2026 Austin FC season

Last updated

Austin FC
2026 season
Austin FC wordmark green.svg
Chairman Anthony Precourt
Head coach Nico Estévez
Stadium Q2 Stadium
Average home league attendance0
←  2025
2027  →

The 2026 season will be Austin FC's sixth season in Major League Soccer, the top flight of soccer in the United States. They play in the league's Western Conference. In addition the MLS play, Austin will also compete in the U.S. Open Cup and Leagues Cup.

Contents

Background

Austin FC started playing in the MLS Western Conference in 2021, finishing in 12th place with a record of 9W-4D-21L. [1] 2022 brought many new experiences for Austin FC. They lost their first ever U.S. Open Cup match against San Antonio FC in extra time, [2] won their first derby trophy, the Copa Tejas, [3] and qualified for their first-ever MLS Cup Playoffs in just their second season as a franchise. [4] Austin FC advanced to the Western Conference Finals but lost to LAFC. [5] Austin FC fell almost all the way to the bottom of the 2023 standings, with the team finishing in 27th place in Major League Soccer. The new sporting director Rodolfo Borrell was quoted as saying "The team overachieved last year, the team underachieved this year", but showed his support for coach Josh Wolff as the team looks to rebuild for the 2024 season. [6] At the end of the 2024 season, and after back-back seasons without reaching the MLS playoffs, Austin FC release their first ever coach Josh Wolff, having an interim coach for the final game of the season. [7] In November 2025, Austin announced Nico Estévez as the second coach for the franchise. [8] 2025 saw Austin advance to the finals of the 2025 U.S. Open Cup, falling to Nashville SC 2–1 at home, [9] and one month later qualify for their second every MLS Cup playoffs, [10] before falling in the first round to Los Angeles FC. [11]

Summary

Pre-season

Prior to the completion of the 2025 MLS playoffs, Austin FC announced they would participate in the 2026 Coachella Valley Invitational, the third year in a row participating in this pre-season tournament. [12] On November 24, 2025, Austin announced they had signed Ervin Torres to a homegrown contract through the 2028 season with two one-year options. He becomes the third player from the Austin FC Academy to sign a homegrown contract. [13] One day later, Austin announced their end–of–season roster decisions. The club denied the options for Julio Cascante, Jimmy Farkarlun, and Diego Rubio while exercising the options for Stefan Cleveland, Dani Pereira, and Riley Thomas. Brendan Hines-Ike's option was automatically trigger based on performance statistics from the 2025 season. Austin also signed Ilie Sánchez to a new contract for the 2026 season with a one-year option. With these decisions, Austin is left with two open slots on the senior roster as they build for the 2026 Major League Soccer season. [14]

Management team

PositionName
Chairman Flag of the United States.svg Anthony Precourt
Sporting DirectorFlag of Spain.svg Rodolfo Borrell [15]
Head coach Flag of Spain.svg Nico Estévez [8]
Assistant coach Flag of the United States.svg Davy Arnaud
Assistant coach Flag of Spain.svg Alberto González [16]
Assistant coach Flag of Spain.svg Nico Bosch [16]
Goalkeeping Coach Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Cameron Sauro [16]

Roster

As of November 25,2025. [17]

