Soccer

The All-Star One With Brad Stuver, Brandon Vázquez, and Andy Loughnane

Austin will host its first major league all-star game this month. Goalkeeper Brad Stuver talks about representing his squad at Q2 Stadium. Team president Andy Loughnane talks about what will be available for fans to do during MLS All-Star week and his brief career as a hockey referee. The team had to absorb some heavy news this week with striker Brandon Vázquez now out for the season due to a knee injury. In anticipation of his second All-Star game, he sat down with hosts Jimmy Maas and Juan Garcia before his injury. They chatted about his journey to the team, including many crossings of the border to train from his home in Southern California.

KUT Morning Newscast for March 24, 2025: An Austinite is suing the US Department of Education for removing access to income-driven repayment plans. 

Central Texas top stories for March 24, 2025. An Austinite is suing the U.S. Department of Education for removing access to income-driven repayment plans. Employees at the Travis County Public Defender’s Office will go before Commissioners this week to ask for higher pay, better benefits and more staffing. Voting rights advocates are celebrating a federal judge’s ruling to strike down Texas’ ID requirements for mail ballot voting. Austin FC jumped to second place in the Western Conference standings after beating San Diego FC 2-1. The Texas Women’s basketball team plays Illinois today at 1:00 p.m. for the chance to advance to the Sweet Sixteen of the NCAA tournament

Vamos Verde Season 2 Coming March 6

Austin FC fans became familiar with what to expect on game day over the past 4 years.  But after not making the playoffs in 2024, the team has undergone big changes.

Gone is  Josh Wolff, the only coach fans have ever known. Gone are Sebastián Driussi and Alex Ring, the only two captains Austin FC have ever had. Gone is Gyasi Zardes, one of MLS’ all-time leading scorers.

In their place, the team hired new coach Nico Estévez and invested heavily in new talent including a US Men’s National team member Brandon Vázquez, and MLS Champion Ilie Sánchez. In this season of Vamos Verde Jimmy and Juan will explore all of the new, what it means for Austin’s football club and the culture surrounding it,  and how it fits in with the rituals the fans have come to know and love since the team’s inception.

What we learned from new Uvalde school shooting records

The city of Uvalde releases a trove of records from the Robb Elementary school shooting after pressure from the media. What are we learning?
As tensions escalate in the Middle East with Israel anticipating a strike from Iran or its proxies within days, how could this affect Texas, its role in oil exports and prices? Matt Smith, energy analyst at Kpler has more.
Across the Permian Basin, the discovery of plugged oil wells breaking down and leaking.
All aboard? Amtrak set to restore Gulf Coast train service.
Plus, 41 Texans have picked up medals in the Olympics and U.S. women’s soccer brings home the gold after beating Brazil.

KUT Morning Newscast for July 31, 2024

Central Texas top stories for July 31, 2024. Travis County designated $300,00 to kickstart a pilot program to keep yards clean. UT researchers are using AI to forecast the weather during the Paris Olympic Games. Lockhart residents could vote on decriminalizing low-level marijuana. Austin FC beat CF Monterrey last night.  

KUT Morning Newscast for July 26, 2024

Central Texas top stories for July 26, 2024.  Central Health hopes to hire a few hundred more staff in the 2024-2025 fiscal year. Biden’s visit to Austin might cause traffic delays, plan accordingly. The Village at Western Oaks is getting 21 Little Free Libraries installed thanks to a city program. Austin FC will play against Mexican club Pumas at Q-2 Stadium tonight.

Austin to be hit as Tesla announces 14,000 layoffs

Are protest organizers responsible if a participant breaks the law? A court decision could have a chilling effect.
A new report on maternal health shows Black Texans are much more likely to die after giving birth than their white counterparts.
What layoffs at Tesla mean for jobs in Texas and the EV car market.
The Houston Dash celebrates a decade of women’s pro soccer. How the team and the league have grown over the years.
And: We’ll talk to comedian Jeff Hiller, who’s returning to his home state of Texas for the Moontower Comedy Festival.

KUT Morning Newscast for March 01, 2024

Central Texas top stories for March 01, 2024. Today is the last day for early voting. Smokehouse Creek fire update. Districts choose not to hire chaplains as counselors. Texas is extending postpartum Medicaid and CHIP coverage from two months to 12 months. Austin leaders are trying to make soccer accessible to more people across the city.

KUT Morning Newscast for February 29, 2024

Central Texas top stories for February 29, 2024. Early voting ends tomorrow. Smokehouse Creek fire. Austin ISD is updating its success scorecard. Austin is trying to improve access to local soccer pitches. The Georgetown Water Utility is upgrading its water metering system.

