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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.
The full transcript of this episode of ¡Vamos Verde! is available on the KUT & KUTX Studio website. The transcript is also available as subtitles or captions on some podcast apps.
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Jimmy Maas [00:00:37] Welcome back to ¡Vamos Verde!, I’m Jimmy Maas. And I’m Juan Garcia. And a terrible and good week for Austin FC. Emphasis probably feels a little bit more on terrible, but we did set out to have a celebratory episode with the All-Star Game coming up for Austin and the team.
Juan Garcia [00:00:57] Is you know sometimes these these things happen they do professional sports these guys are pushing their bodies beyond the limits of where they can and sometimes you end up on a pitch that isn’t very good to play on and that could lead to injuries but you’d expect it out of a turf pitch not a natural grass pitch like paypal park
Jimmy Maas [00:01:18] What we’re speaking of specifically is our guests today, all three of them were here to discuss the All-Star match and in preparation for the All Star game coming up on July 23rd. So we had Brandon Vasquez, we talked to him before the US Open Cup match in San Jose, and unfortunately, he has injured his anterior cruciate ligament and Um, he is out for the rest of the season. Recovery is up to the individual and I would not look for him to be playing, um, like his old self for at least a year.
Juan Garcia [00:01:59] That’s the nature of the ACL. And I mean, at one point it would have been a career ending injury. Thankfully, this only knocks him out for at least this season. And I wish him the best in his recovery. I wish them the best and that surgery. It’s a situation that I can’t imagine being in. Me being a professional speaker, if all of a sudden I lost my voice for an extended period of time, that would be.
Jimmy Maas [00:02:26] There are still things to celebrate. Brad Stuver, Austin’s other All-Star team member, had a lights-out game against San Jose.
Juan Garcia [00:02:35] All. Star. Quality.
Jimmy Maas [00:02:37] It would be a career highlight reel if it he didn’t already have like a handful of those type of games already and He does that so much that you kind of forget about them after time like over time
Juan Garcia [00:02:49] I’ve heard his all-star nod being called the Brad Stover lifetime achievement award, and I think it’s because every season he has four or five games like this, and the rest of the time he’s just really solid. The games where the defense does their thing and he barely has to touch the ball, awesome. But there are quite a few games every year where, if not for Brad Stovar, it would be an absolute slaughter.
Jimmy Maas [00:03:15] And this was one of those games. And it’s interesting how San Jose continues to, San Jose and Austin most of the time end in ties. What is it about that? It’s like there’s a curse. Last minute heroics. It is a fascinating. Sometimes both. And I don’t know if anybody within the fan group considers this to be a rival per se, but they are very evenly matched and there’s lot of drama at the end of most of their matches.
Juan Garcia [00:03:41] Think it’d be a rivalry with the way the, the game kind of played out. It felt like they were particularly aggressive with one another. It felt they were really kind of, like there was something personal there. It almost felt like you were watching a match against Houston, a match against Dallas, where there’s like a true rivalry there, but.
Jimmy Maas [00:04:03] Battle of the microchips from the 1990s. Silicon Hills versus Silicon Valley. Silicon Gulch. Are we Hills or are we Gulch? We were both. Growth Machine. We got everything.
Juan Garcia [00:04:16] Wherever you get podcast.
Jimmy Maas [00:04:17] Check out the history of Austin’s growth and the importance of the silicon chip industry to it on Growth Machine, available wherever you get your podcasts. Back to soccer though.
Juan Garcia [00:04:30] Hey!
Jimmy Maas [00:04:30] I’m on that one, so please go go download, please. I’m not. But back to soccer specifically. Upside of all of this, after the brilliant penalty shootout performance from Brad Stuber. They’re advancing to the semifinal. They have a chance for real silverware for the first time since 2022, where they stand exactly the same place. They are two wins away from a trophy, a major trophy for a major league soccer team.
Juan Garcia [00:05:02] Did anyone expect that to be the case at the start of the year?
Jimmy Maas [00:05:05] And with the win in this tournament, you get a placement in CONCACAF Champions, you get other things that bonuses for players, you get all these things that winners get. These are things that you’re playing for you’re trying to win tournaments in the end. And whether that tournament is probably most preferred the MLS Cup, but another tournament wins still a tournament win, they’ll take a cup.
Juan Garcia [00:05:28] There’s no two ways about it. Silver, silver.
Jimmy Maas [00:05:34] So back to the business at hand, we are still going to talk about the All-Star Game and all of that. And we are going to, in some ways, pretend like Brandon Vasquez is still going. Stay tuned for Brandon Vaschez, hear about his journey to Austin. We are also gonna talk with team president, Andy Locknane, about the things that you can do surrounding the events related to the All Star Game. And, but first, the most frequent guest on ¡Vamos Verde! and He has never said no, good times are bad, sat down with us again, this time in very good times for him, first all-star game nomination, all-nomination?
Juan Garcia [00:06:17] First all-star game.
Jimmy Maas [00:06:20] Sure. Team Nate, do you get a patch?
Juan Garcia [00:06:24] You should get a pad.
Jimmy Maas [00:06:24] Yeah, seriously, like on your MLS letter jacket, do you get a patch or something? You should. Yeah. Well, whatever this is, this is his first, and many fans of Austin felt like it’s long deserved. He has been a staple for the team from the very, very beginning. He leads the team in appearances, and I don’t care at this point if it’s a career achievement award. It’s well-deserved, especially after Tuesday.
Juan Garcia [00:06:51] Long overdue.
Jimmy Maas [00:06:52] Uh, here he is your all star, number one in your program, Brad Stupor. So Bradley, can we call you Bradley? Yeah. Is this something that, uh, you say, how’s your summer of soccer going? Summer of soccer. Yeah. It’s the summer of.
Brad Stuver [00:07:10] Yeah, I mean, it’s going pretty well. June, we got two wins. Name to the All-Star team. It was a pretty good June.
Jimmy Maas [00:07:16] Yeah, that’s pretty good. That’s a pretty good individual honor. Yeah. Um, do you feel like this is something that has been, um, a long time coming?
Brad Stuver [00:07:26] Uh, I mean, I’ve felt in years past that, uh, I had performances in like seasons where I probably deserve to be there and just wasn’t selected. So, uh I was very grateful, very excited that this year that I get to represent Austin and very happy that, um, Nico and the club, uh supported and validated what I did in the first half of the year. So excited to be sharing this moment with Brandon and It’s gonna be a fun time in Austin.
Jimmy Maas [00:07:57] We were talking about this a week ago or so, but how like the All-Star team for MLS, like a lot of other sports, you get two sides. So like a hundred football players make the All Star game, 60 some odd baseball players make. This is almost like an All-Pro, like first 11 for the league.
Juan Garcia [00:08:17] Exclusive.
Brad Stuver [00:08:18] Yeah, I mean, it’s definitely used to do like the East versus West. So you had more. But now that we’re going up against either European teams or more recently, the Liga and Mecchi teams, like the player pool for MLS is lower. So it’s more difficult to get in. So definitely an honor.
Juan Garcia [00:08:38] You talked about in the press conference after you were announced that you’re happy not to be taking shots from some of the all-stars, fellow MLS all-stars, but do you feel any type of way about the Mexican all- stars that are going to be gunning for your head?
Brad Stuver [00:08:56] I mean, we’ve played enough of them during, like, Leeds Cup, international friendlies, just keeping up with their lead that it’s definitely not going to be a walk in the park, that’s for sure. But it would be cool to go up against some new opponents, but also to play with some new teammates and that I’m so used to battling it out with on a…
Juan Garcia [00:09:19] Speaking of teammates, you know, you are basically colleagues with other Major League Soccer players on other teams. Does it feel special to you to be on the same team as someone like Leonel Messi, someone who has that sort of global profile, or is it just another day, another game, another teammate you’ve had plenty?
