AUSTIN, Texas — A handful of Texas soccer clubs will honor the victims of the Robb Elementary School mass shooting in Uvalde, Texas.
Four teams, including Austin FC, FC Dallas, Houston Dynamo FC and Houston Dash will honor the victims by wearing a remembrance patch during their Memorial Day weekend matches.
On May 28, FC Dallas and Houston Dynamo FC donned the patch during their respective matches against Orlando City SC and Real Salt Lake. On May 29, Houston Dash will wear the patch in the team's National Women's Soccer League match against North Carolina courage and Austin FC will wear the patch when they play the LA Galaxy.
The patch is in the shape of Texas with a ribbon around it featuring a heart and Uvalde's ZIP code, 78801.
Opponents of each team will also wear the patch.
The mass shooting happened Tuesday, May 24 when a gunman entered Robb Elementary School late that morning and killed 19 children and two teachers. The 18-year-old gunman was then killed by authorities at the scene. The shooting is considered the deadliest school shooting in Texas history.
Texas DPS Director Steven McCraw said Friday that authorities responding to the shooting made the "wrong decision" not to enter the classroom sooner when the gunman was still inside. McCraw said nearly 20 officers were in the school hallway for more than 45 minutes before Border Patrol agents arrived and used a master key to enter the classroom and kill the gunman.
Authorities are now investigating the response time of the Uvalde officers due to discrepancies between statements and actions taken that day.
All four Texas soccer teams will also donate to the Robb Elementary School Memorial Fund, an official account set up with First State Bank through Uvalde CISD to assist the affected families, according to a release. Additionally, the fund will be the beneficiary of Austin FC's Verde Store roundup program for the month of June.
“Uvalde holds a special place in the heart of our Club and our ownership group,” said Austin FC President Andy Loughnane. “While soccer feels small in the wake of this tragedy, we hope that by coming together with some of our fellow Texas clubs in FC Dallas, Houston Dynamo FC and the Houston Dash, we can honor the victims and offer some much-needed support to the community.”
The four soccer teams weren't the only ones supporting the small South Texas community. During their Saturday match against the RGV FC Toros, San Antonio FC prompted resources to help Uvalde instead of posting match updates throughout the game.
"In place of traditional match updates tonight, we will provide resources that help serve our South Texas community," San Antonio FC said via Twitter. "All of our strength, love and support continues to be with our neighbors, friends and family in Uvalde."
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