Soccer

The Voice

Some Austin FC fans noticed something interesting when watching Mexico play in the World Cup. The stadium announcer at Estadio Azteca, the largest stadium in Latin America, sounded a lot like the stadium announcer at Q2 stadium during Austin FC games. That’s because they are the same guy: Jeremiah Gallegos. From boxing to basketball, softball to soccer, Gallegos has two decades of stadium announcements under his belt. He sits down with host Juan Diego Garcia to discuss his career so far and how he got chosen for a once-in-a-lifetime gig.

Later, Juan and co-host Jimmy Maas reminisce about the 1986 World Cup with Ruben Pizarro, the Spanish language voice of Los Texas Longhorns.

¡Vamos Verde! is a listener-supported production of KUT & KUTX Studios in Austin, Texas. You can help make this podcast happen by donating at supportthispodcast.org.

Sandy Creek residents remember lives lost to 2025 flood

School’s out for the summer, but when Austin ISD students return in the fall, they’ll be navigating some big changes in how they get to school. KUT’s education reporter Greta Díaz González Vázquez will help get us up to speed.

It’s been one year since deadly floods tore through the Texas Hill Country. Residents of the Sandy Creek neighborhood in Travis County are honoring the neighbors they lost.

The FIFA World Cup is in full swing. KUT’s Jimmy Maas joins us to talk about tonight’s match between the U.S. and Belgium — which has suddenly gotten a lot more interesting.

Plus a Few Headlines mentions in the show today:

Austin Signal is made possible by listeners like you. You can support our work by making a donation at supportthispodcast.org

A year after deadly floods, what has changed?

In the year since the Hill Country floods, how much has changed, and what hasn’t?
A communication breakdown was heavily blamed for the large loss of life during last year’s floods. Neena Satija of The Texas Newsroom tells us about signs of change along the banks of the Guadalupe. Plus, a closer look at a less-talked-about site of the disaster, where the response has been far more limited.
After calling for more regulatory oversight of data centers, Gov. Greg Abbott appears to ratchet up a clampdown on continued expansion.
The first-ever GOP midterm convention happening in Texas.
Plus, a World Cup update.

Austin ISD postpones districtwide boundary changes

The Austin school district is postponing most of its school boundary realignment changes for an additional year. It’s not the first time the district has tried realigning attendance zones, and it’s not the first time the plan has been pushed back.

As we approach one year since deadly floods ravaged the Texas Hill Country, the podcast “After the Flood” is telling the stories of the people impacted most. Episode 2 explores why the Hill Country is so vulnerable to flooding.

Canada and Mexico have won their first knockout games of this year’s World Cup. Now the United States has the chance to do the same. We hear from former U.S Men’s National Team player Gyasi Zardes.

And: another tale from the Accent Unmuted storytelling event.

Austin Signal is made possible by listeners like you. You can support our work by making a donation at supportthispodcast.org

What to make of new Supreme Court decisions on immigration and status

As the nation awaits some politically charged decisions from the Supreme Court, some new opinions were handed down yesterday with profound implications for immigration. We’ll discuss the decisions concerning asylum and Temporary Protected Status.
Venezuelans in Texas hope to help people back home affected by this week’s devastating back-to-back earthquakes.
This week in Texas politics looks at new polling data in the closely watched U.S. Senate race between State Rep. James Talarico and Attorney General Ken Paxton in Texas.
Plus, a World Cup update.

What you need to know about fire ants

Some hospitals are still denying miscarriage care despite a state law that’s supposed to prevent that. What an Austin-area woman having a miscarriage went through when she tried to get care.

Austin voters will decide this fall if they want an outside auditor to check the city’s books. But some city officials say that could be problematic.

What you need to know about those pesky fire ants in Central Texas.

We’re in the final stages of group competition as the knockout phase of this year’s World Cup starts this weekend. More from one of the hosts of KUT’s “Vamos Verde” podcast.

