Member Profile: Gabriel Cruz

Gabriel Cruz has one particular memory that always comes to mind when he thinks of his childhood. On a very hot summer day, he was playing with his fourth-grade soccer team. He managed to steal the ball near his own team’s goal and then went charging up the field, dodging the opposing players and running as fast he could until he made it all the way to just outside the penalty box where he took his shot. The shot was blocked, but Gabriel was so committed to the charge that he kept running and only managed to stop within inches of colliding with the goal post.

Looking back at that moment, he points out ruefully that he knew at the time that he could’ve passed the ball to his friend and teammate Bruce, who would’ve had a better chance at scoring. Not one to dwell on negativity, he took an important lesson from the moment: “You can’t win a game all by yourself.” Nevertheless, while he can’t remember whether his team won or lost that day, he still remembers the joy of charging up the field, doing the thing that he loved the most: playing soccer.

Gabriel grew up in Kingsville, TX, where he spent most of his free time playing soccer, either with his friends in Dick Kleberg Park or on a youth team, including the Cobras, the team he was playing for when he almost scored his breakaway goal. He was actually the one responsible for their choice of name. At the time he was a huge fan of Sylvester Stallone’s (now cult classic) Cobra, so he made a very passionate argument for naming their team in the movie’s honor. Whether or not his teammates actually liked that name, or Sylvester Stallone, was immaterial. It was Gabriel’s enthusiasm for the name that won the day.

This was a very proud moment for Gabriel, but perhaps equally important was the positive reinforcement he received from his coach. As a very young man, it meant so much to him that his coach made a point of telling him that he liked the name. Years later, he still lights up when he remembers that interaction.

His childhood experiences are just one way that soccer has been an unequivocally positive force in Gabriel’s life. Though he has encountered many twists and turns in his life since his days with the Cobras, no matter what happened, he “always found [himself] around soccer.” His day-to-day participation in the sport may have waned somewhat after he moved to Austin in his twenties, but even then he still played pick up soccer in the park when he could.

However, once he discovered in 2017 that Austin was going to get its own MLS team, he rediscovered his interest in a big way. Many Austin Anthem members belong to more than one supporters group, but it is a little unusual for someone to join every supporters group that they can find. And Gabriel didn’t just stop there. He is also an active supporter of Lobos Youth Soccer Academy in south Austin. In fact, just two weeks ago he joined them on a Sunday to help install grass on their pitch.

This is just one way that he incorporates soccer into how he thinks about community. Not just an enthusiastic soccer fan, Gabriel sees clearly how a sport brings people together. Supporting a team can transcend economic, cultural, and geographic lines. No matter who you are or where you live, he sees potential for all fans to find their niche within Austin FC’s supporter community. Of course, not everyone will be able to make it to Austin to see the games in person, but as long as you are cheering for the team, even in your living room, you are part of the club.

That having been said, Gabriel really hopes to be in the stadium for as many games as possible. For him, soccer is a “personal, intimate environment”, especially for fans in the stadium. It might sound odd to think of a crowded stadium as a personal space; however, as he points out, fans in that space are joined together in a common cause: to cheer their team on to victory. It’s that communality that lends the stadium a feeling of intimacy.

As Austin FC enters its first season, Gabriel hopes even more people will join a supporter group (or, as he did: join several). He sees these groups as a “way to build people up, not break people down” and hopes that after getting their feet wet in the community, people will start bringing their loved ones along so that the family of Austin FC supporters will continue to grow.

In a city with many different cultures, supporters groups are a great way to see that there are “so many different types of people in the world” with one thing in common: they want to see their team triumph. This involvement has been particularly important for him as a way to combat the isolation of the pandemic. Last year Gabriel was laid off due to the economic stagnation caused by COVID-19, and he is currently in the final stages of earning an MBA online. Sometimes it feels like his days are an endless cycle of schoolwork and the solitude of social distancing. But he knows that someday very soon, he will have successfully finished his program, and some day after that he will be able to join other fans (one way or another) in supporting Austin FC.

Until then, he has his community of other supporters online. Everyone who frequents the Austin Anthem Slack channel is familiar with Gabriel. His passion for the sport, Austin FC, and his fellow fans shines through all of his posts. It is hard to feel negative about anything when confronted by his ferociously enthusiastic exhortations of “AUSTIN FC!!! AUSTIN ANTHEM!!!” followed by at least one smiley face emoticon. He’s the type of fan all supporters group want to have.

Gabriel Cruz isn’t just another person who enjoys soccer. He is someone who connects some of the most meaningful moments of his life to the sport, from the glow of receiving his coach’s approval to finding community during an isolated time through supporters groups. His passion is extraordinary, as is his willingness to support his fellow fans. With people like him in the stands, Austin FC can’t help but have a great first season.

Gabriel is a member of Austin Anthem.

Austin Anthem is the independent supporters group for Austin FC, the Major League Soccer club of Austin, Texas.