Brad Stuver [00:09:44] I mean, it definitely, with someone that has his caliber of recognition throughout the world, it definitely brings a lot more eyes and it brings like a lot more feelings, I guess. For me though, we’re all professional soccer players in MLS and for us, it’s just about showing up and playing the All-Star game together and doing what we can. And we were all selected by fans, coaching vote or commissioner. So for me, I’m trying not to. Think too much about it but I have had plenty of text messages from friends back home making sure that I get a picture or signature or something because I mean we all know what he’s done for the sport and what he’s done for the league so little starstruck maybe Just a little maybe we’ll see. We’ll see what happens.
Jimmy Maas [00:10:34] Um, when you, um, when you go over, I don’t know, when you look back on your career, um. This is something you’ve been, I don’t want wanting for a minute. Um, maybe there are three, four more after this, who knows? Um, but let’s well, we’ll hope for the best. You never know. Yeah, exactly. Um, but, uh, when, where will all star game, you know, where will that, uh be in your like list of accomplishments through
Brad Stuver [00:11:05] I mean, I think it’ll be up there, but it’s more of an individual accomplishment and it’s not the most important thing that I’m after. When you look back on a career, you look on championships, you back on trophies. Like, yeah, it’s amazing to say that you made the All-Star game and it means that you were performing at a level that you deserve to be there as an individual. But when I look back on my career, I want to know, like… I hope to have trophies, I hope to have championships because that means that the team that I played for won championships and we brought trophies back to the cities that we played in. So for me, those are vastly more important.
Jimmy Maas [00:11:47] Um, in some ways you get an individual honor every week, kind of getting the nod over other people on your team. Um, so when you are, um, when you’re at, you know, when, you get, you’ve been given another one, how do you, um. Uh, I don’t know. You’re, you’re been, you’re used to someone relying upon you, um, to go out there and I don’t know, protect the goal. Um. There’s not a lot of defense in all-star games typically. How much will you be, how much chirping might you be doing at your own, your fellow MLSers out there?
Brad Stuver [00:12:30] Probably not very much. I know I know the guys that have been selected I’ve known them throughout the years and I understand that in all-star games you want to see goals you want to See attacking play you want to see something that’s exciting so I’m going to do my very best to make sure that I don’t get scored on for the time that I’m in there but there’s no promises and I’m not gonna be the goalkeeper that’s screaming his head off at his defenders when they’re trying to make sure that they and score on the opposite side, but… I mean, the goal is to win for us as MLS. Like our goal is to go out and beat Ligia Mechis. Like that’s just kind of what this rivalry has turned into with like Leeds Cup and All-Star and just kind of the competition between the two. And it translates over into U.S. Men’s national team versus Mexican national team. So there’s always that little bit of, that little of pride and that little competition as well.
Juan Garcia [00:13:23] So you’re saying we’re not going to see Angry Stu much on the pitch.
Brad Stuver [00:13:29] No promises, but I don’t plan on it. Let’s just put it that way.
Jimmy Maas [00:13:33] This season, this is a lovely reward in the middle. How would you characterize the season so far? Where do you see the team headed? How did reality meet your expectations to this point?
Brad Stuver [00:13:47] Uh, being in a playoff spot is perfect. I think what we set out to do at the beginning of the year was to be in playoffs at the end of the air, whether that’s one or nine, we wanted to be a play off team. First half of the, I think we fell short of what we expected just because there were some results that probably we should have done better with. And we know that, um, but coming into the second part of the year to have two wins and to have a loss away from home in Seattle. It’s a good start. And there are things that we learned from those games and from the first half of the year, but for us, it’s about capitalizing on the home games that we have. For the final 14 games, we have seven at home, seven away. So in the reality of things, we know that we need to capitalize on those home games and try and steal some points away from home.
Jimmy Maas [00:14:35] Life away from the pitch. How’s that going? How’s the charity work?
Brad Stuver [00:14:43] I mean, the Texas legislative session just ended, about to have another special, so work is busy, charity work is busy. But all good things. Have a laundry project coming up in July right around All-Star, have some other events from the Brad and Ashley Stewart Foundation coming up July and August. So good things happening.
Jimmy Maas [00:15:05] Another SB in your future, a nomination SB number.
Brad Stuver [00:15:09] Who knows? That’s up to the comms department.
Jimmy Maas [00:15:12] Those are nice when you get them, but…
Brad Stuver [00:15:13] Yeah, they’re nice, but it’s not what you do it for.
Juan Garcia [00:15:16] How would an SB rank versus now your first all-star selection after a career of trying to make it to this level and be recognized for the work you’re doing on the pitch?
Brad Stuver [00:15:29] I feel like an SB4 humanitarian would be above All-Star, just because that’s work that we’re doing off the field and that has like real world experiences and real world effects on the communities that we live in. All-star is great, but that’s just a personal accolade for me on the field that doesn’t really change much outside of the soccer line. So anything that revolves around our work in the community, that’ll be above anything that I do in soccer.
Juan Garcia [00:15:59] India, the Austin community is pretty excited that you got this, this recognition. Uh, have you heard from folks back in Columbus have, uh, past teammates maybe reached out to you and said, Hey, well done. We knew you could do it kind of thing.
Brad Stuver [00:16:10] Yeah, I’ve gotten a lot of messages from past teammates, past coaches, past fans in New York, past fans and Columbus. I even had the coach from Wilmington when I went on loan reach out. So it’s been cool to hear from people that I’ve crossed paths with over the last 13 years. So it just, it brings a lot of happiness to me that there are people that are still following my journey, still keeping up with like how things are going. Uh, it, it means a lot that, uh, people are willing to like reach out and congratulate.
Jimmy Maas [00:16:44] You’ve sat down with us quite a bit. We do these questions for my kids’ soccer team. It’s summer, we’re kind of between seasons, so technically these questions are actually just for my kid, but this is a pretty good one and I think you are most informed and you’re most able to answer this question.
Olivia [00:17:00] Hi, my name is Olivia, I was on the LASA soccer team, and my question is, which one, which interviewer do you like better, Jimmy Maas or Juan — whatever his last name is?
Juan Garcia [00:17:14] I know who lives favorite is that’s just rude You know, I’m gonna lean into it. Like just next time I’m on air. I’m just Kwon. Whatever his name is, whatever his last name
Brad Stuver [00:17:23] I feel like that could become a moniker that you keep forever. Oh, no doubt. Just like in every introduction. I’ll acronym it. It is Juan, whatever my last name is.
Jimmy Maas [00:17:31] That’s a tough question. Yeah, it is. I’m sorry that, but we’re going to have to have a response.
Brad Stuver [00:17:35] It’s a pointed question.
Jimmy Maas [00:17:37] Um, and it’s okay with both of us can take it. There can only be one goalkeeper.
Brad Stuver [00:17:43] I’ll say this is gonna throw someone under the bus, but it’ll be Gwen Hernandez for her lack of knowledge of where to hold a microphone.
Juan Garcia [00:17:56] I love how you spared our feelings while actively-
Brad Stuver [00:18:00] I said someone is going to get thrown under the bus, but you just didn’t know who it was going to be.
Jimmy Maas [00:18:06] Well, he really dodged that question about who he likes more. I don’t really, I kind of wanted closure on that. And I think, I mean, I didn’t really think about it one way or the other until the question was asked. And now I just wonder.
Juan Garcia [00:18:25] Has he squeezed your dead cat?
Jimmy Maas [00:18:28] He has he has not squeezed my dead cat most of the time my dead cat is about two feet away from him stuck on a
Juan Garcia [00:18:38] dead cat holder. That’s all you need to know Jimmy. Yeah. He hasn’t squeezed yours, he’s definitely squeezed mine. Wow.
