Austin FC sporting director Rodolfo Borrell talked on Tuesday about what a lot of fans are thinking about — how to remake a roster that both Borrell and head coach Josh Wolff say needs to be remade, when most of the team (as Borrell noted Tuesday) includes “people with contracts, with different lengths of contract, with contract guarantees.”
As we explored back in August for just this juncture, seven players are free agents, and six of them have option years in their contract, meaning Austin FC can either pick up the player’s option for 2024, let the player walk entirely, or terminate the current contract and negotiate a new contract to cover 2024 and possibly beyond.
After Verde’s last two matches, we’ve heard from a pair of those free agents — both of them respected league veterans known for putting a hand up and being accountable for bad moments as well as good.
Ethan Finlay, the only one of the seven whose contract expires after the 2023 season entirely, wants to be back, but knows it’s not entirely up to him.
“We'll figure that out as time goes on,” Finlay said after the Oct. 7 loss after LAFC, noting that he’ll “let my representatives and the club take care of it.”
“But when I came here two years ago, I had intentions of being part of a winning club,” he noted. “And I think we showed that last year. This year has been a disappointment to not make the playoffs and to fall short of being competitive and in several tournaments. So, while that's disappointing, I really do think this is a club, when you look around the league and you talk to players specifically, that has a lot going for it.”
Finlay also remarked that, as the end of the season nears, players are motivated to perform in part to be included in the front office’s future plans — indicating that Austin FC players will be giving it their all in the Oct. 21 season finale, even though they’re eliminated from playoff contention.
“You gotta be a professional. I mean, shit, you just asked me about being a free agent. There's contracts at stake. There's plenty of players that are going to be in similar situations where they have options. And even if you have a guaranteed contract, if I’ve ever learned anything in this league, you can be moved, right?