No.NameNationalityPosition(s)Date of birth (age)Signed inPrevious clubAppsGoals
Goalkeepers
1 Brad Stuver Flag of the United States.svg GK April 16, 1991 (age 34)2020 Flag of the United States.svg New York City FC 00
12 Damian Las Flag of the United States.svg GK April 11, 2002 (age 23)2022 Flag of England.svg Fulham F.C. 00
30 Stefan Cleveland Flag of the United States.svg GK May 25, 1994 (age 31)2024 Flag of the United States.svg Seattle Sounders FC 00
Defenders
2Riley Thomas Flag of the United States.svg DF March 15, 2002 (age 23)2025 Flag of the United States.svg Austin FC II 00
3 Mikkel Desler Flag of Denmark.svg DF February 19, 1995 (age 30)2024 Flag of France.svg Toulouse FC 00
4 Brendan Hines-Ike Flag of the United States.svg DF November 30, 1994 (age 30)2024 Flag of the United States.svg D.C. United 00
5 Oleksandr Svatok Flag of Ukraine.svg CB September 27, 1994 (age 31)2024 Flag of Ukraine.svg SC Dnipro-1 00
17 Jon Gallagher Flag of Ireland.svg LB/RB February 23, 1996 (age 29)2020 Flag of the United States.svg Atlanta United FC 00
23 Žan Kolmanič Flag of Slovenia.svg LB March 3, 2000 (age 25)2021 Flag of Slovenia.svg Maribor 00
29 Guilherme Biro Flag of Brazil.svg LB May 2, 2000 (age 25)2024 Flag of Brazil.svg Mirassol 00
35 Mateja Djordjevic (U22) [a] Flag of Serbia.svg DF July 17, 2003 (age 22)2025 Flag of Serbia.svg FK TSC 00
Midfielders
6 Ilie Sánchez Flag of Spain.svg MF November 21, 1990 (age 35)2025 Flag of the United States.svg Los Angeles FC 00
8 Daniel Pereira (GA) Flag of Venezuela.svg MF July 14, 2000 (age 25)2021 Flag of the United States.svg Virginia Tech Hokies 00
14 Besard Šabović Flag of Sweden.svg MF January 5, 1998 (age 27)2025 Flag of Sweden.svg Djurgårdens 00
16 Robert Taylor Flag of Finland.svg MF October 21, 1994 (age 31)2025 Flag of the United States.svg Inter Miami CF 00
20 Nicolás Dubersarsky (U22) [a] Flag of Argentina.svg MF December 21, 2004 (age 20)2025 Flag of Argentina.svg Instituto 00
32 Micah Burton (HG) Flag of the United States.svg MF March 26, 2006 (age 19)2024 Flag of the United States.svg Austin FC II 00
33 Owen Wolff (HG) Flag of the United States.svg MF December 30, 2004 (age 20)2020 Flag of the United States.svg Austin FC Academy 00
38Ervin Torres (HG) Flag of the United States.svg MF November 14, 2007 (age 18)2025 Flag of the United States.svg Austin FC II 00
Forward
7 Jáder Obrian Flag of Colombia.svg FW May 18, 1995 (age 30)2024 Flag of the United States.svg FC Dallas 00
9 Brandon Vázquez Flag of the United States.svg FW October 14, 1998 (age 27)2025 Flag of Mexico.svg C.F. Monterrey 00
10 Myrto Uzuni (DP) Flag of Albania.svg FW May 31, 1995 (age 30)2025 Flag of Spain.svg Granada 00
11 Osman Bukari (DP) Flag of Ghana.svg FW December 13, 1998 (age 26)2024 Flag of Serbia.svg Red Star Belgrade 00
19 CJ Fodrey (GA) Flag of the United States.svg FW February 10, 2004 (age 21)2023 Flag of the United States.svg San Diego State 00

Transfers


Out

DatePositionNo.NameToTypeFeeRef.
November 25, 2025DF18 Flag of Costa Rica.svg Julio Cascante Declined contract optionN/A [14]
FW26 Flag of Liberia.svg Jimmy Farkarlun Declined contract optionN/A [14]
FW21 Flag of Chile.svg Diego Rubio Declined contract optionN/A [14]


MLS Re-Entry Draft picks

2024 Austin FC Re-Entry Picks
RoundSelectionPlayerPositionTeamNotesRef.
117
217 (47)

MLS SuperDraft picks

2025 Austin FC SuperDraft Picks
RoundSelectionPlayerPositionCollegeNotesRef.
117
217 (47)
317 (77)

New contracts

DatePos.No.PlayerContract untilRef.
November 25, 2025MF6 Flag of Spain.svg Ilie Sánchez 2026 + 1yr option [14]


Competitive fixtures

Overall record

CompetitionFirst matchLast matchStarting roundFinal positionRecord
PldWDLGFGAGDWin %
MLS regular season February 21, 2026November 7, 2026Matchday 1TBD000000+0!—
U.S. Open Cup TBDTBDTBDTBD000000+0!—
MLS playoffs TBDTBDTBDTBD000000+0!—
Total000000+0!—