Jimmy Maas [00:18:47] For point of reference, dead cats are the things that we use to cover a microphone so that you get less plosives or wind noise or other things. Fancy wind.
Juan Garcia [00:18:56] Screen that looks like a cat’s tail and it has a very fat cat’s tail and if it has a very morbid name and just like the obesity on within the industry called a dead cat.
Jimmy Maas [00:19:09] Has squeezed your dead cat.
Juan Garcia [00:19:12] That tells you all you need to know.
Jimmy Maas [00:19:13] All right, well, we’ll be back with team president Andy Loughnane after this.
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Juan Garcia [00:20:18] Welcome back to ¡Vamos Verde!. I’m Juan, whatever his last name is, and Jimmy, you got to talk to Austin FC President Andy Lochnane, but I’m curious, what does a team president do?
Jimmy Maas [00:20:34] Alaskan, watch here. You are the team president of Austin FC. What exactly is that?
Andy Loughnane [00:20:43] Well, I think for the sake of all of the fans who are listening to this podcast and anybody who has a rooting interest in Austin FC, I just need to tell you, the first thing it isn’t is overseeing soccer operations. That’s what Roto handles. So my job, so hopefully that’s of relief, Jimmy. I can see it in your eyes. I didn’t leave you speechless there. I don’t know.
Jimmy Maas [00:21:05] I don’t know, you might have some insights that other people don’t.
Andy Loughnane [00:21:08] Well, there’s certainly cooperation between the two and maybe that’s, um, time well spent for another pod. But the, um. The answer to your question is I have the good fortune of overseeing the business operation. So that’s everything from selling sponsorships to selling tickets to marketing to managing our facilities, which includes the stadium, the training facility, real estate, there you go transactions and armor field. I don’t know. Yeah. And, and, and under your umbrella. Correct, and thankfully I have a large number of people who are subject matter experts inside of that that help assist run the team. But yeah, and I’ve had the good fortune of doing it since the inception of the club, and I think it’s the best job in the city, and I probably am a little biased, but I’m feeling very fortunate to be in this position.
Jimmy Maas [00:22:01] Correct me if I’m wrong, but I believe you come from hockey, working in a club, in a hockey club. Were you a hockey player before this? Was sports even on the radar? How did this become a thing for you?
Andy Loughnane [00:22:13] When I was growing up, I had a pretty strong desire. When I’m talking like as a kid, I kind of wanted to work in hockey. That was the thing. And I’m talkin’ like, you know, probably less than 10 years old. I grew up in Chicago. So I knew I wanted to work in hockey or in sports, but I, yeah. So I happened to grow up playin’ a lot of sports. Soccer was one of them, but competitively, hockey was the one that I seemed to do okay at. Yeah. And. Ultimately, yeah, my first job out of college was working for the Detroit Red Wings. And for those who are not initiated in the NHL, it’s kind of an original team, they call them original six team. It’s a big one. In the first two years I was there, the Red WINGS won Stanley Cup Championship. So imagine that right out of College, you go to work for a team and we were championship caliber team. Did you get staff rings? I have two Stanley Cup rings. Yeah, I don’t wear jewelry. Did you drink out of the cup? I have, I’ve had the cup in my car alone. I drove it from point A to point B with nobody. How many selfies? There’s a lot, and they’re all on photograph paper. This predates, this was in the mid-90s, mid-late 90s, this predates everything being on your cell phone. But with that said, I then I had a chance to be a part of a winning team and in this industry, I kind of think that the three things that you want, at least this is my point of view, the three things you kind of want to accomplish in this industry are being part of the championship team, opening a new venue like a stadium or an arena and launching a new team. And I was able to, in short order, have that championship. Itch scratch with the Red Wings and then I got to launch the NHL team in Columbus, the Blue Jackets and this was back in 2000 and so that was kind of two and three. Typically when you launch a new team you get the new team in the stadium or the arena together. And that was the start and the end of my hockey because I got out of the business and we’ll cut this short, I have not been in hockey since 2000. Sure. And I… Absolutely have fallen head over heels in love with soccer. And that really started when I became the president of the team in Columbus in 2014. So when you, how many things
Jimmy Maas [00:24:47] in your day-to-day, I guess I could, this seems apples-to apples to me, but maybe it isn’t. How many things are basically similar to running a hockey team to run in a soccer franchise?
Andy Loughnane [00:24:59] It’s a great question and there are a ton of similarities the the most glaring difference in my mind apart from number of games But number of Games is you know, certainly a big difference right in in the NHL NBA environment. You’re talking about 41 Regular season dates so 82 overall compared to 17 and 34 overall. So that’s a pretty big difference The bigger difference I think is the multiple competitions. So in soccer, right we have regular season we have our playoffs and that’s what most of the other leagues in North America operate on but our sport in particular we and you now see other sports copycatting it but we operate with other competitions so we’ve got our US Open Cup competition we have now leagues cup as a new competition that we can be in and then a half champions cup that could lead to world. Club World Cup. I mean these are all incredible layers of opportunity on both the business and the soccer and of course on the fan side That to me is a huge point of differentiation between our sport and the other sports
Jimmy Maas [00:26:04] Now the stadium, assuming that’s under your purview.
Andy Loughnane It is part of the world.
Jimmy Maas It will be on display in a few weeks here. Talk about the process of how long ago did you know you were gonna get the All-Star game or did you find out with the rest of us? I don’t know how this works in the league. How do they decide these things?
Andy Loughnane [00:26:27] So when we had our, you know, had our charter created, one of the things that we wanted, you know within the first 10 years, Super Bowl was to, that would be, that would interesting. It would. Intimate night. I have to admit, I hadn’t thought about Super Bowl hosting yet. Intimate Night with the NFS. But yeah, we were hopeful that within the first ten years, we would have the opportunity to host. I don’t think. You know, I don’t think I saw it coming to be totally fair inside of five years. And I’m like, you know, again, I think that’s a reflection of everything that the Austin soccer community in the Austin community has been able to produce in the way of an incredible atmosphere, incredible stadium. So I think, you know, this was always part of the vision. It’s probably happened faster than I thought it would happen. As to when we found out, well, we have to raise our hand and actively try to you know, win the process. So there’s bids that are due. I legitimately do not know the other teams in cities that were actively competing for the 2025 MLS All-Star game. I suspect it was a competitive set. In the back of my brain, I knew we wanted to try to do something soon. And the question was, you know just how quickly we’d get it. And I wasn’t convinced that we were gonna get it in 2020-25. But um Yeah, so we put in a competitive bid. The state of Texas, irrespective of MLS, the state of texas is extraordinarily competitive as it comes to competing for events. The state has set up a very strong program for events to, whether it’s the Super Bowl as you referenced, or World Cup as you reference, or the NBA All-Star game, Major League Baseball All-star game. MLS All-Star game. It has been set up in a way that creates incentive layers for those leagues and those events to strongly consider Texas over going to another 49 state, the other 49 states. And so we have, again, good fortune in that our state is very pro big event. But did you see Alaska’s bid?
Jimmy Maas [00:28:43] It was amazing, it was a bear that just came out of nowhere.
Andy Loughnane [00:28:47] Yeah, that would have been tough competition.
Jimmy Maas [00:28:50] I have to admit so when you get the bit there’s more than just the game There’s a skills challenge. There’s other stuff happening Surrounding this event are all of these ticketed is anything free as you know What are some of the things someone might be able to go do if they can’t actually go to the game?
