Austin FC is finalizing a deal to host the 2025 Major League Soccer All-Star Game at Q2 Stadium next summer, sources have told ESPN.

The 2019 expansion team is in advanced talks with MLS and nearing the completion of all relevant legal contracts. The opponent for the game is yet to be determined.

The Columbus Crew are hosting the 2024 edition of the All-Star Game at Lower.com Field, as the MLS All Stars face the best of Liga MX on July 24.

Last year, the MLS All Stars lost 5-0 to Premier League side Arsenal.

Austin first joined the league in 2019, when commissioner Don Garber announced the Texas team would become the 27th side to play in MLS. Groundbreaking for Q2 Stadium, the 20,000-seat, soccer-specific stadium funded by the investor-operator of the club Precourt Sports Ventures, happened later that same year.

"This is a very proud moment, and we are so happy to share it with the people of Austin, City leadership, the dedicated soccer fans of the region, and everyone who believed in our mission to bring Major League Soccer to this incredible community," said Precourt at the time.

"The greatest way we can show our gratitude is in our actions as leaders of Austin FC. Our intent is to build a team that will be a perennial contender for MLS Cup, to build a stadium at McKalla Place that rivals the best sporting venues in North America, and to cultivate a club culture that brings people together and always gives back."

Austin then made their league debut two years later, losing 2-0 to LAFC at Banc of California Stadium on April 17, 2021. The team concluded the inaugural season with 31 points in 34 games and finished in 12th place.

Off the field, the team managed to make a huge impact. Austin FC has since sold out 53 MLS regular season and playoff home matches in its first three years, and holds the league's longest-active sellout streak with an average attendance of 20,738, according to the club.

Source:
courtesy of ESPN

by Lizzy Becherano

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