Stoppage Time Special: Soccer History Made: First International Match in NWA

One night can change what a region believes soccer can be. We’re dropping a Stoppage Time highlight that zeroes in on the March 28 international soccer doubleheader coming to Northwest Arkansas and why it’s more than a game on a calendar.

We talk through how the event came together, from the local puzzle pieces that make it possible to the bigger decision that shaped everything: the women’s match isn’t a side note, it’s the starting point. If you care about women’s soccer, Liga MX Femenil, and what real equal billing looks like in practice, you’ll hear why the women’s team was “non-negotiable” and how that choice changes the entire night for families, young players, and first-time fans.

Then we get into the part that soccer diehards love: fan culture. We swap stories about Club America supporters filling stadiums in unexpected U.S. cities, the way matchweek energy follows the team, and why a Tigres matchup only turns the volume up. We also connect it back to what we’re building with Ozark United FC, because seeing top-quality football live and feeling a Mexican crowd firsthand sets a new bar for what we want our home matches to become.

Listen, share this with the friend who still hasn’t been to a live match, and subscribe so you don’t miss next Thursday’s new release. If you enjoy the show, leave a review and tell us what kind of soccer event you want to see in Northwest Arkansas next.

Transcript

Welcome To Stoppage Time

SPEAKER_02 0:03

Welcome to the Stoppage Time edition of the Pitch to Pro podcast. This is a highlight reel of some of the best moments from the show so far. And every other week we will be bringing you a special five to seven minute segment featuring the best stories, tales, and moments of the podcast.

Why The Women Must Be Included

The Event Setup And Local Partners

SPEAKER_01 0:19

I'm so excited. I really am. I love to see this type of event coming, but especially that the women are going to be a part of it because I am a dad of three, but I have two girls. And to be able to, I take them to the University of Arkansas women's games and I show them, you know, they they do love to play. I don't I don't force them. I swear. Um they said they wanted to play. Uh, but for them to be able to see that, it like, and they're seven and five, about to be eight and six, but they they still get it at that age, you know. And, you know, my middle, my eight-year-old says she wants to be a pro soccer player. Don't we all? But uh I I I love that. And we're so looking forward to uh being able to to watch you guys on the field. Oh hopefully for a victory. So on the on the you know, keep keep going on the on the overall event and kind of why I I know why it makes sense and and you kind of give the background with the sponsor and and you've got the university here, you've got Walmart, and it's just this nice uh you know convergence of the three. Um, but also we are in a little bit of a interesting kind of Dallas, Kansas City, Memphis, like triangle, you know, where in there is a lot of Club America fans that kind of have this opportunity to come to this really cool event.

March 28 Doubleheader Details

Club America Fans Show Up Anywhere

SPEAKER_00 1:40

Yeah, 100%. And and I think what you both just mentioned, like for us, having the women's team here was not uh non-negotiable. Like it was part of of the of the project since day one. Actually, it started with the women's team, and it it it which happens Club America uh a lot is sometimes there are projects that start with the women's team and and we kind of bring the men's team on on top of it uh afterwards, which all the complications that that can happen, but that's also the the fun part. But uh the game, so maybe just to remember the date, it's on March 28th. What's the date again, Quentin? March 28th. Uh in Espanol Portfolio. Uh uh 28 March. There you go. I can do it. I can do it in French as well. But uh so yeah, that that's uh we'll have a double header, the women's team first, and then the men's team against uh Tigres. Uh the two games will finish before the Mexico national team against Portugal, men's game uh in Mexico, so people will have time to go back home to watch Mexico as well. Uh that's planned. Very good. So so very, very happy about that uh to have the game again. It it started like like a dream, a kind of a crazy idea, so to speak, to do so. And then we realized uh as Claudia mentioned perfectly, like we used we used to play in the same places all the time. It it's pretty logical why we do that, and and because of the community that present there and the amount of fans we have. But then, for example, so uh in Leaks Cup, I think it was two years ago, I'm not sure. I went 2026, or maybe three, uh I don't remember, but the summer, uh we play we play uh the group stage against St. Louis, Missouri, and Columbus, Ohio. So not known for being the places with the biggest Latino community, obviously, but it was packed with Clover Maker fans. So Columbus was actually the place where the US national team used to play against Mexico because there were no not the same community to support the Mexican team, it's not working anymore. They figured it out, guys. Yeah, if if if you check, uh we're at the hotel concentration. Sorry, I had to uh and and we had uh and we had the fans gathering uh at the hotel uh the night before the game, doing fireworks and everything like so. There is this big street in Columbus, and uh it was pipeless clone like a fan. So great experience. And then we started thinking, then the women's team went to uh Louisville to play the Women's Cup. Um that's I think actually when we played for the first time against a US team. So there you go.