Andy Loughnane [00:29:06] Great question. So on the Saturday and Sunday leading up to the event, the league will be putting on what they call soccer celebration. Think of it as Fan Fest. It’s at Auditorium Shores. It’s in the evening, certainly designed to try to identify some of the cooler hours of the day. Then, as you mentioned, there is a really cool event. It’s MLS skills and that’s at q2 stadium. That’s on tuesday night. So the night before the all-star game at eight o’clock skills competition comes in. Just think of this as kind of like the home run derby event equivalent for baseball, except there’s a number of different types of skills that are showcased, whereas baseball just kind of focuses on the home-run derby. Other leagues do this. MLS has done this for several years running. This is a great event. I would argue there’s, there’s a lot of showmanship and. Skills showing off. It’s definitely worth time. I have had a lot of fun at this event over the last few years. So the way the setup is, it’s MLS All-Stars against the Liga MX All-Star. So it’s a really cool competition and it kind of kickstarts the week in terms of the on-field stuff. Any of those skills that you think?
Jimmy Maas [00:30:24] I’m okay if I mean if there’s a spikes up slide tackle. I’m good. Like I’m gonna can we do that?
Andy Loughnane [00:30:31] You know, they don’t, I don’t think they measure, they measure aptitude on, on, uh, tackles, um, probably for good reason players and players, agents may have difficulty accepting that during an all star window. I think if, if anything, I’d be good at goalie wars. I can, I can throw a ball and I can catch a ball. And I can you know, I mean I’m taller. So I think maybe that’d be the one that I’d go for. Was that your natural position back in the day? They’d stick me in goal. I I’m just not skilled with my feet. Okay, so I’m being candid. Sure old school old school goal. Yeah But the big event is the all-star game on Wednesday, July 23rd Also at 8 p.m. At q2 stadium and this is where the city will get to host its first ever Major League all-Star game. It’s a huge milestone for the city and obviously a big accomplishment for the stadium and the community
Jimmy Maas [00:31:27] We do questions from my kids soccer team on this show and since we’re between seasons today It’s just gonna be questions for my kid, but this is a pretty good one for you. I think Um, I think this is gonna leave me speechless. I’m concerned. I don’t know. This is gonna be good
Olivia[00:31:42] Hi, my name is Olivia Maas and I was on the LAWSA soccer team and my question is, before you became president, what was your very first job and how did that lead you to where you are today?
Andy Loughnane [00:32:02] Okay, Jimmy my are we talking like job when I was like, you know pre high school or are we talking first job like out of you know out of college? I think you interpret it how you like.
Jimmy Maas [00:32:12] All right, because some of these things, so different seeds.
Andy Loughnane [00:32:15] I’d rather I’d, rather talk about my job when I was a kid. I was, a ref, not a hockey ref. Um, a, it was a chance to be on the ice, to get in an extra couple hours of skating, um, and get paid a little bit of money on the side. It was cash money and was like, it, was super useful. And I think I probably started reffing very young, like very, I, I wouldn’t be surprised if I wasn’t reffin at maybe 12 or 13. Okay. And then I did that, you know, like as much as I could through high school and then it dropped off. But if anything, that’s taught me to be more frustrated with MLS officiating.
Jimmy Maas [00:32:58] That’s not where I thought this is going to go. Thought this is gonna give you a sympathetic eye to what they’re going.
Andy Loughnane [00:33:05] I certainly, I think I’ve established my privilege of being a critic. I’ve worn the pinstripes and I feel like I, you know, I’m not in the union, but I feel like maybe I’ve got a perspective. Okay, has your membership in the.
Jimmy Maas [00:33:18] In the, I don’t know, Chicagoland Officials Association. Yeah, I think I’m way out. Okay, so on this note, who were more difficult to deal with, fans or players?
Andy Loughnane [00:33:32] Players. Oh, there’s it was a blend. Well, you didn’t say coaches, but you know, I think adults are.
Jimmy Maas [00:33:40] Adults are kids. I’ll assume you did kitten. Yeah
Andy Loughnane [00:33:42] Yeah, it was he was younger I shouldn’t is this where I get to say I was such a good ref that I don’t think there was ever One complaint that was fielded is that that was the opportunity, right? That’s that’s it right there I am actually I do I have to admit I probably missed a call or two But I’d say you hear it from the coaches like that’s the I don’t know Maybe I just learned to tune out what was coming from the stands Sorry, if my mom’s listening to this, that I learned to tune out what was in the stands, but you kind of are trained to hear what’s coming from the bench. And I do remember, yeah, like a 35, 40 year old grown man yelling at a 15 year old kid over a possible offsides call. Yeah, that happened. Did your roughing make you a better player? I don’t think it did, but I maybe, maybe on like the skating side, but I maybe more sympathetic when you were on the ice and dealing with a deeply Freudian question, because maybe like you grow some sort of understand like sympathy for officials and hopefully that doesn’t like negatively impact your ability to yell at them when you want to yell with them in the moment. So maybe I yelled at refs a little, a little less.
Jimmy Maas [00:34:52] Alright, well hey, I appreciate the time, I know you gotta go.
Andy Loughnane [00:34:54] This is great, Jimmy. Thank you very much for the opportunity.
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Jimmy Maas [00:35:37] We did this interview six days prior to Brandon Vasquez’s injury, so anything that is said just know that in the context of when it was taped, he didn’t know that he’d be missing the rest of the
Juan Garcia [00:35:53] As far as he was aware, he was gonna get hot playing the All-Star game. Lead the team to glory. Right, crush it down the stretch. They make the playoffs, they smoke everybody. MLS Cup, US Open Cup, two trophies in the cabinet. I’m pretty sure that’s… Money, bonuses, done. All of it, that’s what…
Jimmy Maas [00:36:10] That he had ahead of him.
Juan Garcia [00:36:12] I am.
Jimmy Maas [00:36:13] He still has an incredible story to tell about how he got to where he is right now with Austin of C. So here is Brandon Vasquez. Something seemed to click somewhere around may beginning of may and that run a form of late probably, you know, helped you get on that list. So what was the difference at that point that, you, you this is just a matter of building team chemistry. What’s the deal there?
Brandon Vazquez [00:36:40] Yeah, you know, I think it’s one of those things where in the game you kind of figure things out as it’s going. I think we all have the soccer IQ, obviously, to be here and you kind of start understanding your teammates a little bit more and more throughout the games. And I was just putting myself in positions to score and the players around me were helping deliver the ball in those positions. So I think as soon as they started understanding where I’m going to be at, I think it was easier for them to deliver the ball in those positions.
Juan Garcia [00:37:18] Process like you as a player you know how you like to play and they know how they like to play maybe sometimes it’s not quite on the same page at first so what’s that process like to find that middle ground between what you like and what your teammates are comfortable with to make sure you can get the most out of both of y’all
Brandon Vazquez [00:37:35] Yeah, you know, I think it just takes time. It just takes and understanding and watching video and trying to adjust. And like you said, it’s just compromise, fine compromise to where we can be effective and keep our style of play each to their personal being. But I think, it just take a lot of repetition and like I said, just time and analyzing. The play of game, really.
Jimmy Maas [00:38:07] When I play FIFA and I get a new player or three new players or five. They click right away, right? Immediately my team is better. Why does this not happen in real life?
Brandon Vazquez [00:38:19] Yeah, of course we’d all love for the chemistry to be like instantaneously, you know, like
Jimmy Maas [00:38:25] I mean you guys there’s a green line. You’re on the same team. Yeah, green line is there. I mean, I don’t get it exactly The chemistry is there from the same country
Brandon Vazquez [00:38:37] Yeah, I think it’s just like understanding the habits of the players around you, you know, I think, for example, for me, when I first got here, I didn’t know Buka loved cutting up players so much, you, know, so I had to really understand how to tie my runs to where I know if he gets down past the guy that he’s going to cut him again. And then still even then, sometimes I don’t even know if it’s gonna cut again, and again, or if he’s gonna whip the ball in. Uh… So it’s just uh… Yeah just takes a little bit of time to understand your teammates uh… Just their habits and the way they play
Juan Garcia [00:39:14] Is it harder with some teams than other teams? You’ve adapted to a few different teams. Have you noticed it be different at each step of the way?
