only club in MLS still searching for its first road win.
“Tonight was not progress. We didn’t make steps in the right direction in terms of how we want to play,” interim coach Davy Arnaud said following the loss in Colorado, in which the Rapids dominated possession (60% to 40%), shots (21 to 9), and expected goals (3.0 to 0.7). “We can’t shy away from that. It wasn’t good enough.”
Things are looking rather bleak in MLS land for the Verde and Black, who sit just one spot off the bottom of the Western Conference table, outside the playoff picture by seven points. So it may be good timing that regular season play goes on pause (again, but more briefly this time) for Phase One of the annual Leagues Cup competition. This will be Austin FC’s third go-round in the polarizing tournament that pits MLS clubs against Liga MX opposition. And the best part? All three of Austin’s Phase One matches are at Q2 Stadium.
“It’s a perfect chance for us to attack a completely different element of our season,” ATX defender Brendan Hines-Ike said. “Leagues Cup is a beast of its own… All three games at home, there’s no need to be conservative, you know? This is a chance for us to put our stamp back on the Leagues Cup.”
Only the top four finishers among MLS teams will qualify for the knockout stage, which is a tall order regardless of the opposition. It just so happens that Austin FC has one of the toughest draws in the competition to contend with.
First, the Verde and Black host Tijuana Thursday night at 8pm CT. That means the ATX midfield will have to contend with 17-year-old phenom Gilberto Mora in the No. 10 position. Mora was recently the youngest player at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, and reportedly has a Penelope-esque number of European big club suitors after his talents. Mora is also plenty familiar with Q2 Stadium after lighting up MLS All-Star weekend a year ago.
Following that, ATXFC takes on Puebla Sunday night. On paper, this is Austin’s best chance at three points, as Puebla finished with the worst combined record of any Liga MX team across the 2025-26 season.
That leaves the Phase One finale on Thursday, August 13, when ATXFC takes on the giants of Liga MX, Club América. América is historically the most popular and most successful club in Mexico with a record 16 Liga MX and 7 CONCACAF Champions Cup titles. This will mark América’s first match against Austin FC but its third trip to Q2 Stadium, after friendlies against domestic rivals Monterrey in 2022 and Tigres UANL in 2023. Both times, yellow jerseys dominated the stands, meaning Austin FC’s home field advantage will likely be somewhat muted that evening.
For more Austin FC news and analysis, visit The Austin Chronicle’s Austin FC hub. Sign up for The Verde Report newsletter to get the latest news delivered straight to your inbox, and follow The Verde Report columnist Eric Goodman on X: @goodman.
This article appears in August 7 • 2026.
