'We keep growing': An evolving Austin FC faces its first test of 2026
Austin FC head coach Nico Estévez says this team wants to be brave and greedy in 2026. He made the case Thursday that they're readying themselves to be that.
It's been an odd preseason.
It started with all three designated players out injured. By the first week, newly-elevated Under 22 Initiative player Owen Wolff joined them. Also, along the way, we all noticed that fullback Mikkel Desler wasn't all that visible and learned he, too, was dealing with an injury.
Despite that, though, Austin FC head coach Nico Estévez considers the preseason to be moving the team in the right direction.
"I think it was a slow preseason in the way that we had to build it," he assessed in Thursday afternoon's pre-match press conference. "But I think we feel good about the performances that we had against Chicago, and mostly the first half against Kansas [City], until we got the red cards ... from there, we feel like, with this full week to prepare the game, we arrive in the conditions as we arrived last year to compete."
He went on to address the team's positional flexibility, which Estévez most notably tested this preseason by deploying fullback Joseph Rosales as a winger.
"It's important that when you build a roster, in this case, and the job that [sporting director] Rodo[lfo Borrell] did, and he knows the league very well, and knows how important it is to have a profile of players that can play in different positions, can adapt to different roles ... And I think in this league, it's really important, because usually with the budget restrictions, you don't have a large roster, and then you have to have players that can play in multiple roles and in multiple positions.
"And you could see ... based also on player availability, how we've moved players around in different positions or roles, and they've been adapting really well," he added. "We need to feel like we're making progress, that we are improving, that we are getting better. And I think from the beginning of the preseason and how we finish the preseason, we saw that improvement, and we saw glimpses of what we want to see during this MLS season."
Despite having a good deal of continuity from last season in personnel, there are enough new players and new ideas to highlight for Estévez how every season is different.
"We also tried different ways to attack and to find ways to be more vertical, be more brave, be more courageous in front of the opponent's box," he observed. "And these sometimes they take time ... because the players are not fully fit. And when scoring goals, it can get more difficult. But on the other hand, [we] made some adjustments on the defensive side, on the defensive transition ... And then, while we were improving that, we were seeing the team was more stable ... adapting to new teammates and adapting to a style of play that we're building together in a way that we can get the best out of every player."
That includes Facundo Torres, with the opportunity to be a transformative player for Verde — and perhaps the most prolific goal contributor the team's had since Sebastián Driussi's landmark 22-goal, seven-assist season in 2022.
"First of all, he's a competitor," Estévez said. "He trains really hard, competes really hard, and he's a leader. Even though he's a young player, he's a leader in the in the locker room, he gets along with every teammate, pushes everyone, and I think that you're going to see that on the field. You're going to see a player who is very proactive, moving to get the ball, moving to create a goal in scoring opportunities."
He added that Torres "defends hard and takes responsibility into the field, and I think that is really important, and it's something that we were looking for, for the team."
Bringing the team together for the Coachella Valley Invitational was important as well — not only for the three matches in eight days against MLS competition, but for the retreat-like quality of a week and a half in Palm Springs, where as we learned from Dani Pereira in his recent North End Podcast interview, groups of players were clustered together in villas.
"The time that we spent in Coachella is really important, and because the players are 24 hours together, and the setup that we had in the preseason. also helps a lot to create that bond, because the guys can can be together for long periods of time," Estévez shared. "What we saw in preseason is a group, a very united group, that wants to to do great things for the club and for the fans."
Adding that players like Myrto Uzuni and Robert Taylor missed out on 2025's preseason, he added, "Because when you feel more united to the group, when you feel that you have the back of your brother next to you, I think you perform better. You also know your teammate better. You talk about things. You know, my movements, what I like, where I like to receive the ball, and all these things."
He also made clear that he has a vision for the 2026 edition of the team.
"We talk about things that we want to be. We want to be a brave team. We want to be courageous in the way that we attack. We want to be a team that is difficult to break, a team that is relentless, that is intense, that is greedy. And we want to be a team that [for] everyone that is watching, you feel proud about it, and then we just want to feel proud ourselves of who we are, and make our fans feel proud of what they're seeing on the field."
An update on Owen
Midfielder Owen Wolff will be conspicuously absent from the opening day match, having undergone surgery at the start of preseason to repair a sports hernia.
"He's recovering more slowly than we expected. We expected him training with the team this week, but it's taking a little bit longer [with] this type of injury, from one week to another, he can change everything, because your body starts responding, not having pain, and then you can start doing more and more and more things very quickly. Then we're waiting that he can make that click.