Brandon Vazquez [00:39:23] For sure, you know, I think back to Cincinnati right away. I mean, when I was playing with Lucho, it was just like, all I had to do was find a gap and he would feed the ball there every single time. Playing with him definitely made it a lot easier to find yourself in scoring positions. But yeah, then I go to Monterey and I had different players around me that I had, so again, adapt to their style of play and them to mine, you now. Which not every team has a big number nine whose strength crosses. So then I think teams also have to adapt to me because obviously as a number nine, if one of my strengths is to be in the box and scoring crosses, I think it’s something that the team has to evolve to also help me, but the rest of the players also just find success on the field.
Jimmy Maas [00:40:20] Well, take us back to the beginning, Chula Vista, California, south of San Diego.
Brandon Vazquez [00:40:27] Northern Tijuana.
Jimmy Maas [00:40:29] What’s that life like?
Brandon Vazquez [00:40:31] How was growing up for you? It was all soccer. Ever since I can remember, I would… Did your parents play or something? What was the influence there? I think my dad played, but I don’t even think he made it past college or to college. But ever since I remember this, coming back from elementary school, going straight into the backyard with my brothers and kicking a ball until dinnertime, pretty much. So all I remember is every day playing soccer. Any time I had free time, yeah, I mean. They were like, you want to go to Chuck E. Cheese? You were like no, soccer. I mean, I had to go Chuck E Cheese. Okay, okay. That’s okay. But I did every single time it was like my birthday or Christmas or something, I wanted the new cleats, the new color way I wanted, the new soccer ball. You know, I think everything, my whole life just ended up revolving around soccer. You know it’s like all I wanted to do. Um, and then I got older and I was, um, playing, I started off AY, so I think, and then YMCA, and club soccer, and it just took off from there.
Jimmy Maas [00:41:39] How good were you relative to your, were your siblings also good?
Brandon Vazquez [00:41:44] Yeah. Were they also pushed in the same way that you were pushing yourself? No, I don’t think they had the same hunger and passion that I had for the game. But they loved it. They still play FIFA all the time. They’re way better at FIFA than I am at FIFA. They’ve got time. They’ve had time. But I was playing on my older brother’s team. He’s three years older than me and I was on his team when I was six, seven and I was playing U8s, U9s, and U10s. And I was scoring goals on those kids too. So I was always like playing, playing up, which my older brother probably helped me with. You know, obviously if we’re in the backyard playing so many hours a day, I had to, to find a way to be competitive with somebody that was a lot older than I was. So yeah, shout out to my brother. Did you shout out my older brothers?
Jimmy Maas [00:42:36] Were you just a regular kid then? Did you have height? Um, you know, with could you compete with those guys or were they always elbowing you and knocking you over?
Brandon Vazquez [00:42:44] No, I was actually a pretty big kid. So, um, yeah, I was like, probably just as big as they were.
Jimmy Maas [00:42:49] I know at some point you decided that you wanted to go train I guess her parents had to have a heavy hand in this one Yeah, because there’s there’s a whole lot of work on their part Yeah, you wanted go train in Tijuana at one point was that decision made and like I don’t know what maybe this is a normal Decision in a place like Chula Vista where that’s relatively convenient But I know some parents will drive to the suburbs or whatever for their kids soccer, but another country is another thing
Brandon Vazquez [00:43:16] Yeah, you know, I was playing club soccer for San Diego surf living in East Lake Chula Vista and we were commuting. My mom was driving us up like 45 minutes every day. So it was like, it was still a lot. But then when I was around 13, I had the opportunity to go down the train with Tijuana and they really wanted me to stay there playing with them. And I think that was the moment around like 13, 14, where my dad was like all right, if we take this route. He’s gonna have more chance at succeeding because at club soccer, I was training two, three times a week. And with Tijuana, I training seven days a week, pretty, six to seven days a week depending on the week. So I think that was his thinking was that like, if like I had the skills and the passion to make it and all I had to do was like to put me in a place where I could be progressing and training more often than not. So yeah, I don’t know why he would let me cross the border at some points on my own like who does it just dropped you and At some point when I first
Jimmy Maas [00:44:26] I’m not sure that are
Brandon Vazquez [00:44:27] the training ground I guess. My house from the border was like 15 to 20 minutes and from the border to the to the training facility was like fifteen minutes as well so the commute wasn’t too bad on the way there because crossing into Tijuana like you can just walk right in and nobody says anything but on the back that’s when it was like really tough because some days I would do 30 minutes to cross back and some days I would do four hours to crossback, you know, I never knew what
Jimmy Maas [00:44:58] the difference matter between in a car and on foot.
Brandon Vazquez [00:45:01] No, it was like always pretty much just a roulette game of like, all right, training is done. What’s the line gonna look like? I think one Thanksgiving I did like seven hours which was like walking across. So I had my backpack on and that was horrible but. Oh yeah.
Jimmy Maas [00:45:19] Oh, yeah, because it’s in Mexico. They don’t care about thanksgiving’s on a holiday there. So it’s a training day
Brandon Vazquez [00:45:25] Yeah, exactly. So I think that day I went to go train at like 10 a.m. I think I was like U-20s at this point. So I must’ve been maybe 17, 16, 17. And I get to the board around like 1 p.m., and I think like, ah, the line’s not too long. Like I think, I’ll probably be like two, three hours. And like there was moments where I was just standing still in the same spot for two, or three hours, And so I crossed my family had already done Thanksgiving dinner. I just had to play, go to, went to sleep and then wake up right back to it, you know, so.
Juan Garcia [00:46:04] Feelin’ thing?
Brandon Vazquez [00:46:04] It was just yeah, yeah, I don’t know. It’s wild. Yeah, I could never do it again. Obviously. It sounds I mean
Jimmy Maas [00:46:12] I mean, you have a child now. Yeah. Yeah, and could you see that?
Brandon Vazquez [00:46:17] No chance. No chance Boy or girl, but whatever Yeah, yeah See you later Yeah, no way I don’t think I could I guess it would just depend on our situation but yeah, it would be a hard decision to make but at the time I didn’t see it as like oh, this sucks, you know, I have to go do this every single day, it was just like it was like so routine and I loved doing it that I didn’t even see it being like. A lot, you know?
Juan Garcia [00:46:48] And that trade off, you know, do you feel like the level of your teammates, the coaching that you were getting, the, the way they were kind of taking it seriously, do feel like that was worth all the hassle of having to bounce across the border constantly?
Brandon Vazquez [00:47:01] For sure for sure I remember my first couple months training with Tijuana like the level was so much higher and there was like weightlifting and activation involved and all this stuff that like I had never been exposed to and I just remember the first couple of months it was like exhausting but like I said it was just like routine so I didn’t think like oh I don’t want to do this Like that never crossed my mind once, it was always like… You get up again and you do it again and do it and do again and just like it’s just almost like uh… You just find joy in in the grind i guess
Jimmy Maas [00:47:41] this sounds like a lot, especially when you’re adding like, who knows, a wild card as far as like re-entry line. You’re 13, 14, 15 when you making these, you’re starting this. So where did school factor in? Is this just an all-in mentality at that point?
Brandon Vazquez [00:48:01] Yeah it was like so like school was on the back burner for sure because I would go train I would cross back and my training like when I was from the time I was 13 until like 16 before I was with the first team training would start like 7 a.m. So I was up at like 5 I would go train at 7 but like 9 30 I was done I would get back to the board around 10 10 30 And usually I was like backed by like one and I would go train again at like 3 p.m. I would always go train, again. This is, I hope, not crossing back. No, no, no. Oh, okay. This was like in San Diego. Okay. In San Diego, I would train again with another coach there. Just like more specific stuff, like just forward stuff, just finishing and stuff like that. And then I would like do school in the evening. But I was doing maybe two hours of school in the even. And so like I probably graduated like two years after I should have. Yeah, but you know, obviously it paid off so.