Last updated: November 25, 2025
Source: Soccerway

Major League Soccer Regular Season


Matches

WinDrawLoss
MatchdayDateOpponentVenueLocationResult [a] ScorersAttendanceRefereePosition
1February 21 Minnesota United FC Q2 Stadium Austin, Texas
2March 1 D.C. United Q2 Stadium Austin, Texas
3March 7 Charlotte FC Bank of America Stadium Charlotte, North Carolina
4March 14 Real Salt Lake America First Field Sandy, Utah
5March 21 Los Angeles FC Q2 Stadium Austin, Texas
6April 4 Inter Miami CF Miami Freedom Park Miami, Florida
7April 11 LA Galaxy Q2 Stadium Austin, Texas
8April 18 Toronto FC BMO Field Toronto, Canada
9April 22 San Jose Earthquakes PayPal Park San Jose, California
10April 25
Copa Tejas 		Houston Dynamo FC Q2 Stadium Austin, Texas
11May 3 St. Louis City SC Q2 Stadium Austin, Texas
12May 10 Minnesota United FC Allianz Field Saint Paul, Minnesota
13May 13 San Diego FC Snapdragon Stadium San Diego, California
14May 16 Sporting Kansas City Q2 Stadium Austin, Texas
15May 23 St. Louis City SC Energizer Park St. Louis, Missouri
16July 22 Seattle Sounders FC Q2 Stadium Austin, Texas
17July 25
Copa Tejas 		Houston Dynamo FC Shell Energy Stadium Houston, Texas
18August 1 Colorado Rapids Dick's Sporting Goods Park Commerce City, Colorado
19August 15
Copa Tejas 		FC Dallas Q2 Stadium Austin, Texas
20August 19 Seattle Sounders FC Lumen Field Seattle, Washington
21August 22 Philadelphia Union Q2 Stadium Austin, Texas
22August 29 Portland Timbers Providence Park Portland, Oregon
23September 5 San Jose Earthquakes Q2 Stadium Austin, Texas
24September 9 Colorado Rapids Q2 Stadium Austin, Texas
25September 13 Vancouver Whitecaps FC BC Place Vancouver, Canada
26September 19
Copa Tejas 		FC Dallas Toyota Stadium Frisco, Texas
27September 26 San Diego FC Q2 Stadium Austin, Texas
28October 10 Nashville SC Q2 Stadium Austin, Texas
29October 14 Los Angeles FC BMO Stadium Los Angeles, California
30October 17 Vancouver Whitecaps FC Q2 Stadium Austin, Texas
31October 24 Sporting Kansas City Children's Mercy Park Kansas City, Kansas
32October 28 Real Salt Lake Q2 Stadium Austin, Texas
33October 31 LA Galaxy Dignity Health Sports Park Carson, California
34November 7 Portland Timbers Q2 Stadium Austin, Texas
  1. ↑ Austin FC's score written first


Statistics

Appearances and goals

Numbers after plus–sign (+) denote appearances as a substitute.

No.PosNatPlayerTotal MLS USOC Leagues Cup
AppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
1 GK Flag of the United States.svg  USA Brad Stuver 000+000+000+00
3 DF Flag of Denmark.svg  DEN Mikkel Desler 000+000+000+00
4 DF Flag of the United States.svg  USA Brendan Hines-Ike 000+000+000+00
5 DF Flag of Ukraine.svg  UKR Oleksandr Svatok 000+000+000+00
6 MF Flag of Spain.svg  ESP Ilie Sánchez 000+000+000+00
7 FW Flag of Colombia.svg  COL Jáder Obrian 000+000+000+00
8 MF Flag of Venezuela (state).svg  VEN Daniel Pereira 000+000+000+00
9 FW Flag of the United States.svg  USA Brandon Vázquez 000+000+000+00
10 FW Flag of Albania.svg  ALB Myrto Uzuni 000+000+000+00
11 MF Flag of Ghana.svg  GHA Osman Bukari 000+000+000+00
14 MF Flag of Sweden.svg  SWE Besard Šabović 000+000+000+00
16 MF Flag of Finland.svg  FIN Robert Taylor 000+000+000+00
17 FW Flag of Ireland.svg  IRL Jon Gallagher 000+000+000+00
19 MF Flag of the United States.svg  USA CJ Fodrey 000+000+000+00
20 MF Flag of Argentina.svg  ARG Nicolás Dubersarsky 000+000+000+00
23 DF Flag of Slovenia.svg  SVN Žan Kolmanič 000+000+000+00
29 DF Flag of Brazil.svg  BRA Guilherme Biro 000+000+000+00
30 GK Flag of the United States.svg  USA Stefan Cleveland 000+000+000+00
32 MF Flag of the United States.svg  USA Micah Burton 000+000+000+00
33 MF Flag of the United States.svg  USA Owen Wolff 000+000+000+00
35 DF Flag of Serbia.svg  SRB Mateja Djordjevic 000+000+000+00
38 MF Flag of the United States.svg  USA Ervin Torres000+000+000+00

