Austin FC brings in USYNT defender Chris Applewhite on loan from Nashville SC
Chris Applewhite featured for the USYNT U-20 team at this summer's Concacaf championship. He'll get a chance to get minutes under interim head coach Davy Arnaud as well as head-coach-in-waiting Jim Curtin.
Austin FC has a new center back — for now, and possibly for the long term.
The club officially announced that Chris Applewhite, a U.S. youth national team center back who is part of a loaded-at-center-back Nashville SC team, will arrive on loan through June 2027 (with a purchase option), in exchange for $50,000 in 2026 General Allocation Money.
The move comes on the final day of the summer transfer window — a window defined by the exits of Owen Wolff and Jayden Nelson, plus the loan of CJ Fodrey — and while it doesn't bring the roster closer to compliance, as Applewhite will be occupying a supplemental roster spot rather than a senior one, it does give interim head coach Davy Arnaud another option for his three center back formation.
"Chris is a highly rated prospect at the center back position and we’re excited to welcome him to Austin,” Arnaud said by way of press release. “He is coming off an excellent tournament with the U.S. U-20 team, and we hope to foster his continued development within our environment over the next year.”
Applewhite, who turned 19 last month, captained the U-20s during the recent Concacaf U-20 Championship, reaching the final before succumbing to Mexico, 2-0. He had five appearances in MLS matches last season, plus two U.S. Open Cup matches, and has yet to appear in a match this season, largely due to injury battles.
Ben Wright of SixOneFive Soccer, knower of all things Nashville SC, shared thoughts with us.
"First off, he's a great kid. Hard to believe he's only just turned 19 when you talk to him," he said. "Really solid physically, good with the ball at his feet. He's not the fastest player and needs to clean up his positioning in some situations, but I think at minimum he projects to be a very solid career MLSer, with potential to develop into more ... I'd be surprised if Nashville want to lose him, but he really needs minutes."
Applewhite is a high-upside young player with first-team potential, but needs regular minutes to develop. He's too good to play in MLS NEXT Pro and is capable of regular MLS minutes, but hasn't been able to break into a Nashville SC backline on pace for one of the best defensive seasons in MLS history, with players like Maxwell Woledzi, Jeisson Palacios, Jack Maher and Thomas Williams ahead of him.
In Austin, Applewhite will get a chance to work with head coach Jim Curtin, who will take the full-time job in December. Curtin was the head coach of the Philadelphia from 2014 to 2024, under whom current Nashville SC head coach BJ Callaghan began his professional career as an assistant. Curtin is widely viewed as one of the best developers of young talent in MLS.
Applewhite likely won't be activated for Austin's upcoming match on Saturday against San Jose, but is theoretically available.
Also, at Nashville, he wore No. 33 — theoretically available with Wolff gone, though league rules typically limit a number to one player per year regardless of midseason transfers.
Verde All Day is a reader-supported online publication covering Austin FC. Additional support is provided by Austin Telco Federal Credit Union. For more coverage, check out Emergency Podcast! (an Austin FC Podcast) wherever you get your podcasts.
Oleksandr Svatok was put into the Austin FC match against Portland in the final minutes to preserve a victory. Instead, he had to dig deep and score a goal in order to reclaim one.
Currently, Portland Timbers FC sit right above the playoff line. But one writer familiar with the team and the season it's had thinks they will finish even better.
Khaled El-Ahmad was announced as Austin FC's chief soccer officer on Tuesday. That got us thinking about what could be, and so we got our typing fingers working.
Austin FC has a new center back — for now, and possibly for the long term.
The club officially announced that Chris Applewhite, a U.S. youth national team center back who is part of a loaded-at-center-back Nashville SC team, will arrive on loan through June 2027 (with a purchase option), in exchange for $50,000 in 2026 General Allocation Money.
The move comes on the final day of the summer transfer window — a window defined by the exits of Owen Wolff and Jayden Nelson, plus the loan of CJ Fodrey — and while it doesn't bring the roster closer to compliance, as Applewhite will be occupying a supplemental roster spot rather than a senior one, it does give interim head coach Davy Arnaud another option for his three center back formation.
"Chris is a highly rated prospect at the center back position and we’re excited to welcome him to Austin,” Arnaud said by way of press release. “He is coming off an excellent tournament with the U.S. U-20 team, and we hope to foster his continued development within our environment over the next year.”
Applewhite, who turned 19 last month, captained the U-20s during the recent Concacaf U-20 Championship, reaching the final before succumbing to Mexico, 2-0. He had five appearances in MLS matches last season, plus two U.S. Open Cup matches, and has yet to appear in a match this season, largely due to injury battles.
Ben Wright of SixOneFive Soccer, knower of all things Nashville SC, shared thoughts with us.
"First off, he's a great kid. Hard to believe he's only just turned 19 when you talk to him," he said. "Really solid physically, good with the ball at his feet. He's not the fastest player and needs to clean up his positioning in some situations, but I think at minimum he projects to be a very solid career MLSer, with potential to develop into more ... I'd be surprised if Nashville want to lose him, but he really needs minutes."
Wright's article added:
Applewhite is a high-upside young player with first-team potential, but needs regular minutes to develop. He's too good to play in MLS NEXT Pro and is capable of regular MLS minutes, but hasn't been able to break into a Nashville SC backline on pace for one of the best defensive seasons in MLS history, with players like Maxwell Woledzi, Jeisson Palacios, Jack Maher and Thomas Williams ahead of him.
In Austin, Applewhite will get a chance to work with head coach Jim Curtin, who will take the full-time job in December. Curtin was the head coach of the Philadelphia from 2014 to 2024, under whom current Nashville SC head coach BJ Callaghan began his professional career as an assistant. Curtin is widely viewed as one of the best developers of young talent in MLS.
Applewhite likely won't be activated for Austin's upcoming match on Saturday against San Jose, but is theoretically available.
Also, at Nashville, he wore No. 33 — theoretically available with Wolff gone, though league rules typically limit a number to one player per year regardless of midseason transfers.
Verde All Day is a reader-supported online publication covering Austin FC. Additional support is provided by Austin Telco Federal Credit Union. For more coverage, check out Emergency Podcast! (an Austin FC Podcast) wherever you get your podcasts.
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