AUSTIN (Talk1370.com) -- Austin FC will make its historic debut as Major League Soccer's 27th club on the road in Los Angeles in April, club officials announced Wednesday, ahead of an expected home opener in June.
The club will open its 2021 MLS campaign on the road against LAFC at Banc of California Stadium in Los Angeles on Saturday, April 17. The match will be televised to a national audience on FOX at 4:30 p.m. Austin time.
Meanwhile, the club's home opener at Q2 Stadium has been set for June 19, against the San Jose Earthquakes. That match will also be nationally televised on UniMás.
A third matchup announced on Wednesday - the club's first-ever regionally televised match - will take place on April 24, when Austin FC travels to face the Colorado Rapids.
"Our players and staff are excited to begin the journey to represent all of Austin, and today’s initial release of dates allows us to begin making plans for the earliest portion of our regular season schedule while circling June 19 for our historic home opener at Q2 Stadium," Claudio Reyna, Austin FC’s Sporting Director, said in a statement. "April 17 will represent a new chapter in Austin history, and preparations for our inaugural season are officially under way."
The club is one of 13 teams in MLS’ Western Conference, and all three of the opponents announced Wednesday are Western Conference foes. The Club’s first-ever opponent, LAFC, features the 2019 Landon Donovan MLS MVP and 2019 MLS Golden Boot winner, Carlos Vela, and 2020 MLS Golden Boot and 2020 Young Player of the Year, Diego Rossi.
Austin FC will play 34 regular season matches in 2021. Additional information on the rest of the schedule is expected to be released at a later date, with capacity information for the home opener at Q2 Stadium set to be released in May.