If you’re a new fan of Austin FC, or lost touch with the club in the offseason, welcome! You’re in the right place.
The 2022 MLS season is quickly approaching. Year two of ATXFC starts on Feb. 26, much earlier than last year due to a little soccer event called the FIFA World Cup Qatar™.
Before we tell you everything you need to know ahead of the second season, there are a some key things to understand about last season.
It didn’t go like they drew it up. The benchmark for a successful inaugural year was a playoff berth, according to head coach Josh Wolff. Instead the club ended last season second to last in the standings with a 9W-21L-4D record.
Why? The defense collapsed. Roster depth was nonexistent. Scoring was inconsistent. Fitness. Injuries. And on, and on.
(So that you don’t think we’re all doom and gloom, there were a lot of good things that happened too. Seventy-four of them by our count.)
That brings us back to the point of this post. We’re going to catch you up on everything that happened in the offseason that will make this team a playoff contender in 2022 (hopefully!).
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Austin FC’s first match of 2022
Offseason roster moves
Austin FC’s front office made a bunch of roster changes during the offseason. Contract options to re-sign five players were declined, two players on loan were sent back to their clubs, and a player was straight up waived.
But, the club also picked up new players in free agency and drafted a few promising college players.
Here’s the short version of what happened over several months during the offseason.
- Contract options declined: Kekuta Manneh, Aaron Schoenfeld, Brady Scott, Aedan Stanley, Jared Stroud, and Ben Sweat. (The club ended up re-signing Jared Stroud.)
- Loan transfers not exercised: Sebastian Berhalter and Manny Perez
- Players waived: Ulises Segura
- Loans exercised: Tomás Pochettino
- Free agency signings: Ethan Finlay, Maxi Urruti, Ruben Gabrielsen, Felipe Martins
- Players drafted: Kipp Keller, Charlie Asensio, and Michael Knapp
To get the blow-by-blow account of all the roster moves, check out our offseason roster updates and player rumors tracker for Austin FC.
2022 Austin FC roster
The Bright Verde have done significant work to reshape its defense, as well as add key pieces in the midfield and attacking positions.
Here’s what the full roster looks like going into the 2022 season.
FORWARDS (6): Moussa Djitté (International, U22 Initiative), Sebastián Driussi (International, Designated Player), Jon Gallagher (Supplemental), Danny Hoesen, Rodney Redes (U22 Initiative), Maxi Urruti
MIDFIELDERS (10): Cecilio Domínguez (International, Designated Player), Diego Fagundez, Ethan Finlay, Hector Jimenez, Felipe Martins (Supplemental), Daniel Pereira (Supplemental, Generation Adidas, International), Alex Ring (Designated Player), Jared Stroud, Jhojan Valencia (International), Owen Wolff (Homegrown)
DEFENDERS (7): Charlie Asensio (Supplemental), Julio Cascante, Freddy Kleemann (Supplemental), Kipp Keller (Generation Adidas, Supplemental), Žan Kolmanič (U22 Initiative), Nick Lima, Jhohan Romaña, Ruben Gabrielsen (International)
GOALKEEPERS (4): Damian Las (Homegrown), Will Pulisic (Supplemental), Brad Stuver, Andrew Tarbell
In addition, the club as one more open roster spot it can use to acquire a player, or get one on loan, before the trade window closes once the season starts.
Predicted Austin FC lineup
Now that we know the full roster, we can guess how the Starting XI may look going into the first match.
Key offseason player acquisitions Gabrielsen, Valencia, and Urruti make an immediate impact on the pitch in our view, replacing younger players that have less professional soccer experience.
New player numbers were announced for the 2022 season and there were some notable changes. Moussa Djitté and Sebastián Driussi switched to No. 2 and No. 7, respectively. Brad Stuver is fittingly No. 1. Dani Pereira and Žan Kolmanič also changed numbers.
Austin’s newest offseason signings also have their assigned numbers: Ruben Gabrielsen (No. 4), Jhojan Valencia (No. 5), Damian Las (No. 12), Ethan Finlay (No. 13), Kipp Keller (No. 15), and Maxi Urruti (No. 37).
