Austin FC 2022 MLS Season Preview: Key Players and Prediction

When a club debuts in MLS they undoubtedly face a colossal challenge: to keep up with the other teams already battling to be among the elite and reach the Playoffs. 

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Austin FC signs experienced forward Maxi Urruti

Unfortunately for Austin FC and its coach Josh Wolff in his first year as the head of the club, the Green and Black fell far short of the Playoffs, so this season they will try to improve their performance. 

In fact, the club has already made valuable additions to its roster, which already boasts the likes of striker Diego Fagundez and winger Cecilio Dominguez, in an attempt to improve their goal tally. 

It should be remembered that in the 2021 campaign, the team was in second to last place in the general table of the Western Conference, scoring only 35 goals, compared to the 56 they conceded. 

Therefore, it is time to review Austin FC's preview and get to know their key players for MLS 2022 to get an idea of how they could fare in the tournament. 

Austin FC transfer activity

Players In

D - Zan Kolmanic (11/19/21 - transfer from NK Maribor)

F - Ethan Finlay (12/20/21 - signed as free agent)

F - Maxi Urruti (12/28/21 - signed as a free agent)

D - Kipp Keller (1/11/22 - Generation adidas)

M - Jhojan Valencia (1/13/22 - transfer from Deportivo Cali)

D - Ruben Gabrielsen (1/24/22 - signed from Toulouse FC)

GK - Damian Las (1/25/22 - transfer from Fulham)

M - Felipe Martins (2/7/22 - signed as a free agent)

Players out

F - Kekuta Manneh (11/30/21 - option declined)

F - Aaron Schoenfeld (11/30/21 - option declined)

GK - Brady Scott (11/30/21 - option declined)

D - Aedan Stanley (11/30/21 - option declined)

D - Matt Besler (11/30/21 - retired)

M - Sebastian Berhalter (11/30/21 - loan expired)

M - Manny Perez (11/30/21 - loan expired)

F - McKinze Gaines (12/14/21 - selected in Expansion Draft)

M - Tomas Pochettino (1/10/22 - loan to River Plate)

M - Ulises Segura (1/25/22 - buyout)

Austin FC Key Players

Maxi Urruti

With 238 regular-season appearances, 60 goals, and 37 assists in his time as a player with Toronto FC, Portland Timbers, FC Dallas, CF Montréal, and Houston Dynamo, Urruti arrives to bring experience to the team's 31-year-old attack.

The Argentine striker arrives at the club to provide goals, but above all to give the Texan club something that was sorely lacking in the 2021 campaign: depth in attack. It is worth remembering that with the Dynamo, Urruti scored seven goals and registered four assists in 30 appearances (25 as a starter) in 2021.

Therefore, this player could be the missing piece in the club's attack, which cannot continue to depend on Cecilio Domínguez for this task, a player who will now face the pressure of doubling his efforts with the arrival of Urruti. 

Ruben Gabrielsen

The main problem for the Verde y Negro in the 2021 campaign was the defense, which allowed them to score more than 50 goals in a season, so it was urgent to address this area with new signings. 

We are talking about a player with experience in the Europa League and who before coming to Major League Soccer played for F. C. Copenhagen, but who reached his peak when he played for Toulouse FC, where he played in the second most important international club tournament in Europe. 

With his 6'4" frame and leadership skills, his arrival is expected to turn the Texan club's goalkeeper from an open invitation for goals into the impenetrable wall that Austin FC fans deserve. 

Jhojan Valencia

Perhaps the key element in the Texan club's roster, as he is a pure defensive midfielder, who will need to apply a scrappy, skillful defense that will allow the club's midfield to stop being a running track for opponents.

The 25-year-old Valencia arrives from Deportivo Cali, which won the Colombian league title in 2021. He is likely to join club captain and DP Alex Ring at the base of Josh Wolff's midfield.

As such, this is expected to be the gear Austin FC's machinery was missing to take the prominence they need in Major League Soccer.

Austin FC Season Prediction

Josh Wolff survived his first year in MLS, showing that the club's management has faith in him and believes in his approach to the game, which relies on a strengthened midfield and for the 2022 campaign, a more solid defense. 

Therefore, it is expected that with the aforementioned players, plus the talent of Cecilio Domínguez, Diego Fagundez, and the interventions of Maxi Urruti, the club will be able to have the attacking axis that was so lacking in the 2021 campaign. 

And if this attacking axis connects well with the defensive line of Ruben Gabrielsen, Julio Cascante, and goalkeeper Brad Stuver, we could be talking about a team ready to compete in the Playoffs. 

When a club knows exactly what it needs to make the next big leap, it's often the case that if it prepares for it, it can achieve its goal. 

And with Wolff's vision and his new additions, we could be looking at a team ready to surprise the other clubs in the league, with a leap that takes them from the 12th place they occupied in 2021, to 5 or 4, with which they could start dreaming about the Playoffs. 

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