Austin Signal is made possible by listeners like you. You can support our work by making a donation at supportthispodcast.org

What the World Cup has revealed so far

With a U.S. Senate contest stealing the political spotlight, where do we stand in the races for the two top spots in Texas politics? A check-in on the governor’s and lieutenant governor’s races.
An unannounced feature in smart glasses could reveal the identities of people without their knowledge. Is this the future of personal networking, surveillance, or something else? Omar Gallaga tells us about it.
Also, we’ll get up to speed on the World Cup in Texas.
And what does it take to create social change in a Texas city with a conservative reputation? The new book “The Dallas Way” looks at the tactics and compromises behind a decades-long fight for LGBTQ rights.

Texas Extra: When the World Comes to Texas Episode 5

While football might mean something different here in the U.S. (and Texas specifically), it means something much different around the world. And it has so much merch attached to it as well: everything from jerseys, hats and giant banners called tifos. In this episode, Ron and Miranda sit down with Tom Boyce, owner of London Calling and Crossbar Soccer and Beer to talk about bringing soccer culture from across the pond. They also speak with Jason Rosales Sanchez, Christian Lazalde and Braulio Morales, founders of Tifo Market to talk about their soccer kit swap business.

Corpus Christi’s water fight meets cryptomining

The Strait of Hormuz is set to reopen after months of conflict between the U.S. and Iran. We’ll look at what it could mean for Texas drivers and gas prices.
As Corpus Christi faces potential water cuts, questions are mounting over a nearby crypto mine’s water consumption. Why are city officials withholding updated records?
With the FIFA World Cup underway, Houston is welcoming fans with a new way to get to the matches. A look at what it could mean for the city’s future beyond the tournament.
Plus, from giant boomboxes to Texas toast, Dallas sculptor Ken Womack has made a name for himself creating larger-than-life works of art. We’ll talk with him about his journey from advertising executive to artist.

State regulators weigh new uses for fracking wastewater

Texas regulators are moving closer to allowing treated wastewater from oil and gas drilling operations to be reused on farmland and other sites outside the energy industry. Some fear the proposal is getting ahead of the science.

Texas Republicans signaled their priorities at their convention in Houston, with Gov. Greg Abbott outlining his vision for another term.

The Spurs’ hopes for a championship came to an end with a Game 5 loss to the New York Knicks — but it’s still a big win for San Antonio.

One Texas school district near is eliminating librarian positions and replacing them with hourly paraprofessional staff as part of a cost-saving effort.

Gov. Abbott calls for new oversight on Texas data centers

Sunset for the days of Texas as the wild west of AI? A closer look at the Gov. Greg Abbott’s new plan for greater oversight of the rapidly expanding landscape of data centers statewide.
Day one of the World Cup — do the numbers add up? A closer look at projections about the economic impact here in Texas.
Also, the great dot cake debate goes viral online. What is a dot cake you ask? We ask Tacos of Texas host Mando Rayo, who has some choice words about a dessert that’s divided the internet.

The World Cup

The FIFA World Cup kicks off today, hosted by three countries for the first time in the tournament’s history. The biggest world cup yet, the tournament expanded from 32 to 48 teams for this year’s edition.

Hosts Juan Diego Garcia and Jimmy Maas share their predictions for how the biggest World Cup yet will play out, and they enlist the help of commentator and soccer sage Adrian Healey to separate the contenders from the also-rans.

¡Vamos Verde! is a listener-supported production of KUT & KUTX Studios in Austin, Texas. You can help make this podcast happen by donating at supportthispodcast.org.

Another small peach crop frustrates Hill Country growers

New World screwworm is affecting a part of South Texas currently vacant a member of Congress. Some say that should spur a quick special election.
UT researchers believe they’ve figured out who has been scrambling GPS signals across huge swaths of Europe in recent years. We’ll find out about their discovery and what it might mean.
The World Cup means lots of fans descending upon Texas cities. Environmental scientists will be studying their impact in real-time.
A new film invites all Texans to participate in the ecological recovery of the Guadalupe River after devastating flooding. Filmmaker Ben Masters joins us to talk about “Hope for the Guadalupe.”
And it may be a bit harder to get your hands on a Fredericksburg peach this year. Why that may be a growing trend.

Texas Extra: When the World Comes to Texas Episode 4

When the World Comes Comes to Texas is a podcast from our partners at KERA in North Texas exploring what it means to bring the World cup to the Lone Star State. We’re sharing these episodes with very Tuesday night through June 16th.

