Why Austin, Texas Has Quickly become a Special Place for the USMNT
The USA is undefeated at Q2 Stadium and set to return Oct. 10 vs. Ecuador
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Q2 Stadium opened its doors less than five years ago, and in a short time it’s quickly become a special place for the U.S. Men’s National Team. The USMNT is undefeated in Austin, Texas through six games — all of them shutouts.
The National Team competes in venues across the world, but Austin is one of five cities in the country where the USMNT is unbeaten after at least five games played. AT&T Stadium, up the I-35 in Arlington, Texas holds the longest streak with seven. Both were recent stops in the 2025 Concacaf Gold Cup where the United States made a run to the final.
The Americans return to the home of the Austin FC on Oct. 10 to face World Cup-qualified Ecuador presented by AT&T at 8:30 p.m. ET in the build-up to the 2026 FIFA tournament next summer. This will be the second friendly, while the other five matches have been tournament games, including the Concacaf Gold Cup and Nations League as well as FIFA World Cup Qualifiers. The first friendly was head coach Mauricio Pochettino’s first game — and win — in October 2024.
It wasn’t too long ago when the USMNT last took the field in the Texas capital. The USA took down Saudi Arabia 1-0 in a group stage match of the Gold Cup this past June. Defender Chris Richards earned Man of the Match honors as he scored his second international goal and made a key tackle to prevent a Saudi Arabia potential scoring opportunity.
The six matches at Q2 have been electric. Three of the outings have been sellouts with a total average attendance of more than 18,000. The USMNT has given fans a lot to cheer for in Austin with 14 goals scored and none allowed.
Striker Ricardo Pepi and forward Jesús Ferreira have accounted for eight of those goals, scoring four each. The forwards have deep ties to Texas as Pepi grew up in El Paso and Ferreira spent formative years in Dallas, and both came up through the FC Dallas Academy. Ferreira totaled that amount in one match in June 2022 against Grenada in the Nations League opener. The impressive four-goal match tied a USMNT record that only five players have touched.
The United States will look to continue that winning legacy and go 7-0 in Austin. A victory over Ecuador would extend its win streak versus the CONMEBOL side to four, which would be the longest current streak against a South American opponent.