Jimmy Maas [00:49:10] You weren’t it wasn’t if that was the focus that would have you would have been on a different path, but clearly you were on a different Focus here. So we do questions and this question fits in this part of the interview. So were doing this a little bit earlier We do questions for my kids soccer team. Oh, that’s cool. We’re in summer break right now So this is actually just one of my kids. So yeah, that sounds so here we go
Violet [00:49:32] Hi, my name is Violet. I go to LASA High School and play soccer for Sting Soccer Club and I was wondering what was the moment that you knew you were going to go pro and what about that moment influenced your soccer career to lead to where you are now?
Juan Garcia [00:49:46] I like this question.
Jimmy Maas [00:49:46] A lot better than the last one, Jimmy. Yeah, I know. Last one was pretty good, but that was with Brad and Brad knows this well-ish. It was, who do you like better, me or him?
Juan Garcia [00:49:56] So I couldn’t even get my name right.
Jimmy Maas [00:49:57] Yeah, well, she got your first name. She just said whatever his last name is. That’s, she’s 17, she doesn’t care about us. We’re giant old people to her.
Brandon Vazquez [00:50:07] So at one moment I knew I was gonna be going pro. I think after the U-17 World Cup I scored several goals there and I had teams that were asking about me. So I think at that point I had already been training with the first team but I didn’t have a first team contract, I had like a second team academy kind of contract. With Tijuana? With Tuana. And I think- Just for our reference point, that’s not a lot of money, correct? It was like zero dollars. You’re just- You’re basically-
Jimmy Maas [00:50:42] It’s actually like bound to the team, essentially.
Brandon Vazquez [00:50:43] I didn’t see one penny
Juan Garcia [00:50:45] in Naemo.
Brandon Vazquez [00:50:46] Yeah, yeah, I think like I was obligated to sign that to play like professional games with the second team, you know Um But yeah once I knew like teams were interested in me and I already had to sign like a nike contract like sponsorship deal. So I knew it like I couldn’t get scholarships anymore um I knew, like okay Like i’m gonna go pro. I’m pretty sure it’s just like I don’t know what my career’s gonna look like, but I know I’m on the right path. And I ended up going to Atlanta United. I had a couple teams in Europe that wanted me to go do trials, but I had like a solid offer for my Atlanta United, which ultimately my family, my agents and I decided that was the best route to go to in the moment, which was something solid and would give me a lot of professional minutes. And the idea was to like. Play in MLS, got a lot of minutes under my belt, and then try to go over to Europe. How old are you at this point? 17. Okay.
Jimmy Maas [00:51:52] That assembling of that team, what was that like? Were you like just getting texts like crazy, people bothering you or was it just something you put off on your parents to figure out for you or? Like with teams of being interested? No, just the agent process, all of that. Like just that elevating from your team, just a guy.
Brandon Vazquez [00:52:13] I had had my agent since I was, I don’t know, 15 maybe.
Juan Garcia [00:52:18] How does it feel to a 15-year-old to now be, I guess, big time enough to have an agent, or was that kind of kept away from you by your parents so that you wouldn’t think about it?
Jimmy Maas [00:52:30] Did I ask you a good question and then I thought about that?
Brandon Vazquez [00:52:33] With like this giant head like no no not at all at the time at the time I still felt like the neighborhood pool like I didn’t I’m Brandon everybody No I didn’t uh I didn’t have like a big head like that um I wouldn’t say I’ve never really been like that I’ve always kind of kept my footing on the ground and um but being 15 and having an agent when I was with the national team all my teammates there had like had agents and stuff, so it was just like normal, like it just felt normal. And yeah, so I didn’t think much of it.
Jimmy Maas [00:53:11] So you land in Atlanta. You just said, I don’t know what my career is gonna look like when you made that choice. Atlanta seems like a pretty good spot to land. How would you characterize your time there and your growth as a player?
Brandon Vazquez [00:53:24] Huge, you know, I got to Atlanta the year they expanded. So I was there like the first training session that Atlanta United ever had with Tata Martino. And you know I went in there always have been like the goal scorer of my team, you like the man. And I had never known what it was like to like be on the bench. So I get there, Joseph Martinez gets there and this guy scores 30 plus goals a season. And I was like. Riding the bench pretty much. And it was a big learning curve because, you know, I would go to training and I’d be thinking like, no matter how many goals I scored, no matter, how good I trained, like this guy’s gonna play. So it was very frustrating and I had to learn patience. I worked with sports psychologist, which I had been working with in Tijuana as well. The team, like each age group of those teams had. A sports psychologist that were kind of teaching us, not just sports psychology, but also like media training and stuff. So when I get to Atlanta in that first couple seasons, well, the first season, like I would come in and play 10 minutes, five minutes, you know. But I had to learn how to be patient. I think that kind of also like ignited like a fire in me of like I didn’t want to be in that position. So I would say Atlanta was a big learning curve, but it definitely helped me a lot, like create this hunger inside of me and also like teach me patience and discipline and consistency.
Juan Garcia [00:55:04] That, uh, that period that you were mostly on the bench, maybe playing five, 10 minutes here and there, what do you take from something like that? You know, we hear a lot about athletes talking about getting in rhythm. Are you a rhythm player and how did that kind of affect you being able to get comfortable with the team, your teammates and get into that rhythm of, you know, later on in the season when everybody else has all the minutes under their belt and you’re still kind of fresh.
Brandon Vazquez [00:55:31] Yeah, definitely, definitely a rhythm player like I need to be, you know, like feeling confident on the field like the more I play the more confidence I like I have. So definitely when I wasn’t playing as much and I would come on 10 minutes I would I wouldn’t feel that confidence you know I wouldn I wouldn t say I was like like ever feeling at my best, you know, because I was always like worried or that I wasn’t. In the right place or making the right movements. I was always like very, very anxious and I’ve always been this like anxious person. So yeah, that part was pretty hard.
Jimmy Maas [00:56:14] The team has some success pretty quick for an expansion franchise. How was it, you know, we hear a lot about learning how to win and that kind of stuff. Did you glean anything from that that you took with you? You know, being in that successful environment.
Brandon Vazquez [00:56:31] For sure. Tata Martino was a very demanding coach and obviously we had a very, very successful team. But training sessions every day were very, very intense. You had to be at the top of your game every single session. There was no relaxing no matter who you were. The demand and the intensity was really, really high. So I think that also helped me just grow my game exponentially. Showing up to training and competing with these other players at the time were the best in the league. So it definitely helped me a lot, I would say. That time with that team helped me just see the importance of the work every day and how a winning team needs to be having consistent days like that on the field.
Jimmy Maas [00:57:32] Next steps, there’s obviously a need to score inside you, somewhere deep inside that just burrows itself out at some point. How did that guide your next choice and where to go, or did you have a choice on where to at that point?
Brandon Vazquez [00:57:47] Yeah, so I knew if I stayed in Atlanta, my career was just gonna be in a freezer, sitting behind Joseph. So I knew I had to get out of there. I think at the end of my second season, that was after we won MLS Cup. I knew how to get outta there. I talked to the team. I told them I really wanted to leave, that I genuinely thought if I stay, that I was just going to be sitting on the bench, not doing anything. And so Cincinnati was a team that was very interested in bringing me in and my agent called me. At the end of the second season, actually, Atlanta said I couldn’t leave. They really needed me and they wanted me and they weren’t allowed to leave.
Jimmy Maas [00:58:28] They saw the talent, they just didn’t know where to find minutes for you, probably.
