Year 3 could be blast or bust as Austin FC chases MLS title

Normally, Austin would then slide into a new season full of confidence to live up to expectations that it could be in contention for the title again.

But this season also brings with it the uncertainty of upheaval in the front office as former athletic director Claudio Reyna is linked to a controversy surrounding US soccer.

Reyna used his international football connections to build Austin’s first squad from scratch during the pandemic, then quickly molded him into a title contender. He has now been moved to the ‘technical adviser’ role, which the club has yet to define.

That leaves coach Josh Wolff with a lot to deal with.

“Last year’s success was confirmation of what the second year gave these guys from an emotional point of view, from a qualitative point of view, but it’s also a big mark on the back,” said Wolff. “We have to come back and perform.”

Driussi clearly feels he has more work to do. The Argentine forward finished second in MLS with 22 goals last season and wants more. He also signed a new contract keeping him with the team until 2025 with an option for 2026.

“Improving would mean becoming MVP and winning the Golden Boot,” said Driussi, the player with the most goals in the regular season.

“What is needed this year? Austin raises a trophy,” said Driussi. “That would be something very special for me.”

With Zardes, 31, having scored 97 goals in his career, the field could open even wider for Driussi to score. Austin is his fourth MLS club.

“Early last year we thought we were a good team. Maybe we surprised some teams, I think that probably happened. Now… expectations will be different,” said midfielder Ethan Finley. “He knows how to score goals in this league.”

But Zardes is just a new member of the lineup. Austin had to provide defensive help after giving up 49 goals last season, the most among the top three teams in the Western Conference. That included a 3-0 loss to LAFC in the conference finals.

“We scored a lot of goals last year,” said Finley. “[But]probably gave up more than we’d like to.”

To back him up, Austin signed Egyptian free agent Amro Tarek, who previously had five seasons in MLS, most recently with the New York Red Bulls from 2019-2021.

“Red Bull have a certain DNA that they look for in their players from a physical point of view. Speed, athleticism, power will be there,” said Wolff. “A little extra heat, a little more bite in the (defense) is a good thing. He brings that.”

That’s the stuff on the field. Adjusting to the changes in the front office amid the aftermath of Reyna’s clash with US men’s national team coach Gregg Berhalter could be more difficult.

Reyna and his wife Danielle complained to the US Soccer Association about their son Gio’s lack of playing time at the World Cup. Danielle Reyna told them about an incident in 1991 in which Berhalter had kicked a woman who later became his wife, Rosalind Santana Berhalter, who was Danielle’s college roommate. The USSF retained the law firm Alston & Bird to investigate, and the investigation is ongoing.

Shortly after this rift became public, Austin announced that Reyna would no longer be the team’s athletic director. The club didn’t say whether the move was directly related to the controversy.

Now, Wolff and Director of Players’ Personnel, Sean Rubio, will manage the roster, player development and the team’s salary cap in the pursuit of the championship.

“The leadership in the building is strong,” said Wolff, stressing that his relationship with Reyna was not broken.

Reyna, Berhalter and Wolff have a long history together.

Reyna and Berhalter were teammates on the US national team and Wolff was an assistant to Berhalter on the national team and Columbus Crew in the MLS. Reyna hired Wolff as the head coach at Austin. The club even signed Berhalter’s son Sebastian in 2021, but he was not signed after one season.

“I’ve been friends with Claudio for a long time and I assume it will stay that way,” said Wolff. “I respect Claudio’s decision and we must continue like him.”

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