SPEAKER_01 4:21

Uh and uh shout out to Louisville.

Why Northwest Arkansas Was A No-Brainer

SPEAKER_00 4:23

Yeah, yeah, yeah. The tournament was great, and honestly, in the stands, maybe for games you had two to three thousand people, and 90% of those were Clarom Reker fans coming to Kentucky. So, you know, like it's great. And we start realizing we say, yeah, we should go some other places also, and and also bring the brand, bring the quality of the soccer that that Clau mentioned, like best team in in the region or one of the best teams in the region sports-wise. So to compete and to show also to people what soccer is about and and what football is about as well. And uh then with the opportunity we had in Northwest Arkansas when we saw the stadium, it was like a no-brainer. It was like you need to play in that stadium, like you need to have an international soccer event, and if it can be used that will be amazing. And it started working on that, and we know we're gonna deliver, as you mentioned, an experience for our fans in Northwest Arkansas, in Arkansas, but also in all the states that are nearby, and we know our fans are gonna drive to come, but also for for Tigres, so for arrival for that game, and and and we work very closely with uh they're a big fan base in Texas. So, of course, uh from Dallas and everything like that, that will be very interesting to experience. So, yeah, it's gonna be different. The atmosphere is gonna be great. We're very proud and very happy to bring Mexican football, to bring men and women football, to bring the some of the top quality football you can experience, an international game to Northwest Arkansas, and it's pretty exciting because it would be the first one in history, which yeah, and to give you an example, we played with the women's team in Dallas against Dallas Trinity from USL. And we broke the record for a women's sports game audience uh attendance in the in Texas, and that was amazing. So cool. This was in October last year, yeah. So so cool. It's the kind of experience. So thinking of doing the first international soccer game in Northwest Arkansas, in Arkansas, actually, it's pretty exciting as well. So that's that's a kind of milestones in market that we look for as well as a team and as a club, and uh again, very happy about it. And and uh and kudos to to to our CEO to Joaquin for for uh pushing us and making this uh a reality.

What This Means For Local Soccer

SPEAKER_01 6:39

That's awesome, and uh we're really looking forward to it again, March 28th. Um, what do you think? I mean, I this is going to be able to this is gonna do so much for us, by the way, um, selfishly, just being able to put on, and and there's so many people. Um we have a very unique community where a lot of us are not from here originally and we're from all over the world. Um, but then there's still a very strong local base that um, you know, maybe are new to the game, and having the opportunity to go to this event and have that level of football being played, as you guys well know, football is, and I tell these people to people all the time, it is unlike anything else that you've ever experienced live as a sporting event, especially a Mexican crowd. So um I'm counting on it, by the way. And and because people can get to experience that and then understand that that's I mean, obviously it's gonna take us a while to get to your level, but that's what type of environment we're trying to emulate and and we aspire to bring to our home matches and you know, in just a few short years here.

Where To Watch And What’s Next

SPEAKER_02 8:02

Thank you for joining us for this stoppage time special of the Pitch to Pro Podcast. If you've enjoyed the conversation, you can click watch the full episode here. Be sure to tune in next Thursday for a new episode of the Pitch to Pro Podcast, the official podcast of Ozark United FC. Available on YouTube, Instagram, and everywhere you get your podcasts.