Brandon Vazquez [00:58:35] Yeah, yeah, exactly.
Jimmy Maas [00:58:36] I’m putting the best spin on.
Brandon Vazquez [00:58:38] So at the end of that third season, Frank DeBoer comes in, I score some goals in an open cup, and I had a really good year that year, and at the end of the year, Cincinnati was really interested in bringing me in, and they told me they had already a deal in with Nashville with the expansion draft that they had a deal ready where Nashville would pick me up, and then Cincinnati would pay them to bring me in pretty much. So there was a deal already in place, and I knew Cincinnati was the last place team, so I knew like All right, I’m going from like a championship team to the last place team. But if it’s gonna, if I’m gonna be getting minutes, it’s going to help me and I’m gonna keep developing as a player. And I think I can help the team like grow and my career would grow with it as well. So yeah, at the time we thought it was the right step. Both of you have needs that seem to match. Marriage made in heaven. Yeah.
Jimmy Maas [00:59:35] That went great. Yeah. You don’t say. No, so you get there. I don’t know if anybody can expect to take over, but in effect, you kind of did for a little bit there. How did, what was it about the environment in Cincinnati that sort of enabled that to occur for you? Yeah, the first season I got there,
Brandon Vazquez [00:59:58] the season the team was still last place it was really hard and I think the first season we went through like four or five different coaches it was just all over the place and in the second season I started to get more minutes scoring more goals and halfway through I think Chris Albright and Pat Noonan from Philly came in and with them they just changed the culture of the team Um, everybody before that I remember like people weren’t really enjoying themselves, at the training facility, at games, like you can tell like the team didn’t have confidence and when they came in and switched things around, they just made a winning team, you know, and to be a part of that and to be leading the line in scoring goals and it just helped me just catapult to the next level.
Juan Garcia [01:00:54] Is it at this point, maybe they sent you, is it at this point that you visited Krypton and got the Superman on it, the powers? Like seems, seems this is where your career picks up. So it feels like the logical spot to, uh, go get those, those superpowers.
Jimmy Maas [01:01:08] But it’s also that an aging process maybe as well like you’re kind of hitting a sweet spot as far as maybe there’s a part of reveal themselves to you
Brandon Vazquez [01:01:18] Yeah, I think at that point, having a successful team and leading the line and goals, my confidence also just like went through the roof. So having that confidence really pushed me to the next level as well, just cause I was able to step onto the field, know that I was like very capable of scoring almost every single game and. And I had the players around me helping me do that. And it was just like, yeah, one of those moments where everything was just the stars aligned. Everything was at the right place at the time. And yeah, we were just flowing at that moment.
Juan Garcia [01:02:03] Going into these seasons when you’re feeling your best, did you expect one of them to end with your first All-Star honors and maybe even some silver?
Brandon Vazquez [01:02:12] I had no idea. I was just kind of taking it week by week, game by game, and I was just enjoying myself in training. I also was flying when I would get to the weekend at the game, same thing. It was just one of those times where everything just seemed to be aligned. And then eventually I got called into the All-Star Game and Best 11, and it was just one of those years that… That felt like all those prior years, prior years where I felt like just stuff wasn’t right, finally hit. And yeah, I remember when I, when my teammates surprised me with like the best Levin award, like I got home and I started crying just because like all those like early mornings and late nights and like missing so many like family events to train and travel and. All those sacrifices that I did that nobody saw, all that stuff felt like finally paid off. Like all those years in Atlanta, I felt like I wasn’t going anywhere. And then I get to Cincinnati and it was like, it felt like the same thing. Like I was playing, but we’re last place and it doesn’t help me look good. And my career doesn’t feel like it’s evolving. And it finally like hit a moment where I was like wow, all of that struggle, like this is. This is like, it led me to be here. So it was definitely one of those moments I was really, really grateful for.
Jimmy Maas [01:03:46] Had your parents at this time when things are like really like hitting like How were they? They started thinking about that moment like all those trips to the border all of that
Brandon Vazquez [01:03:56] Yeah, yeah, I was on a call with them and when I found out it was best 11 and we were just talking about all the moments that we’ve been through and it was an amazing moment.
Jimmy Maas [01:04:10] You’re now getting some attention from national team. You’re getting some intention from Ligue Mequis. You’re on the map. And maybe at this point, your career is going how you envisioned. And so talk us through the decision to go to Monterey in 2024 and what were you thinking about then at that point?
Brandon Vazquez [01:04:33] Yeah. So there was a lot of teams that were really interested in me, um, several overseas and that’s where I envisioned going, but, um. Like somewhere in Europe or. Yeah, yeah.
Jimmy Maas [01:04:46] A big club over there, or at least an up and coming club.
Brandon Vazquez [01:04:49] Yeah, exactly. So I had Manxing Gladbach like really, really interested. They put in an offer to Cincinnati, which Cincinnati declined because of we were close to winning supporter shield and Cincinnati had just sold Brenner earlier that summer and they didn’t want to sell me because then they’d be out of forwards, but I really, really wanted to go. Obviously that was like the biggest opportunity I had in my career. And Cincinnati declined that. And yeah, we ended up winning support of shield, but I felt like a huge opportunity in my career had passed and I didn’t know if that was gonna come back. At the end of the season, there was a couple of teams from Spain, a couple teams in championship in England were interested, but nothing concrete, nothing solid, and Monterey came. And showed me this project of leading up to the club world cup, which just passed, and it was something that I was interested in. It was a huge platform, obviously, a huge, huge team to play for. Yeah, so I thought, okay, if there’s a next step in my career and I want to get out of Cincinnati now, like, this is where I want go. And then, yeah, so we go to Monterey. My wife is pregnant. The first couple months there, I’m doing long distance and that was really hard. My son’s born For the first two months of his life I I couldn’t I couldn’t t be there because Monterey was playing every three days. So So I did well we did long distance there and yeah last year was it was a hard year Spent a lot of time without my family and without my son and and when they finally got down there It was hard very hard on my family as well just because the schedule down there was was very heavy you know playing every couple of days and during home games i would have to stay at the team hotel so my wife not speaking spanish not having anyone um with a newborn in a new place new country it’s like being on a whole different other world you know so um it was uh it was a hard year personally for sure.
Jimmy Maas [01:07:16] Did you feel that on the field as well, or were you able to compartmentalize that?
Brandon Vazquez [01:07:21] I tried, I tried to compartmentalize. I tried my best, you know, but obviously, my mind wasn’t fully with my team and fully on football, and I think that was a big. Like, it affected me a lot, so I couldn’t be fully focused on the game, really.
Juan Garcia [01:07:47] To sort of give us a little bit of context about the on-pitch challenge that you were facing. You were going from Major League Soccer and being the guy in Cincinnati to now being one of however many guys Monterrey has and can afford. The league is completely different, like you talked a little about the schedule. What challenges were you facing on the pitch along with some of these sort of more personal challenges that you facing off the pitch as well.
Brandon Vazquez [01:08:16] Yeah, I mean Monterey, it was one of those teams where the whole team were national team players. The whole team was an all-star team, you know, so playing with one of the best teams in the continent, and the level was very, very high. Like the demand, the expectation of the fans were extremely high, and I scored a lot of goals there, which was great, and on that side of the spectrum of being down there and it was a fun time.
Jimmy Maas [01:08:49] We interrupt this interview to tell you that this interview was interrupted. Yes, occasionally this happens in the broadcasting world, technical failure with the recorder. But our hero of the moment, Alex Daley-Hill of Austin FC’s video team, on hand with an SD card ready to go. All right. Now we’re back. All right, awesome. Thank you. Alex Daily Hill gets a special shout out shout out this week’s podcast. ADHD. Thanks, dude. All right so we did this with most of the guys, assuming we remember to do them. We are remembering today because we took the time. We’re robbing you from love 10 more minutes of lunch.
