COMING ATTRACTIONS

Brooklyn-born indoor soccer chain kicks off San Antonio expansion

UNLMTD Soccer is prepping for its San Antonio debut.

A new indoor football club has some serious San Antonio gols. UNLMTD Soccer will open its first Alamo City outpost at 6558 Campus Dr., bringing year-round play that isn’t dependent on the day’s forecast.

If the name doesn't ring a bell, it's because it's brand-new. Until November 6, the company was called Socceroof — a reflection of its original 2019 location atop a former torpedo assembly factory in Brooklyn. Under the new brand, it hopes to ride the wave of soccer mania spurred by the 2026 World Cup.

The chain may be relatively new, but its founders are all football veterans. Jean-David Tartour helped pioneer indoor soccer in France with Le Five, a chain of nearly 30 indoor centers across Europe. Jérôme Meary formerly served as European recruiter for Major League Soccer, and Jonathan Lupinelli spent time on the pitch as a player for Girondins de Bordeaux and Real Sociedad.

Although the company has released few details about its San Antonio location, each facility offers brisk 5-on-5 cage-style matches, with adult pickup games running about $10 to $15 per player. Clubs also host leagues, tournaments, youth programs and private events, but UNLMTD Soccer centers are designed to keep guests around long after the final whistle.

Most facilities also include viewing areas and a bar. UNLMTD hasn’t said whether the Northeast Side complex will follow a similar format, but we predict a few post-game corks popping. On October 30, the company filed for a wine and beer retailer's license with the TABC.

And the San Antonio spot will have a leg up on its upcoming Austin facility, opening in November. Patrick Mouratoglou, the coach who helped Serena Williams win the 2017 Australian Open, is opening a massive tennis facility next door.

Although it is advertising the San Antonio location on its website, UNLMTD has not yet announced an opening date. An earlier release says it is scheduled to have six new centers open by the end of 2026. Whether San Antonio is one of them is yet to be seen. A rep for the company did not immediately return a request for more information.

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DEEP CUTS

Food Network champ brings Chicago deep dish to San Antonio comedy club

Photo courtesy of Chicago Deep Dish

Food Network camp Mick Brown will launch Pizza & Punchlines on November 12.

Tell us if you’ve heard this one before: A Food Network champ walks into a bar. For chef Mick Brown, the payoff is Pizza & Punchlines, a new stand-up series bringing Chicago-style pizza to San Antonio’s Upstage Comedy Lounge (4441 Walzem Rd.) on November 12.

Brown spent the last decade flirting with celebrity. In 2015, he became the first chef to win the Grill Master title, winning with a burger. He also had a brush with the Bravoverse, catering Katie Maloney and Tom Schwartz’s engagement before Kristen Doute ruined everyone’s appetites.

Now, he has relocated to San Antonio, where he owns a catering company, Chicago Deep Dish. The business is a homecoming of sorts. The chef grew up in the Windy City, but had family in Texas. His great-grandfather was the first Black man to open a barbecue stand in Ennis.

Although his catering outfit is called Deep Dish, Brown pays tribute to both of Chicago’s famous styles. Along with the hefty headline grabber most people associate with the city, he also serves tavern-style pies — the cracker-thin pizzas that predate deep dish by about a decade.

The comedy connection goes beyond alliteration. Chicago’s revered Comedy Bar serves pizza above Gino’s East. And West is a dabbler in the comedic arts, having recently completed an intensive stand-up workshop.

Pizza & Punchlines will be locals' first opportunity to taste West’s pizzas, in this case a smoked barbecue chicken pie with grilled peppers, and a classic spinach pie loaded with mushrooms. But guests are in for more than a tasting. Hill Kane will host a lineup that includes the Toxic Pickle Improv team and regional comics Brendan Picard, Dani W/An Aye, and Clifton Simmons.

Admission at the door is $20, or $35 for two, but there's a better deal for self-starters. Guests who pre-order pizza by noon on Wednesday, November 11, get free admission. In today’s economy, that math is no funny business.

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COMING ATTRACTIONS

Brooklyn-born indoor soccer chain kicks off San Antonio expansion

San Antonio’s beloved holiday market unwraps new downtown home

Beloved East San Antonio coffee house hands keys to new owner

Popular San Antonio barbecue truck opens doors to new brick-and-mortar

DEEP CUTS

Food Network champ brings Chicago deep dish to San Antonio comedy club