"Hopefully next week he can feel better and then he can join the team at the end of the week, something that we don't have to rush," he added. "We have to take the time that he needs ... as soon he doesn't feel that restriction on pain inside, he will be flying back to the team."
Mikkel Desler, who has dealt with an injury all preseason, joins Wolff and Brandon Vázquez on the "out" list for this weekend.
Hearing from Jayden
Jayden Nelson was the player chosen to speak before media on Thursday, and shared his perspective on the villas at Coachella — he was part of Pereira's group.
"It's been nice, especially being in Coachella with the guys. I was in the Latino villa. I don't speak much Spanish, but I got to connect with those guys. And sometimes it's hard to come into a team with a lot of Spanish-speaking guys, and I was able to adapt and build good connections with those guys.
"So yeah, all in all, it's a good group of guys, a hungry group. And yeah, it's been pretty easy to integrate with the squad ... it's kind of night and day when you look at the facilities that we have here compared to like Vancouver ... so we have everything here that we need to succeed. So it's been really good so far.
"We're together for X amount of time," he added. "So it's kind of easy to build connections. You're going to be talking every day, we see each other, we wake up, we eat breakfast together ... So it's not just the connection on the pitch, but off the field. We're not only speaking about football, so we're able to build actual, genuine connections, and it just translates to the pitch. So it was great to have that little time together."
He's also thrilled to be on the home squad, as opposed to the visiting one, for Q2 matchups.
"For me, it was always difficult coming out here," he shared. "The fan base is really good. They're really loud ... So it was always difficult, especially with the heat and everything. It wasn't a place that you want to come to, and now that I'm here, we want to continue that. So it's going to be nice seeing the fans again on Saturday and be able to get my debut. And, yeah, I'm really excited for it."
Though Austin may not have the same level of success as Vancouver did last year — that team, after all, won a Canadian Championship and made it to MLS Cup — Nelson indicated that being in multiple competitions last year has helped him prepare for this year. He also indicated he's not alone in being ready.
"We had a lot of tournaments and whatnot, and what we had to lean on was everyone had to be ready," he said, recalling 2025. "So that's kind of the same mentality here, whether you're with the second team or the first team, whether you're not starting or starting. Everyone has to take care of their bodies and whatnot. And when your name is called upon, you have to be ready to contribute. So that's the biggest thing, in a long season like this, where there are so many games and so many possibilities of injuries and things like that, so just everyone being locked in and being able to contribute when their name is called."
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 sporting director Rodolfo Borrell held court on Tuesday to discuss moves made and moves deferred. He also boasted of record GAM for two international spots artfully dealt.
It's been an odd preseason.
It started with all three designated players out injured. By the first week, newly-elevated Under 22 Initiative player Owen Wolff joined them. Also, along the way, we all noticed that fullback Mikkel Desler wasn't all that visible and learned he, too, was dealing with an injury.
Despite that, though, Austin FC head coach Nico Estévez considers the preseason to be moving the team in the right direction.
"I think it was a slow preseason in the way that we had to build it," he assessed in Thursday afternoon's pre-match press conference. "But I think we feel good about the performances that we had against Chicago, and mostly the first half against Kansas [City], until we got the red cards ... from there, we feel like, with this full week to prepare the game, we arrive in the conditions as we arrived last year to compete."
He went on to address the team's positional flexibility, which Estévez most notably tested this preseason by deploying fullback Joseph Rosales as a winger.
"It's important that when you build a roster, in this case, and the job that [sporting director] Rodo[lfo Borrell] did, and he knows the league very well, and knows how important it is to have a profile of players that can play in different positions, can adapt to different roles ... And I think in this league, it's really important, because usually with the budget restrictions, you don't have a large roster, and then you have to have players that can play in multiple roles and in multiple positions.
"And you could see ... based also on player availability, how we've moved players around in different positions or roles, and they've been adapting really well," he added. "We need to feel like we're making progress, that we are improving, that we are getting better. And I think from the beginning of the preseason and how we finish the preseason, we saw that improvement, and we saw glimpses of what we want to see during this MLS season."
New ideas, new people
Despite having a good deal of continuity from last season in personnel, there are enough new players and new ideas to highlight for Estévez how every season is different.
"We also tried different ways to attack and to find ways to be more vertical, be more brave, be more courageous in front of the opponent's box," he observed. "And these sometimes they take time ... because the players are not fully fit. And when scoring goals, it can get more difficult. But on the other hand, [we] made some adjustments on the defensive side, on the defensive transition ... And then, while we were improving that, we were seeing the team was more stable ... adapting to new teammates and adapting to a style of play that we're building together in a way that we can get the best out of every player."
That includes Facundo Torres, with the opportunity to be a transformative player for Verde — and perhaps the most prolific goal contributor the team's had since Sebastián Driussi's landmark 22-goal, seven-assist season in 2022.