Juan Garcia [01:09:39] I just want to know your perspective on some of your teammates. Are you familiar with the idea of superlatives? You’re going to vote for your teammates on certain categories. And at the end, we’re going tally them up and maybe give out awards. We haven’t really talked about what we’re gonna do with this information.
Jimmy Maas [01:09:57] Goes into some data, we’ll give it away to a bank.
Juan Garcia [01:10:02] A tricky question since you guys are all athletes, but who on the team is the most athletic?
Brandon Vazquez [01:10:08] That’s a great question.
Juan Garcia [01:10:09] Can’t answer yourself, even though a lot of folks have picked you.
Brandon Vazquez [01:10:13] Is that right? Oh yeah. Ooh, that’s a great question. Probably John. John? John, yeah, he’s fast, has three lungs, workhorse.
Juan Garcia [01:10:29] John John Gallagher the first vote we’ve got for John. I think yeah, maybe yeah. Yeah, it is Who do you say is the best-dressed? And I can’t vote for myself in any of these. Okay, I would say Julio. Julio? Yeah. It’s a good choice. You have gotten votes for best dressed as well. Oh nice. Who do you suppose has the best hair?
Brandon Vazquez [01:10:53] Oh, man. I don’t think there’s anyone on this team that really stands out.
Juan Garcia [01:11:03] Make sure I tell them next time I ask.
Brandon Vazquez [01:11:08] Who’s got the highest votes here, am I?
Jimmy Maas [01:11:12] I’m trying to think back. Eli is doing well. Yeah. Let me think of someone else that is not. Sorry Eli.
Juan Garcia [01:11:20] Some of the folks who’ve dyed their hair, I think, have gone to the bathroom.
Brandon Vazquez [01:11:26] Yeah, I think I think Owen looks good with dyed like ice white hair I’m gonna say an underdog. All right, let’s go. I like Obie’s hair. Obie. Okay.
Juan Garcia [01:11:42] I like that, I like. You might have the same answer for this next one, and again, you can’t pick yourself, even though I see the pride you take in the pearly whites, but who’s got the best smile?
Brandon Vazquez [01:11:55] Alright, so I’ll be… Little piano teeth. He’s got all the white keys. I know he’s got all the White Keys. You’re, yeah, I’ll probably say Obu, just because they’re like glow in the dark pretty much.
Juan Garcia [01:12:19] Yeah, have you have you tried it taking them into like a dark room and see if like you can just see his teeth No, not like my wife with her glow-in-the-dark nails. Who’s got the best bromance on the team? Oh Zan and Owen Yeah, they’re they’re leading the pack very successful partnership there. I think hopefully we get an invite to the wedding when it happens and Jimmy the last one that’s on you
Jimmy Maas [01:12:47] Yeah, this is a tough one, and you can take this how you take it. But you must have an answer. Okay. Who do you hate most on the team? Oh, God.
Brandon Vazquez [01:13:01] Um I must have an answer for this. Oh, man. Dude, that’s a great question just because I have like no reason to hate anyone.
Jimmy Maas [01:13:28] But someone might… Grind your gears. Yeah, get under your skin a little bit. Or they just, you guys have that kind of relationship where you just are giving each other.
Juan Garcia [01:13:42] Maybe he pushes you so much that you’re like a thorn in my side, but I can’t lie
Jimmy Maas [01:13:48] There’s lots of ways to interpret it or there’s just straight vitriol. I hate this person.
Juan Garcia [01:13:53] Can you imagine? If you can, we’ve had straight answers before. It’d be fun if you just said immediately.
Jimmy Maas [01:13:57] Fun if you just said immediately one person that would be amazing. That’s so funny. Oh He thought of someone I think I think someone popped in the mind Now he’s working up the courage to say it aloud I’m on the edge of my seat. I can’t wait
Brandon Vazquez [01:14:21] Literally, I’m like I have no reason to hate anyone and no one has done anything. All right me
Jimmy Maas [01:14:25] All right, caveat aside. Okay.
Brandon Vazquez [01:14:28] Um, but, let’s just say-
Jimmy Maas [01:14:30] The person you hate most is…
Brandon Vazquez [01:14:33] Let’s just say hey John, because I know he’s not going to take it serious at all.
Juan Garcia [01:14:40] I feel like you have teammates that agree with you, and I feel you’ll have your reasons for nominating.
Brandon Vazquez [01:14:47] John can be grumpy as shit. If he has a bad night of sleep, he can be grumpy a shit. But he knows I love him, so. Sorry John, I fucking hate you. But I love you.
Jimmy Maas [01:15:04] All right, well, hey, I appreciate you taking the time and welcome to Austin, although, you know, you’ve been here for five months now, you’re probably fairly used to certain things. Maybe, we forgot to ask, where do you go out for fun? What do you guys do for fun. Where do you take your wife on a date night?
Brandon Vazquez [01:15:22] We’ve been to several date nights now. We got a babysitter here now that we trust. So we’ve been too Red Ash, great Italian food. Another Italian spot, we went to Sammy’s recently and that place was banging, bro. I really love like a traditional, cultural, like big family style Italian places and that places like hits the nail on the head. We went to Uchiko. Great sushi another sushi spot we went to which was like a michelin star it was craft omakase bro unbelievable experience unbelievable experience really expensive but it was worth it it was worth it yeah um so i’ll say those are the places we’ve been to
Juan Garcia [01:16:08] Taking notes for places I can take my girl out once I decide to take out a loan for some of the more expensive ones. It’s just money. You’ll get it some day.
Brandon Vazquez [01:16:19] It’s just a Christmas. Money comes where it goes, you know.
Juan Garcia [01:16:21] He pays my salary, so he knows exactly.
Brandon Vazquez [01:16:24] Well, I have an idea just it’s up to you give him a bonus for your little omakase night Yeah, absolutely. I’m gonna push it. Yeah. Yeah, come on, bro. Do it. We’ll do it. Do I’ll do it.
Jimmy Maas [01:16:33] We’ll do, we’ll get it going. Brandon’s my new favorite Austin FC player. I have an idea who he’d answer that first question about, who he likes more, me or you. No doubt, no doubt. All right, anyway, thanks, I appreciate the time. Yeah, absolutely, thanks for having me. A long one today, we won’t take too much of your time. Just wanna thank our three guests ahead of the All-Star match. Brad Stuever, team president Andy Locknane and Brandon Vasquez.
Juan Garcia [01:16:59] We’d like to wish Brandon the best fortune in his ACL recovery. That is a terrifying injury. I can imagine it is not great to be an athlete and to feel the way you feel when your knee gives out like that. So, uh, best of luck to him in his recovery from injury.
Jimmy Maas [01:17:18] Big thanks to everyone over at Austin of Seed that helped put this together. Haranguing three people to do interviews with us is a lot of work, so big thanks to Cameron Koubek, Ryan Madden, Gwen Hernandez, Jacob Staedler, Roberto Colon, Alex Daly-Hill, Ainsley Beers, and… Added another person, and there’s no way. I know.
Juan Garcia Have I met them yet? Keep going through.
Jimmy Maas That intern guy.
Juan Garcia Kudos to you, intern guy!
Jimmy Maas Also, everyone here at KUT and KUTx that help us put together the podcast. Elizabeth McQueen and Tanu Thomas, and a big thanks to Jaron Marshall for creating, playing, producing the music you’re listening to right now.
Juan Garcia Nice work, Jimmy. Happy All-Star Break, Juan.
Juan Garcia Happy All Star Break. Eh. And with your spirit, Jimmy.
Jimmy Maas And happy All-Star Break to all of you who celebrate.
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This transcript was transcribed by AI, and lightly edited by a human. Accuracy may vary. This text may be revised in the future.