A New Hope: Austin FC’s season opener w/ goalie Brad Stuver and singer Mélat

Austin FC goalie Brad Stuver talks to hosts Jimmy Maas and Juan Garcia about his pre-game ritual, his favorite date night spot in Austin, and how he makes sure that what happens on the field stays on the field.

Austin musician Mélat explains what it’s like to sing the national anthem at the season kickoff game — she’s done it three times! Plus she explains how she manifested a professional soccer team for our city.

Juan tells you why Austin FC is paying tribute to the Armadillo World Headquarters on their new away jersey.

And Jeremiah Bentley and Landon Cotham from the Moontower Soccer podcast talk about off-season trades and signings.

What does the MLS referee lockout mean for the 2024 soccer season?

In a closely watched primary battle near the top of the statewide ballot, we’ll have more on the showdown between two Democrats with considerable name recognition hoping for a chance to take on Ted Cruz in the fall.
A question about Texas seceding from the U.S. was kept off the GOP primary ballot – but it was the closest the Texas Nationalist Movement has come to putting the so-called “Texit” up for a vote in its nearly two decades of trying.
Major League Soccer referees have been locked out ahead of the start of the 2024 season, after Professional Soccer Referees Association union members voted against a bargaining agreement.
And we’ll meet Jon Muq, a Texas-based artist bringing the sounds of his native Uganda to American music.

Trailer: ¡Vamos Verde!

¡Vamos Verde! is a podcast that looks at the intersection of Austin FC and the community that surrounds it. Hosts Jimmy Maas and Juan Garcia talk to players, staff, fans, musicians, and artists to bring you an inside look at the culture of Austin’s only professional sports team. 

The first episode comes out on Feb 29th, with episodes coming out every other Thursday through the end of the season.

¡Vamos Verde! is a production of KUT and KUTX Studios in collaboration with Austin FC.

Could Texas’ electric grid finally connect to other states?

A grand jury in Uvalde will consider possible charges over law enforcement’s failed response to the mass shooting at Robb Elementary.

An Air Force general who was stationed at Joint Base San Antonio-Randolph faces a court-martial over charges of sexually assaulting a subordinate.

The Texas power grid is famously separate from the rest of the country – but a plan has been quietly moving forward to connect it to a grid operating in the southeastern U.S.

And: Shipping lanes are shifting routes amid attacks in the Red Sea. What are the ripple effects in Texas?

What are the most haunted places in Texas?

With the U.S. House of Representatives still without a leader, two Texans drop out of the race for the speakership. What happens next?

The White House is launching a new program for Ecuadorians who are trying to migrate to the U.S. We’ll have details on the change is and why it’s happening.

Miles and miles of Texas are usually traversed by car – but one writer says the train is the ultimate way to go.

Also, with Halloween on the horizon, we have the backstory on some of the spookiest places to visit in Texas.

Del Rio’s William Beckmann fuses youthful energy and timeless soul in country music

A body was found in a buoy barrier in the Rio Grande, prompting harsh criticism of Texas’ border strategy.

Four years after the mass shooting at a Walmart in El Paso, people at the scene that day who are eligible for immigrant visas are still waiting.

The end of the pandemic emergency – and the end of pandemic relief funds – could mean a cut in childcare options in Texas. We’ll hear why.

A women’s soccer champion-turned Texas collegiate soccer coach weighs in on the U.S.’ prospects as the World Cup moves into the knockout rounds.

Plus the rise of songwriter William Beckmann, a Del Rio native.

DPS whistleblower says troops at border have ‘inhumane’ policies toward migrants

A new report says Texas troopers were told to push back migrants and deny water amid soaring temperatures.

How a redistricting case from Alabama could have ripple effects on Texas’ Galveston County and beyond.

A Sriracha shortage is putting the squeeze on people who love the red sauce, and some Texas restaurants are getting inventive.

How the writers’ and actors’ strikes in Hollywood could play out close to home.

And a reconsideration of the baseball team that won it all in 2017 but was accused of stealing signs: A talk with the author of “Astros and Asterisks.”

Abilene volunteers serve Ukrainian refugees through soccer

KUT Morning Newscast for July 10, 2023

Central Texas top stories for July 10, 2023. Heat advisory returns for Central Texas. A new challenger for Ted Cruz’s senate seat. Cooling centers open across Austin. Public safety commission meets.

KUT Morning Newscast for June 22, 2023

Central Texas top stories for June 22, 2023. Austin Energy power outages. Central Texas storms. Austin FC wins over Dallas. University of Texas mental health care expansion.