Austin FC’s roster, ahead of their MLS expansion season in 2021, stood at just two players as mid-December rolled around.
Now, after the 2020 MLS Expansion Draft, a blockbuster trade for defensive midfielder Alex Ring and a handful of other trades of varying profiles, they’re at 12 additions.
It’s been a busy week for sporting director Claudio Reyna, and things aren’t expected to slow down anytime soon. The weeks before their first MLS game are ticking away, and there’s two Designated Player slots available, a bevy of Targeted Allocation Money at their disposal and the 2021 MLS SuperDraft, among other roster-building avenues.
“We certainly have those two additions to make,” Reyna said on Extratime of Austin’s two other DP slots. “We want to add some more pieces, of course, in midfield. We feel that [we need] more players there. More quality, really. I think we have some opportunities for players with TAM that we're going to use TAM on. Obviously our two DPs, we got the college draft after that with the number one pick that we think we'll have a really good player that we're able to add.”
Watch: Claudio Reyna discusses Austin's roster build on Extratime
Austin’s already spent one DP spot on Cecilio Dominguez, a Paraguayan winger who’s been on loan at Club Guarani in his home country. The Primera Division side has also served as the temporary landing spot for Rodney Redes, another attacker, before he joins Austin FC.
Then there’s MLS-proven contributors like Ring and outside back Nick Lima, who were respectively acquired via trade from New York City FC and the San Jose Earthquakes for what could climb to a combined $1.75 million in General Allocation Money, both of the guaranteed and performance-based variety.
As players continue to come in, Reyna’s working in concert with the entire technical department to chart Austin’s inaugural MLS roster.
“Right now, today, we feel good. But right now, here in the offices, we're continuing to look ahead and add more quality to the team,” Reyna said. “It's a mix of experienced players and certainly some younger players. I think that's also something you'll see, is that we're going to add some younger players into the team as well. It's really exciting. I've mentioned in a few other interviews that the enthusiasm for players wanting to come to Austin, to Austin FC has been amazing. We're excited about the opportunity to bring some exciting players for our supporters.”
The construction process is geared toward charting on-field success in year No. 1, with Reyna’s background as former NYCFC sporting director giving him a sense of what lies ahead. They’ll look to make the Audi MLS Cup Playoffs, but it’s also about credibility and establishing the club.
“You're always, from game to game, adjusting. But to be able to sit back and when you play a team and feel really confident that you can get a result home or away is, for me, puts me at ease and gives me a lot of confidence,” Reyna said. “I think it’s just the credibility of us as a team and the respect. You know when you have it. My time in New York, internally with your colleagues, in terms of the teams you're facing and when you play each other, you just have that respect because you know that you have a good team or you're facing a good team. I think that's for us, internally, when we're in this world, when you compete, when you play, you get the respect of your peers and other clubs and taken seriously as a club that's not going to be easy to beat.”
For more from Reyna, check out the entire Extratime episode here.
