Austin FC fans turn out in force for MLS opener vs. LAFC

Austin FC may have to wait until June 19 for their first home game at their new state-of-the-art Q2 Stadium, but that didn't prevent their legions of supporters making their presence felt for the club's first-ever MLS game at LAFC on Saturday.

At a watch party at the Long Center in Austin, many of the club's fans showed up to offer their team support, many brining drums to add to the sense of the occasion as the expansion club prepared to make their debut.

The fan support wasn't limited to the city of Austin, though. A number of Austin fans were spotted in Los Angeles and at the Banc of California Stadium as LAFC welcomed back a limited capacity for the first time since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. A message of support was seen in the skies above the Banc, too, with a banner urging on Austin's players as they prepared to take the field for the first time.

Despite MLS' 27th club only entering their first season, Austin's supporters have already made waves. The club's season ticket waitlist stands at an incredible 15,000. And of course they have celebrity fan, co-owner and minister of culture Matthew McConaughey in their corner.