Key Austin FC dates in 2022
There’s a lot to like about Austin FC’s schedule in year two of their MLS campaign.
Take a look.
We can count the number of weekday games on one hand: one Tuesday match, three Wednesday matches, and one Thursday match. (That one Friday match against LAFC in August is a bona fide weekend in our book.) That makes the brutal short-rest, midweek matches few and far between this season.
ATXFC plays eight teams (Eastern conference) for the first time ever: FC Cincinnati, Inter Miami CF, Orlando City SC, NY Red Bulls, D.C. United, CF Montréal, Charlotte FC, Atlanta United FC. Three of these teams were in the 2021 playoffs.
With a more balanced out-of-conference schedule this year, Copa Tejas derby matches will be limited to two games apiece against Texas rivals Houston Dynamo and FC Dallas.
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How to watch Austin FC games
Austin FC has a total of 17 home games for the 2022 MLS season.
Of these games, 13 take place on a weekend; only four matches occur during the week (one is on a Friday).
New to the schedule this season, the club faces several Eastern conference foes for the very first time, including Inter Miami (March 6), Orlando City (May 22), and New York Red Bulls (July 24).
Games against in-state rivals include FC Dallas (June 25) and Houston Dynamo (July 12). Note: we play each of these Texas teams only one time at home this year.
It wasn’t easy, but we picked our five must-see home games for 2022.
Check out the complete 2022 Austin FC game schedule with all home and away dates.
Get $20 off your first purchase of single match tickets through Austin FC’s official ticketing partner SeatGeek by using code CAPCITYSOCCER.
The CW Austin is the flagship English language television station of the club and will broadcast most of Austin’s games this season. For regional matches The CW Austin channel doesn’t carry, KBVO will air them. (KXAN dropped off the broadcast schedule in 2022.)
Eight Austin FC regular season games will be broadcast nationally (ESPN, FS1, Univision, and UniMás) with another 26 featuring regional broadcasts.
A total of 26 matches (19 KNVA and 7 KBVO) will be televised on the following OTA channels. (Scroll down to view the full game broadcast schedule.)
- The CW Austin (KNVA): Channel 54.1
- KBVO: Channel 27
Cable channel numbers for CW Austin: AT&T (1012), Spectrum (12), DIRECTV (54), Grande (812), and DISH Network (54).
Univision is the official Spanish-language broadcast and radio partner of Austin FC. Univision’s local stations—Univision 62 (KAKW) and UniMás Austin (KTFO)—will broadcast or stream every regional game in Spanish.
Check out more about how to watch Austin FC on TV or streaming.
There are plenty of places to watch a match with fellow Verde fans. Besides the official Austin FC Pub Club bars and restaurants, we compile a whole list soccer-friendly viewing venues in the ATX metro area.
Supporters Groups also regularly host watch parties and pre-game tailgates at venues in Q2 stadium’s backyard, including Hopsquad Brewing (Los Verdes), Circle Brewing (Austin Anthem), 4th Tap Brewing (Oak Army NB), and Turnstile (Fighting Leslies DC).
Find out more about the impressive number of local breweries around Q2 Stadium.
Just the basics: an Austin FC FAQ
- What does FC stand for in Austin FC? In soccer, “FC” is an English acronym that stands for “Football Club.”
- When was the club founded? October 12, 2018
- When was the team’s very first game? Austin FC played its first MLS match on April 17, 2021, against LAFC at Banc of California Stadium.
- Does Austin FC have a stadium? Called Q2 Stadium, it’s located in North Austin at 10414 McKalla Place 78758 and holds 20,738 fans.
- Where does the team train? St. David’s Performance Center serves as the official training facility of Austin FC, a 23-acre complex located in Northeast Austin.
- Who owns Austin FC? Austin FC is owned by Two Oak Ventures, which is led by CEO Anthony Precourt. Other investing partners include Matthew McConaughey, Eduardo Margain, Marius Haas, Bryan Sheffield, David Kahn, and Toby Neugebauer.
- What are the club’s primary colors? bright verde (green in English), black, and white. Bright Verde HEX COLOR is #00B140; Black HEX COLOR is #000000.
- How many professional sports teams are in Austin? One. Austin FC is the first top-division major professional sports team in the city.