Austin FC compete in the Western Conference of Major League Soccer and hail from Austin, Texas. The franchise was awarded in 2018, formally founded in 2019, and kicked off in 2021 with strong ownership behind it from day one. Steve wrote the first version of this piece in early 2023, when the club was barely two seasons old. The history below holds up; we have dated the stats to the period they cover.
Home matches are played at Q2 Stadium, an ultra-modern, soccer-specific facility that quickly became the talk of MLS for its design and matchday experience.
The fans arrived fast, too. An expansion side with a packed stadium and real expectations from year one is rare in any league, and Austin managed it.
History of Austin FC
Austin FC gave a city long unrepresented in top-flight American soccer its own MLS team. Austin had tasted professional soccer before through Austin Aztex FC and Austin Bold FC, but never at MLS level, which made the 2021 debut season in the Western Conference a genuine first for the city.
Who founded Austin FC?
Anthony Precourt was behind the inception of Austin FC. An accomplished entrepreneur, Precourt previously held the ownership reins of Columbus Crew SC, another MLS club. Through his Two Oak Ventures investment group, he brought top-flight soccer to the capital of Texas and gave the region a new reason to fall for the game.
Andy Loughnane, the club's launch-era president
Andy Loughnane ran the business side of Austin FC through its launch years as club president, covering everything from community outreach to ticketing and marketing, with a background honed in the NBA, NHL and MLS. Under his leadership the club sold out every home match in 2021 and produced one of the best expansion seasons in professional sports history, leading MLS in merchandise sales and ranking second in sponsorship sales. The club was even nominated for Sports Business Journal's Sports Team of the Year award.
Q2 Stadium
Q2 Stadium is the heart of Austin FC. The 20,500-seat, soccer-specific ground opened in June 2021 and immediately ranked among the top soccer venues in the country, with premium seating, strong food and drink options, and a design inspired by Austin's culture and history that keeps the atmosphere tight and loud.
Fans and culture
Austin FC's fans are a vibrant, passionate bunch who turn every home match into an event. With a deep love for their city and their team, they bring an energy to Q2 Stadium that makes home games genuinely difficult for visitors. Through fan groups, community events and a sea of green on matchday, singing and cheering from the first whistle, they became integral to the club's identity almost immediately.
The club leans into that culture: a strong commitment to the city of Austin, a welcoming attitude built on diversity, inclusivity and community, and a focus on innovation and sustainability off the pitch. Having played in front of crowds of a few hundred in Malta, I will just say this: a 20,000-seat expansion stadium selling out every week is not normal, and the players feel it.
Austin FC key individuals
Notable early signings
Austin FC built its first rosters around a mix of young talent and seasoned pros, and several of those early signings made their mark quickly. Rodney Redes, a young Paraguayan forward signed from Club Guarani, brought quickness and technical ability on the ball. Danny Hoesen, a Dutch forward, added experience from his time in the Netherlands and in MLS. Ulises Segura, a Costa Rican midfielder, arrived with a proven MLS track record from D.C. United. The strategy was clear from the start: develop young players, surround them with pros, and build a team for the long run rather than a splashy first season.
The club's first head coach
As a young club, Austin FC does not have a long managerial history. Josh Wolff took charge for the inaugural 2021 MLS season, bringing a wealth of experience as a player and coach, including a stint as an assistant with the US Men's National Team.
Austin FC record breakers
All figures in this section are as of February 2023, when this piece was first written. For current numbers, use the live club page linked at the end.
All-time top scorers
Argentine attacking midfielder Sebastián Driussi joined Austin FC as a designated player in 2021, having made his professional debut for River Plate in the Argentine Primera División. He scored his first goal for the club in a 3-1 win over the Portland Timbers and went on to become the first Austin FC player to reach 10 goals, hitting the milestone in a comeback win at D.C. United. He was the face of the team through those first seasons. Per our platform data he has since returned to River Plate.
| Player | Goals |
|---|---|
| Sebastian Driussi | 30 |
| Diego Fagundez | 14 |
| Maximilian Urruti | 09 |
| Cecilio Dominguez | 09 |
| Alexander Ring | 08 |
All-time top assist providers
Diego Fagúndez, an Uruguayan attacking midfielder born in Montevideo, came up through the New England Revolution academy after moving to Massachusetts as a kid. He signed with Austin FC in 2021 and made a memorable debut, scoring the franchise's first-ever goal, the winner in a 1-0 victory over Minnesota United, and was named Man of the Match in the club's first home game. He became a fan favorite almost overnight.
| Player | Assists |
|---|---|
| Diego Fagundez | 18 |
| Sebastian Driussi | 09 |
| Diego Rossi | 07 |
| Latif Blessing | 05 |
| Mark-Anthony Kaye | 05 |
Most all-time appearances
As of early 2023, Fagúndez also led the club's appearance charts. Usually deployed as a left-winger, he was comfortable on either side of a three-pronged attack.
| Player | Appearances |
|---|---|
| Diego Fagundez | 71 |
| Alexander Ring | 68 |
| Julio Cascante | 67 |
| Jon Gallagher | 63 |
| Daniel Pereira | 59 |
Most expensive transfers
Driussi tops this list too. He made his debut on 7 August 2021 against FC Dallas, coming on as a 62nd-minute substitute in a 2-0 defeat, an inauspicious start for what became the club's best signing of the era.
| Name | Club from | Club to | Fee |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sebastian Driussi | Zenit S-Pb | Austin FC | $6.4 mn |
| Emiliano Rigoni | São Paulo | Austin FC | $3.64 mn |
| Rodney Redes | Guarani | Austin FC | $2.5 mn |
| Tomas Pochettino | CA Talleres | Austin FC | $2.27 mn |
| Cecilio Dominguez | Independiente | Austin FC | $2.27 mn |
Austin FC's legacy so far
Austin FC made a real impact on MLS in a very short time: a committed ownership group, a stadium the league envies, and early on-field success that established them as a team not to be trifled with. What the first seasons showed is a club with the potential to keep inspiring and exciting its fans for years, a symbol of the city's love for the game. The foundations for a lasting legacy in Texas are clearly there.
Austin FC today
The stats above are a snapshot of the club's first two seasons. The squad has turned over plenty since then, which is exactly why we built the platform: our Austin FC club page carries live squad ratings, fixtures and transfer news, updated from current data rather than frozen in 2023. If you want to know who is actually leading the line for Austin this season, start there.