At the Whistle: Austin FC 0, NYCFC 2; Preseason means nothing
If you like watching Austin FC take shots and score goals, this was not the game for you. But it's still preseason, and key offensive players are still missing.
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If you like watching Austin FC take shots and score goals, this was not the game for you. But it's still preseason, and key offensive players are still missing.
Facundo Torres says he's joined a good team he wants to make better and will play whenever his coach tells him to. Yes, that ticks a lot of Boy Scout boxes.
2024's co-leader in goals had a much less productive 2025. But rather than move him to a new team, Austin FC had to use a roster mechanism allowing the club to release him.
Some Austin FC fans have been clamoring for a true heliocentric chance creator. There's an argument to be made that the club already has one.
Austin FC started the 2026 preseason with a scoreless draw against San Antonio. But then it announced one of its most consequential player signings ever.
On Thursday, Austin FC head coach Nico Estévez touted new arrival Joseph Rosales as being positionally flexible. Which is good, given the current injury-riddled Verde attack.
Last year, Austin FC sporting director Rodolfo Borrell famously said, "We have no GAM." MLS just revealed that, compared to the rest of the league, Verde's situation hasn't improved much.
A sports hernia is not the same thing as a hernia, and that's good. But it's still sidelining Owen Wolff for what's optimistically estimated at four to six weeks.
Is Facundo Torres coming to Austin FC? And does that make sense given who got brought in during the offseason so far?
In his prime, James was a star with few parallels in world soccer. We're quite a bit past that prime, though.
Brandon Vázquez was a participant in Monday's practice. Three players key to Verde's 2026 success were not.
We know Austin FC's six opponents for the preseason now ... and you can see one of those live in Austin. Also, Dani Pereira will continue to be Verde through most of his twenties.