Brad Stuver Talks MLS All-Star Game in Austin and What It Means for the Community
Austin FC's goalkeeper chats with TRIBEZA about playing in the Major League Soccer All-Star Game at Q2 Stadium on July 23
As the first top-division professional sports team in the city, Austin Football Club, founded in 2018, has come to represent the city’s rapid growth into a vibrant hub for not just music and culture, but sports as well. Now, four years after Austin FC’s first Major League Soccer season, Austin will host the Major League Soccer All-Star Game at our very own Q2 Stadium, with the first match taking place on July 23.
Twenty-six of the best players from MLS will head off against players from Mexico’s top professional football league, Liga MX. Austin FC’s own Brad Stuver, an Ohio-born goalkeeper who joined the club in 2021, was selected to represent the league in the game. Stuver sat down with TRIBEZA to discuss the upcoming game and what it means for Austin’s future soccer scene and beyond.
This is the first time the MLS All-Star Game will be hosted in Austin. Why is this important for our city?
Brad Stuver: It’s a big deal because there’s only one all-star game per year for our soccer players, and it’s going to bring the best talent from across our league into one place. With that, it gets to showcase Austin’s hospitality, our local restaurants, our culture and all of these different things. For those players across the league, those players coming in from Mexico and everybody else that comes in for the All-Star, they get to see why we love Austin so much.
Why do you think Austin was chosen to host the game this year?
Brad Stuver: Since we arrived in the league in 2021, Austin has shown the dedication that we have to the club culture and the support that we have from the community. We had the longest active sellout streak in the league for a while. Our fan base, the culture that we have here and the community grabbed the attention of the league and showcased that this would be a good spot for the All-Star Game. I’m excited to see all that work culminate in the week of All-Star so that everybody can experience what we experience on a weekly basis.
How are players selected to play in the MLS All-Star Game, and what does it mean to you to have been chosen to do this?
Brad Stuver: The way it works is 12 players are fan-voted, and 12 are selected by the coach or the league. And then two are selected by the commissioner of MLS, so 26 players total. Being an All-Star is a dream for all players. Individual accolades are something that you hope for because they validate the work that you put in and show that you’re being seen for the performances that you’re putting on the field. For me, to be able to represent Austin when the All-Star game is here in Austin means so much more because I get to experience everything in my hometown. I get to experience it with my fans, friends and family that will be here. So it makes it extra special.
You’ve played for a lot of different cities and crowds. What makes Austin’s soccer fans stand out to you?
Brad Stuver: My favorite thing is that the stadium atmosphere is different. There are other stadiums that are loud, and there are other stadiums that are hostile environments, but the uniqueness of our supporter chants and the game day experience is very tailored to Austin. Everything is based on something that’s in Austin. You have the Violet Crown, you have chants that are about the 512 or the Cinco-Uno-Dos, where when you go see other teams, you hear the same generic chants over and over again. But when you come here, all of our chants are being sung about Austin by Austinites. That’s kind of something that I latched onto pretty early, and I think is super unique.
What do you hope fans from other cities will learn when they come here?
Brad Stuver: They’re going to learn that it’s going to be really, really hot. It’s going to be the middle of July. Anybody who comes and watches is going to get to witness that culture and that hospitality that I was talking about—how close-knit this community is and how welcoming and friendly people can be. That’s going to be on full display.
Would you say the community is your favorite thing about Austin?
Brad Stuver: I definitely think that’s my favorite part. Growing up in the Midwest, we learn pretty early that community is everything… So when we moved here, we felt that sense of home right away. For us, we were welcomed right away by everybody in the city, and five years later, we love that we get to call this place home.
What would you recommend a visiting player or a fan do in Austin?
Brad Stuver: My wife and I always love trying different coffee shops and going to local bookstores. So we pop around the city doing that. I know other people love the outdoors—a lot of (other players) go down to Barton Springs or Lady Bird Lake all the time… There’s plenty for people to do.
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