'I want more goals also': Preparing a more positionally flexible and attacking Austin FC
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.
Rest assured, if you are distressed at any point in the upcoming Austin FC season about the team not scoring enough goals, there's a head coach who's right there with you.
"The fans are really smart, because they think the same as me," said Austin FC head coach Nico Estévez in a light-hearted moment during Thursday's media availability. "I want more goals also. They know I'm gonna die on the sideline with a heart attack, you know? I mean, I want them more than them, trust me, but it's a process."
He then went on to say that building up the defense in 2025 was a priority, perceiving that a defense that allowed 55 goals in 2023 and 48 goals in 2024 held Verde back in those years of failing to make the playoffs.
(For the record, Austin FC improved that tally with 45 goals allowed in 2025 — though with a negative goal differential for the third straight year.)
"First, we had to find a way to make the playoffs, because it was a need for the fans," Estévez said. "It was a need for the club, for the players, for everyone here. And this is what I felt then, what I tried to do last year, is how we build a team that can make the playoffs. Then, after that ... throughout the year, we built a really good style of play.
"And besides the beginning of the year, if you look at our numbers, from June to the end of the season, on the offensive side, [we were] in the average of the league. It's not in the lower part of the league, it's not in the highest, but it's not there. Obviously, we want to improve, and this is our focus this preseason, is being on how we want to be,"
"We can be more vertical and score more goals," he added, conceding that the team played "too horizontal" at times last year.
'Quality enough to play every position'
One key offseason addition, Joseph Rosales, is expected by many to slot in as the starting left back, but Estévez indicated he might also find minutes higher up the pitch.
"Rosales has quality enough to play in every position," Estévez said. "He has special qualities to adapt to different positions. Now ... we're missing players in the front, and we're using him as a winger, and he's adapting very well. And that position, there in the back line, coming inside to link up play ... he feels very comfortable in those situations, serving balls, shooting from the outside the box. This give us a lot of flexibility, having players like him that can play in different positions."
That's especially needed given the club's recent spate of injuries and illnesses.
Owen Wolff is recovering from sports hernia surgery, and Estévez indicated that he may be ready to at least appear off the bench in Verde's Feb. 21 opener, likely missing no more than the first few matches of the season should recovery take longer than anticipated.
Estévez sees Wolff as, in 2026, having "a really important role, playing inside, playing wide, being an attacking player. Also,in moments where we need a more offensive mindset, playing in the midfield, and having an extra attacker on the field. I think his role is going to be important for the team."
Meanwhile, Myrto Uzuni is still being held out of practice as he recovers from an injury, possibly missing as many as the first three preseason matches, through the end of January. Additionally, Dani Pereira is currently out with the flu.
"We're using the qualities of players like [Rosales] to see how he can do it," Estévez added. "And to be honest, he's doing a pretty good job."
'He played a good game'
The most recently battle-tested Austin FC player is Jayden Nelson, who got in 81 minutes for Canada's "Camp Poutine" exhibition match against Guatemala on Jan. 17 in L.A.
"He played a lot of minutes for a first game," Estévez said. "We were thankful that he's not injured. He's fit, but you can see that he's recovering. We had to adjust his load this week. We gave him a couple days off just to recover a little bit. And then when he came in, we took him out from some exercises just to make sure that he can arrive well to the game [Friday].
"He had moments for a first game, after a long time not playing in a preseason game, not being fully fit," Estévez said of Nelson's start with Les Rouges. "He had moments there where he made the difference in the attacking side, and other moments ... as you know, in the preseason, you have to keep growing."
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.
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.
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.
Rest assured, if you are distressed at any point in the upcoming Austin FC season about the team not scoring enough goals, there's a head coach who's right there with you.
"The fans are really smart, because they think the same as me," said Austin FC head coach Nico Estévez in a light-hearted moment during Thursday's media availability. "I want more goals also. They know I'm gonna die on the sideline with a heart attack, you know? I mean, I want them more than them, trust me, but it's a process."
He then went on to say that building up the defense in 2025 was a priority, perceiving that a defense that allowed 55 goals in 2023 and 48 goals in 2024 held Verde back in those years of failing to make the playoffs.
(For the record, Austin FC improved that tally with 45 goals allowed in 2025 — though with a negative goal differential for the third straight year.)
"First, we had to find a way to make the playoffs, because it was a need for the fans," Estévez said. "It was a need for the club, for the players, for everyone here. And this is what I felt then, what I tried to do last year, is how we build a team that can make the playoffs. Then, after that ... throughout the year, we built a really good style of play.
"And besides the beginning of the year, if you look at our numbers, from June to the end of the season, on the offensive side, [we were] in the average of the league. It's not in the lower part of the league, it's not in the highest, but it's not there. Obviously, we want to improve, and this is our focus this preseason, is being on how we want to be,"
"We can be more vertical and score more goals," he added, conceding that the team played "too horizontal" at times last year.
'Quality enough to play every position'
One key offseason addition, Joseph Rosales, is expected by many to slot in as the starting left back, but Estévez indicated he might also find minutes higher up the pitch.
"Rosales has quality enough to play in every position," Estévez said. "He has special qualities to adapt to different positions. Now ... we're missing players in the front, and we're using him as a winger, and he's adapting very well. And that position, there in the back line, coming inside to link up play ... he feels very comfortable in those situations, serving balls, shooting from the outside the box. This give us a lot of flexibility, having players like him that can play in different positions."
That's especially needed given the club's recent spate of injuries and illnesses.
Owen Wolff is recovering from sports hernia surgery, and Estévez indicated that he may be ready to at least appear off the bench in Verde's Feb. 21 opener, likely missing no more than the first few matches of the season should recovery take longer than anticipated.
Estévez sees Wolff as, in 2026, having "a really important role, playing inside, playing wide, being an attacking player. Also,in moments where we need a more offensive mindset, playing in the midfield, and having an extra attacker on the field. I think his role is going to be important for the team."
Meanwhile, Myrto Uzuni is still being held out of practice as he recovers from an injury, possibly missing as many as the first three preseason matches, through the end of January. Additionally, Dani Pereira is currently out with the flu.
"We're using the qualities of players like [Rosales] to see how he can do it," Estévez added. "And to be honest, he's doing a pretty good job."
'He played a good game'
The most recently battle-tested Austin FC player is Jayden Nelson, who got in 81 minutes for Canada's "Camp Poutine" exhibition match against Guatemala on Jan. 17 in L.A.
"He played a lot of minutes for a first game," Estévez said. "We were thankful that he's not injured. He's fit, but you can see that he's recovering. We had to adjust his load this week. We gave him a couple days off just to recover a little bit. And then when he came in, we took him out from some exercises just to make sure that he can arrive well to the game [Friday].
"He had moments for a first game, after a long time not playing in a preseason game, not being fully fit," Estévez said of Nelson's start with Les Rouges. "He had moments there where he made the difference in the attacking side, and other moments ... as you know, in the preseason, you have to keep growing."
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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