Austin FC embarks on 'longest season ever in MLS history'

The first day of preseason training for Austin FC commenced on Monday, meaning different things to players who have been on the journey for the duration. 

Defender Julio Cascante, without his usual center back partner Ruben Gabrielsen in the fold, compared it to the first day of school. 

Brad Stuver, after relating a tale of being stuck in a hotel for a day under Cleveland’s holiday blizzard conditions, called Austin’s temperate conditions and the return to regular practices a “much-needed change.” 

But head coach Josh Wolff, joking that his golf game has gotten worse over the holiday break, brought a focus and awareness about the grind that’s to come over the next 11 months — perhaps with a battle for MLS Cup at the very end of it, after the team fell 90 minutes short of that goal in a memorable 2022. 

“We were pleased with the progress we made from year one, but year three is going to be much more challenging than year two,” Wolff assessed. “We're not sneaking up on anyone. We've obviously had some players leave us. We've had some players come in, so we’re trying to acclimate our players to our ideas, to the city, to our standards and norms … what's now necessary in the coming months.” 

He added, “We want to be a team that's making the playoffs. We want to compete for championships. [There are] four competitions this year: MLS, Open Cup, Leagues Cup and Champions League, so we need depth, we need character, we need a lot from our players and our staff throughout this entire year. It's the longest season ever in MLS history, starting right now and ending in early December, 11 real months of a season which is going to be difficult but we're building depth and quality as well.” 

Stuver expressed his excitement over the possibilities 2023 will afford. “We're excited to be in these competitions, because that means that we did well last year.” 

Referring specifically to the Concacaf Champions League journey that starts next month in Hispaniola, he remarked, “It's another competition for us to try and win a trophy. So I think everyone's really excited to be able to compete for trophies,” before counting down the list of five, including Supporters’ Shield — and then six, if you count the Copa Tejas trophy Verde will defend by virtue of having bested FC Dallas and Houston Dynamo FC in head-to-head competitions last season. 

“We're going to continue to make a few evolutions in our playing structure,” Wolff hinted, “But there's a good core here, and we’ve got to keep building on that. Our staff, coaching players, embrace the challenge, embrace the opportunity, and make the most of it. It’s going to be a long season and we want to be relevant in all four of these competitions.” 

Of course, the team will be tackling the long season without some of the leaders it had last year, most notably Gabrielsen, whose absence Wolff put into perspective on Monday. “We're gonna miss Ruben. Ruben brought such great personality and charisma to this group. He brought an on-field leadership as well as an off-field leadership. So we're going to have to address those things as the season goes.” 

But Wolff’s also excited to see new center back Leo Väisänen in action, still waiting to arrive in the U.S. pending his visa. “We're quite familiar with the player,” Wolff said, alluding to the multi-year scouting Austin’s done before landing him this offseason. 

“He comes at a good age, comes from a good pedigree in his family as well,” Wolff noted, adding that he’s “very technical on the ball, will give us certainly give us some good orientation when we do have the ball and his soccer acumen is quite good. So, orientating and organizing the backline will be something of a strength of his.” 

Of course, Wolff’s also reunited with Gyasi Zardes, the U.S. national team and former Columbus Crew striker who looks to be a big part of Verde’s offense in 2023, and is already wearing the No. 9 befitting a starting center forward. 

“I think, first, he's a fantastic human being,” Wolff said. “That is part of what we're looking for. The selflessness, his energy — he's a goal scorer. He does not get deterred by missing chances and the rhetoric that can come from that he knows what he's good at.”

Indicating that there was mutual interest between the club and Zardes when he became available at the end of this past season, Wolff added, “It's just up to Gyasi now. He took that opportunity and we couldn't be more happy.” 

Zardes, who’s already scored in Q2 Stadium as a U.S. player in the 2021 Gold Cup, is enjoying this phase of the preseason, as he’s typically been in national team camps at this time of year. Recalling that this is his first opening day of preseason with a club since 2015, he noted, “This is my first time to get in with the guys, start building chemistry and also with the coaching staff, you know, start learning principles and style of play, and all that. I'm excited about that portion because it's been a while since I've been able to start with the team from the beginning.” 

The first day brought a mix of old and new first-team players together, along with SuperDraft picks CJ Fodrey (officially contracted with the team by virtue of his Generation Adidas status), Valentin Noel, Jackson Walti and Salvatore Mazzaferro.

Zardes, who was with Colorado in the regular-season finale against Austin last year, got a chance to marvel at the volume and tirelessness of Verde fans first-hand. “It's definitely an atmosphere that's well-known around the league now,” he remarked. “I'm excited to be on the other end of it … being my supporters and not the enemy.” 

Stuver feels that as the preseason and regular season progress, new players like Zardes as well as returning players will emerge to fill leadership and other needs for the team, even if they don’t find like-for-like plug-ins to replicate the ‘22 chemistry. 

“Ruben’s gonna be missed,” Stuver observed. “I mean, his personality is infectious and he definitely had that little bit of fire that you saw on game day. But it's one of those things where every year you're gonna have new players that take on new roles and every player has a different leadership type.” 

“Everyone kind of steps on the field and has a different way on putting themselves out there,” he added, “whether it's screaming, whether it's Felipe stirring the pot,” referring to midfielder Felipe Martins, who moved to Orlando City in the offseason. “It's one of those things where it's good to have a balance and everything, but the pressure is not going to be on any one individual to kind of step up and take that role. It's just more about filling in as a collective group … not every locker room needs to be the same as what it was last year. It's just about being the best we can.”