When Austin FC named former Manchester City assistant Rodolfo Borrell as their new sporting director this summer, he raved about head coach Josh Wolff. He said he wouldn’t have taken the job if he didn’t like Wolff and felt he aligned with his game model.
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Then Austin ran into a wall down the stretch and it sunk their season.
Still, Borrell offered his stamp of approval on Wolff at a press conference on Tuesday: “As you know I come from some of the best clubs in the world, so I know what I’m talking about when referring to coaches. And I think we have a very good coach.”
The short version: Wolff will remain, but there will be plenty of change to come..
State of the roster
Head coach: Josh Wolff (since 2021)
Chief Soccer Officer: Rodolfo Borrell (since 2023)
The good
Sebastian Driussi is an apex talisman in MLS. When Austin finished second in the West and advanced to the Western Conference final last year, everything was built around the Argentine star. He’s now under contract through 2025 with an option for 2026. Goalkeeper Brad Stuver is an anchor defensively, a big reason why the club overperformed their expected goals in 2022.
Dani Pereira, the former No. 1 overall SuperDraft pick, took a leap last year and remains a strong defensive midfielder. Alex Ring has been successful and productive his entire MLS career. Jon Gallagher had a breakout 2023 at left back, earning an All-Star nod, and Nick Lima is a steady right back.
Austin has one of the league’s most talented young players in midfielder Owen Wolff. The 18-year-old earned starting minutes this year through his play, not because he’s the coach’s son. He’ll either be a valuable piece in 2024 or have been transferred abroad in a lucrative deal, which would give Austin allocation money to continue improving the roster.
The bad
Outside of Driussi, the attack has a ton of questions.
DP winger Emiliano Rigoni has not been a difference-maker in the attack. There were some redundancies between him and Diego Fagundez on the other side, which is part of why the latter was traded to the LA Galaxy at the end of the summer transfer window. Both players like to cut in and receive the ball to feet, meaning both fullbacks had to overlap. That left Austin even more vulnerable in defensive transition.
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Center forwards Gyasi Zardes, Will Bruin and Maxi Urruti combined for 10 goals across 2,760 minutes. That’s not a great return.
The more pressing issue is the defensive third. Austin has conceded 54 goals this year, fourth-worst in MLS; they need a big boost in central defense. Midseason acquisition Matt Hedges was limited to just three starts with the club so far and is starting to show his age (33). His contract is not cheap, with a guaranteed comp of just over $900,000, according to the MLSPA.
What could change
A lot. In fact, it’s already started this season with the trade of fan favorite Fagundez.
Austin has a ton of flexibility, with contract options on high-earners like Ring and Urruti, as well as veterans Bruin, Hector Jimenez and Memo Rodriguez.
Club Olimpia has a purchase option in their loan of Austin defender Jhojan Romana, which will be decided this winter. AC Ajaccio has a purchase option as part of their loan of Austin forward Moussa Djitte, which will be decided next summer.
Austin’s third DP is currently Ring. Even if he returns, they could still add a young DP to this group.
The infrastructure
Q2 Stadium offers one of the best home-field advantages in MLS, and Austin hasn’t been afraid to spend money on the first team, evidenced by a lucrative, long-term contract extension for Driussi after the 2022 season.
Borrell has already revamped the club’s scouting department, which could pay dividends as soon as this winter.
Offseason priorities
Improve the defense
Austin has struggled defensively since their inaugural season. When the goals have gone in, they’ve been much closer to the bottom of the league (2021, 2023) than the top (2022), with similar underlying numbers. Austin’s backline was led by center back Ruben Gabrielsen in 2022. He was sold to Lillestrom in the offseason and has not been properly replaced.
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They can try again this winter, adding to a center back group comprising Hedges, Julio Cascante and Leo Väisänen. Adding another option in defensive midfield behind Pereira if Jhojan Valencia moves on could be useful, too.
Figure out the primary attacking creator
For a team that is committed to playing free-flowing, attacking soccer, Austin doesn’t currently have a singular chance creator in the team.
Rigoni leads Austin in expected assists with 4.82 at time of writing, good for 33rd in MLS. He’s the only Austin FC player in the top 75. The Argentine has been a disappointing signing with just nine goal contributions (5g/4a) across 2,400 minutes over a season and a half in Texas. Driussi is at his best when he’s playing more like a second forward than a No. 10.
Even if the club is convinced Rigoni can step it up next season, they still need another attacking addition to fit with him and Driussi. It just depends on whether the priority is creative (as I’d argue) or a more dynamic winger to pressure defenses and provide more space in the midfield.
Add pace and dynamism to the attack
Austin’s collection of attacking talent is strong in theory, but didn’t quite take off in 2023 because there were a lot of overlapping skills. Driussi and Zardes like to occupy similar spaces in the box. Rigoni and Fagundez both liked the ball to feet and play inverted.
One playstyle they lacked was a direct, dynamic winger to make backlines drop and open more space underneath for the other attackers. Ethan Finlay was the closest, and it earned the 33-year-old more minutes than expected in 2023.
These players don’t always have to cost a DP spot. Ivan Angulo has been very useful for Orlando City, Xande Silva for Atlanta United, Bongokuhle Hlongwane for Minnesota United and Jared Stroud for St. Louis (who spent the previous two years with Austin).
(Photos: Getty Images)