A New Team
A New Opportunity
Words by Taylor Dutch Photos Courtesy of Austin Bold FC and Kris Tyrpak
As the first professional soccer team in the area, Austin Bold FC strives to create a connection with the local community.
In the club’s first season ever, Austin Bold FC is creating a bond with the city as well as each other. That tone is being set by head coach Marcelo Serrano, who has guided the team to a Number 4 standing out of 18 teams in the USL Championship – Western Conference, as of July 22.
That bond was evident in the game against in-state rivals San Antonio FC when the team played a video tribute for injured player Jorge Troncoso before winning the match 4 to 2.
For a moment, the game, the need for more goals, and the desire to beat the opposing squad was all put on hold. What mattered in that moment was making a fallen teammate feel lifted up, which echoes Serrano’s mission with this new squad.
“First, I want to bring good values to the game. It’s about the human being first, not just the player,” Coach Serrano says.
His players come from around the globe – Chile, Netherlands, France, and Saudi Arabia to name a few – to play the game for the first ever Austin-based team in the Division II sanctioned league of the U.S. Soccer Federation. In addition to an international contingent, the roster also includes standouts from the local community. For the players who grew up in the Austin area, being able to finally play for a team in their hometown is a dream realized.
Forward Kris Tyrpak, 26, a graduate of Dripping Springs High School, played for seven different teams around the country before landing in Austin. Cedar Park graduate, 31 year old Midfielder Sonny Guadarrama, spent a portion of his professional career playing for teams in Mexico. For both players, representing a club in their hometown was not an option until now.
“Every game that we play here has so much more meaning for me,” Sonny admits. “Every game, I want to go out and give the best version of myself.”
In addition to playing for Austin Bold, he also coaches three youth teams for the Lonestar Soccer Club. For Sonny, representing his hometown as a coach and a player has not only elevated his game, but it has also helped create an opportunity for local talent.
Coach Serrano found that talent almost immediately with 16-year-old forward Julian Gaines, a former Lonestar SC Academy star who signed with the Bold as his first professional team. After spending only a few months with his new teammates, Julian has felt that immediate connection.
“This is really a family. We’re a team, but we’re a family just as my mom and dad are to me,” smiles Julian. As an entirely new club in Austin, that family is providing a new opportunity for a soccer community that now has a hometown team to dream with and support.
“As a team and as an organization, we’re giving kids actual dreams of playing professional soccer, something tangible that they can see. Now since I see the same kids coming to the games over and over again, they are really falling in love with the game of soccer and that’s great,” explains Sonny. “You don’t have to go far anymore because you have an Austin team [now].”
With fans cheering and banging pots and pans to create a loud atmosphere in the stadium, the support showed up in full force in the match against San Antonio. In addition to the victory, the support was rewarded again when the Bold scored four goals, and everyone in the crowd was given a free pretzel from Easy Tiger.
Austin has a lot to cheer for in the Bold’s inaugural season. An impressive record of eight wins, seven losses, and five draws played in the Bold Stadium as of July 22 is just one reason to watch this new club blaze a trail on the Eastside.
Contact
austinboldfc.com
9201 Circuit of the Americas Blvd.
@austinboldfc
