American Soccer has been a traditionally fluxing industry, you had the explosion of popularity (and subsequent recession) in the late ‘60s, you had the Women’s successful World Cup campaign in 1999 that made Mia Hamm a celebrity, as well as this year’s near-championship that made a lot of young boys fall in love with Hope Solo, and of course, there’s the men’s national team whose presence has been felt as a regular in World Cup competition, their 2002 quarterfinal appearance reinvigorating the MLS as a whole. As of this writing, soccer in America is about as steadfastly relevant as it’s ever been - to the point of Fox televising English Premiership matches and the Portland Timbers evolving into one of the most successful franchises in all of U.S. sports. People are watching the MLS, kids are investing personal heroes in Landon Donovan and Clint Dempsey, and it seems as if the American population has begun to consider the sport as something of a consistent topic, and not a seasonal diversion. All things considered, now would be a perfect time for an MLS team to start up in Austin. Here are some specific reasons why. more ›

Our Hot Real Estate Listings column is pretty much dead, but we still cruise the MLS on occasion and this beauty popped up as the most expensive listing in central Austin right now (beating out 3 Niles Road, which has been for sale for a while). It is the Allen-Von Boeckmann Building, a historical structure dating from around 1874 (the listing says 1869, but 1874 is pretty clearly carved into the cornice), at 811 Congress... more ›

Happy Holidays! Chances are, you're reading this the day after Christmas, back at your day job after all-too-short a holiday, and the last thing you want from us is stuff about the holidays. But that's just too bad. Because, see, here in the Ist-A-Verse, we do things ahead of time. It might be December 26 for you, but that's what you get for not checking your Favorite Local Blog on Christmas Eve. Austinist is... more ›

Fútbol in the United States has had its share of peaks and valleys. From the heyday of the North American Soccer League (NASL) to the quarter final run of the national team in the 2002 FIFA World Cup , there have been quite a few success stories in a country that is supposedly averse to the sport. Austin, too, has had its share of hits and misses. The Austin Lone Stars, Austin Lightning, and the... more ›

It's not exactly Ronaldo, Zidane and Totti, but it is some of the best soccer the States has to offer, as the MLS comes to the Austin area tomorrow night. The MLS Austin Cup will feature our neighbors to the east, Houston 1836, versus Real Salt Lake (undoubtedly the two worst major league sports franchise names in the country). more ›