Top scorers

RankPositionNumberNameMLSUSOCLeagues CupTotal
10000
Total0000

    Top assists

    RankPositionNumberNameMLSUSOCLeagues CupTotal
    10000
    Total0000

      Clean sheets

      RankNumberNameMLSUSOCLeagues CupTotal
      10000
      Total0000

      Disciplinary record

      No.Pos.PlayerMLSUSOCLeagues CupTotal
      Yellow card.svgYellow card.svg Yellow-red card.svgRed card.svgYellow card.svgYellow card.svg Yellow-red card.svgRed card.svgYellow card.svgYellow card.svg Yellow-red card.svgRed card.svgYellow card.svgYellow card.svg Yellow-red card.svgRed card.svg
      1 GK Flag of the United States.svg Brad Stuver 000000000000
      3 DF Flag of Denmark.svg Mikkel Desler 000000000000
      4 DF Flag of the United States.svg Brendan Hines-Ike 000000000000
      5 DF Flag of Ukraine.svg Oleksandr Svatok 000000000000
      6 MF Flag of Spain.svg Ilie Sánchez 000000000000
      7 FW Flag of Colombia.svg Jáder Obrian 000000000000
      8 MF Flag of Venezuela.svg Daniel Pereira 000000000000
      9 FW Flag of the United States.svg Brandon Vázquez 000000000000
      10 FW Flag of Albania.svg Myrto Uzuni 000000000000
      11 MF Flag of Ghana.svg Osman Bukari 000000000000
      14 MF Flag of Sweden.svg Besard Šabović 000000000000
      16 MF Flag of Finland.svg Robert Taylor 000000000000
      17 DF Flag of Ireland.svg Jon Gallagher 000000000000
      19 MF Flag of the United States.svg CJ Fodrey 000000000000
      20 MF Flag of Argentina.svg Nicolás Dubersarsky 000000000000
      23 LB Flag of Slovenia.svg Žan Kolmanič 000000000000
      29 DF Flag of Brazil.svg Guilherme Biro 000000000000
      30 GK Flag of the United States.svg Stefan Cleveland 000000000000
      32 MF Flag of the United States.svg Micah Burton 000000000000
      33 MF Flag of the United States.svg Owen Wolff 000000000000
      35 DF Flag of Serbia.svg Mateja Djordjevic 000000000000
      38 MF Flag of the United States.svg Ervin Torres000000000000
      Total000000000000


      References

      1. ↑ "Conference Standings | MLSsoccer.com". Major League Soccer. Archived from the original on November 12, 2025. Retrieved November 24, 2025.
      2. ↑ "San Antonio FC vs. Austin FC". ESPN.com. ESPN. Archived from the original on October 31, 2022. Retrieved November 24, 2025.
      3. ↑ "Copa Tejas". Copa Tejas. Retrieved November 24, 2025.
      4. ↑ Wright, Ben (September 15, 2022). "Austin FC clinch first-ever playoff berth: "We can make it as far as we want"". Major League Soccer. Archived from the original on October 31, 2022. Retrieved November 24, 2025.
      5. ↑ Gates, Billy (October 30, 2022). "Austin FC falls 3-0 to LAFC in MLS Western Conference finals". KXAN-TV . Archived from the original on November 17, 2023. Retrieved November 24, 2025.
      6. ↑ Vertuno, Jim (October 10, 2023). "Coach Josh Wolff still part of Austin FC future as club tries to rebound after disappointing season". Associated Press . Archived from the original on November 17, 2023. Retrieved November 24, 2025. The team overachieved last year, the team underachieved this year
      7. ↑ "Austin FC Parts Ways with Head Coach Josh Wolff". Austin FC. October 6, 2024. Retrieved November 25, 2025.
      8. 1 2 "Austin FC Announces Nico Estévez as Club's New Head Coach". Austin FC. October 25, 2024. Retrieved October 24, 2025.
      9. ↑ "Nashville SC Crowned 2025 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Champions for First Trophy in Club History". United States Soccer Federation. October 1, 2025. Retrieved November 25, 2025.
      10. ↑ Gordon, Colby (October 6, 2025). "Did Austin FC qualify for the MLS playoffs due to another result Sunday?". Austin American-Statesman. Retrieved November 25, 2025.
      11. ↑ "Match Report: Austin FC vs. LAFC | Nov. 2, 2025 | Austin FC". Austin FC. November 2, 2025. Retrieved November 25, 2025.
      12. ↑ "Austin FC to Take Part in 2026 Coachella Valley Invitational | Austin FC". Austin FC. October 15, 2025. Retrieved November 25, 2025.
      13. ↑ austinfc (November 24, 2025). "Austin FC Signs Ervin Torres to Homegrown Contract | Austin FC". Austin FC. Retrieved November 25, 2025.
      14. 1 2 3 4 5 "Austin FC Announces Roster Decisions Ahead of 2026 Season | Austin FC". Austin FC. November 25, 2025. Retrieved November 25, 2025.
      15. ↑ "Rodolfo Borrell Joins Austin FC As Sporting Director". Austin FC. June 30, 2023. Archived from the original on June 30, 2023. Retrieved November 25, 2025.
      16. 1 2 3 "Austin FC Announces Additions to Coaching Staff Ahead of 2025 Season". Austin FC. December 16, 2024. Retrieved November 25, 2025.
      17. ↑ "Club – Players". AustinFC .com. Retrieved November 25, 2025.
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