"First of all, he's a competitor," Estévez said. "He trains really hard, competes really hard, and he's a leader. Even though he's a young player, he's a leader in the in the locker room, he gets along with every teammate, pushes everyone, and I think that you're going to see that on the field. You're going to see a player who is very proactive, moving to get the ball, moving to create a goal in scoring opportunities."
He added that Torres "defends hard and takes responsibility into the field, and I think that is really important, and it's something that we were looking for, for the team."
Bringing the team together for the Coachella Valley Invitational was important as well — not only for the three matches in eight days against MLS competition, but for the retreat-like quality of a week and a half in Palm Springs, where as we learned from Dani Pereira in his recent North End Podcast interview, groups of players were clustered together in villas.
"The time that we spent in Coachella is really important, and because the players are 24 hours together, and the setup that we had in the preseason. also helps a lot to create that bond, because the guys can can be together for long periods of time," Estévez shared. "What we saw in preseason is a group, a very united group, that wants to to do great things for the club and for the fans."
Adding that players like Myrto Uzuni and Robert Taylor missed out on 2025's preseason, he added, "Because when you feel more united to the group, when you feel that you have the back of your brother next to you, I think you perform better. You also know your teammate better. You talk about things. You know, my movements, what I like, where I like to receive the ball, and all these things."
He also made clear that he has a vision for the 2026 edition of the team.
"We talk about things that we want to be. We want to be a brave team. We want to be courageous in the way that we attack. We want to be a team that is difficult to break, a team that is relentless, that is intense, that is greedy. And we want to be a team that [for] everyone that is watching, you feel proud about it, and then we just want to feel proud ourselves of who we are, and make our fans feel proud of what they're seeing on the field."
An update on Owen
Midfielder Owen Wolff will be conspicuously absent from the opening day match, having undergone surgery at the start of preseason to repair a sports hernia.
"He's recovering more slowly than we expected. We expected him training with the team this week, but it's taking a little bit longer [with] this type of injury, from one week to another, he can change everything, because your body starts responding, not having pain, and then you can start doing more and more and more things very quickly. Then we're waiting that he can make that click.
"Hopefully next week he can feel better and then he can join the team at the end of the week, something that we don't have to rush," he added. "We have to take the time that he needs ... as soon he doesn't feel that restriction on pain inside, he will be flying back to the team."
Mikkel Desler, who has dealt with an injury all preseason, joins Wolff and Brandon Vázquez on the "out" list for this weekend.
Hearing from Jayden
Jayden Nelson was the player chosen to speak before media on Thursday, and shared his perspective on the villas at Coachella — he was part of Pereira's group.
"It's been nice, especially being in Coachella with the guys. I was in the Latino villa. I don't speak much Spanish, but I got to connect with those guys. And sometimes it's hard to come into a team with a lot of Spanish-speaking guys, and I was able to adapt and build good connections with those guys.
"So yeah, all in all, it's a good group of guys, a hungry group. And yeah, it's been pretty easy to integrate with the squad ... it's kind of night and day when you look at the facilities that we have here compared to like Vancouver ... so we have everything here that we need to succeed. So it's been really good so far.
"We're together for X amount of time," he added. "So it's kind of easy to build connections. You're going to be talking every day, we see each other, we wake up, we eat breakfast together ... So it's not just the connection on the pitch, but off the field. We're not only speaking about football, so we're able to build actual, genuine connections, and it just translates to the pitch. So it was great to have that little time together."
He's also thrilled to be on the home squad, as opposed to the visiting one, for Q2 matchups.
"For me, it was always difficult coming out here," he shared. "The fan base is really good. They're really loud ... So it was always difficult, especially with the heat and everything. It wasn't a place that you want to come to, and now that I'm here, we want to continue that. So it's going to be nice seeing the fans again on Saturday and be able to get my debut. And, yeah, I'm really excited for it."
Though Austin may not have the same level of success as Vancouver did last year — that team, after all, won a Canadian Championship and made it to MLS Cup — Nelson indicated that being in multiple competitions last year has helped him prepare for this year. He also indicated he's not alone in being ready.
"We had a lot of tournaments and whatnot, and what we had to lean on was everyone had to be ready," he said, recalling 2025. "So that's kind of the same mentality here, whether you're with the second team or the first team, whether you're not starting or starting. Everyone has to take care of their bodies and whatnot. And when your name is called upon, you have to be ready to contribute. So that's the biggest thing, in a long season like this, where there are so many games and so many possibilities of injuries and things like that, so just everyone being locked in and being able to contribute when their name is called."
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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