Austin FC Manager Josh Wolff joined Soccer Matters with Glenn Davis (ep. 44, around the 20 min. mark) on KTXX-FM “The Horn” 104.9 FM. Among the topics of conversation were the current operations during the current MLS moratorium as the club continues to prepare for their inaugural season in 2021.
Wolff had a fifteen year playing career with the Chicago Fire, Kansas City Wizards and D.C. United in Major League Soccer and in the 2. Bundesliga with 1860 Munich. He was part of the 1998 MLS Cup championship team and raised the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup on three separate occasions.
In his time with the U.S. Men’s National Team, Wolff scored nine goals and was part of the 2002 and 2005 Concacaf Gold Cup winning squads.
Connectivity to the City of Austin
“I think, first and foremost, for us it’s about trying to build out a staff that’s knowledgeable about the game and knowledgeable about Austin itself. Knowing [Austin FC Owner Anthony Precourt] and [Austin FC President Andy Loughnane] and having a relationship to them in the past, their interests and their objectives coming into the market have been just that – to build a good team but also one that’s very understanding of Austin, the needs of the Austenites, and what makes this community very unique and thirsty for the game.
… in order for this team to have success, it’s going to be driven by the community and our ability to reach our fanbase and drive that fanbase.”
A typical day for Josh Wolff
“My normal day: I take Spanish lessons via the computer, Zoom and whatnot, from eight to nine. I’ll do that a few times a week and I meet with our director of scouting.
My day-to-day, mostly, right now revolves around scouting and watching players and discussing players, certain types of players that we want. The difficulty now is that leagues around the world are shut down but it does give us an ability to continue to document and identify players. A lot of my time is that and then, we’ll have leadership meetings with our front office – with Andy and [Technical Director Claudio Reyna] – and go over directional things for the stadium, the training center”
Construction progress of Austin FC Stadium at McKalla Place
“It’s impressive. I would drive by that stadium every morning going to work and you can see they would be working through the night. It was amazing to see, each day, the growth that it would have.
It’s just astounding how quickly it comes out of the ground and, certainly, how monumental it is in that area. Going to be a great stadium in a great city. Great spot, located near The Domain. Expect a packed house. Obviously, season deposits are insane – over 40,000. I’m very committed in making that environment as healthy, racaus and enjoyable as possible.”