Episode 4: Take It to the Streets

We’ve talked about the professional side of soccer, but the sport is much more than elite athletes running around on the pitch in front of millions of fans. There’s also a strong and thriving street soccer culture that contributes to its immense popularity all over the globe. Hugo Gonzalez is the founder and co-owner of Dallas Street Soccer, and he sat down with Ron and Miranda to talk about how street soccer makes the sport more accessible and also how street soccer can bring people together across culture and language barriers.

Big Bend border wall plans upend vital park changes

Supreme Court cases on birthright citizenship, gun rights, transgender women and girls in sports… Where do we stand? Constitutional law professor Seth Chandler of the University of Houston Law Center joins us with what cases to watch for and where the high court appears to be leaning as the nine justices wrap up the current term.
More cases of New World screwworm in Texas discovered: How the Lone Star State is scaling up for all-out war on a parasite that could wreck the ranching industry.
And whither the pristine Big Bend amidst controversy over a border wall? A firsthand account.

Texas Extra: When the World Comes to Texas Episode 3

When the World Comes Comes to Texas is a podcast from our partners at KERA in North Texas exploring what it means to bring the World cup to the Lone Star State. We’re sharing these episodes with very Tuesday night through June 16th.

Episode 3: Gooooooooaaaaaaaaaal!

Sports commentary can be one of the most essential parts of the experience of a game, whether you’re watching it on television or listening to the play-by-play on the radio. But what does that experience feel like when you’re blind? Elliott Stockdale is the founder of Hear Sport, an organization that provides audio descriptive sports commentary for people who are blind or have low vision. He sat down with Ron and Miranda to talk about how this kind of commentary is different than what you might traditionally hear, and how low vision and blind people can enjoy the games.

Ch-Ch-Changes

Jimmy Maas and Juan Diego Garcia discuss the departures of head coach Nico Estévez and sporting director Rodolfo Borrell with two local journalists. Eric Goodman has covered Austin FC for the Austin Chronicle since season one. While Jessica Luther has been a season ticket holder for all six seasons. Hear their reactions as the team plots a way forward during the two-month World Cup break.

¡Vamos Verde! is a listener-supported production of KUT & KUTX Studios in Austin, Texas. You can help make this podcast happen by donating at supportthispodcast.org.

Texas Extra: When the World Comes to Texas Episode 2

Episode 2: Raising Pro Players

Did you know that one of the world’s most premier soccer clubs happens to be in North Texas? The FC Dallas Youth Academy was founded in 2005 by the Hunt Family, and it has gone on to produce some of the world’s most elite soccer players. Chris Hayden is the vice president and director for the FC Dallas Youth Academy, and he sat down with Ron and Miranda to talk about the history of the academy and how North Texas’s unique sports culture makes it the perfect environment for training elite athletes.

Texas Extra: When the World Comes to Texas Episode 1

When the World Comes Comes to Texas is a podcast from our partners at KERA in North Texas exploring what it means to bring the World cup to the Lone Star State. We’re sharing these episodes with very Tuesday night through June 16th.

Episode 1: Creating a new American Pastime
This isn’t the first time the U.S. has hosted the biggest sporting event in the world. The World Cup came to the country in 1994, and it was then and there that Michael Hitchcock discovered a love for the sport of soccer. Now, Hitch works as a soccer management executive, and he sat down with Ron and Miranda to talk about how soccer went from being a neglected sport to one of major status in the country.

Mama Duke Show

Mama Duke is a rapper-singer-multi-hyphenate-artist who’s performed around Austin for more than a decade. In 2025 she charmed her way into the hearts of the audience and the judges on NBC’s America’s Got Talent, making her way to finals. Mama Duke collaborates often with Austin FC, recording a hype song and video, and hosting the All-Star Game and U.S. Open Cup pregame festivites in the stadium. She talks with Jimmy Maas and Juan Diego Garcia about her journey on the show with Scary Spice (Mel B.) and Simon Cowell, her relationship with the Verde and Black, and fulfillment as a performer in spaces that aren’t always welcoming.

¡Vamos Verde! is a listener-supported production of KUT & KUTX Studios in Austin, Texas. You can help make this podcast happen by donating at supportthispodcast.org.