The news that Verde All Day's been waiting for dropped Friday morning: Austin FC is rolling the dice on Jorge Alastuey.
The club, in signing the 23-year-old midfielder to a contract with an unusual pairing of roster spots attached — supplemental plus international — has committed to him for this second half of the 2026 season with options for the 2027 sprint season (comprising 14 matches plus playoffs) and the 2027-28 season.
“I’m very happy to sign a contract with the first team and I want to thank the club, and all my coaches and teammates, for their support and belief in me,” said Alastuey via press release. “I got a first taste of what MLS is like in making my debut earlier this season, and I’m hungry to keep improving and to help the team achieve its goals this season.”
Indeed he got just a taste in the two matches he appeared in as a short-term call-up (per MLS' limiting second-team-to-first-team rostering rules), playing 31 minutes as a sub at Real Salt Lake in a 2-1 loss (and on the field when the final decisive goal was scored), and then starting in a 5-1 loss at San Jose (with the bottom falling out about 10 minutes after his 66th-minute sub out for Mikkel Desler, with his team tied 1-1).
Whether he'll get significant minutes in this second half of the season depends on interim head coach Davy Arnaud and the tactics he'll employ. This move corresponding with Nicolás Dubersarsky's loan to Argentina's Tigre means that Alastuey could be relied on to take midfield minutes Dubersarsky would have had — except that Dubersarsky's a different type of midfielder, decidedly more of a defensive 6, while Alastuey can play as an 8, higher up as a 10, or as a wide playmaker as he effectively did in his lone start this season.
