The Verde Report: The Biggest Questions Surrounding Austin FC’s 2024 Season

Austin FC players huddle before a preseason matchup against NYCFC at Q2 Stadium (Courtesy of Austin FC)

Austin FC kicks off its fourth season Saturday when the Verde and Black take on Minnesota United at Q2 Stadium. Coming off a disappointing 12th-place finish in 2023 followed by an offseason of significant roster turnover, the club enters the season with plenty of questions to answer. These are the ones we’ll be paying the closest attention to.

Can El Tree Get Off to a Winning Start?

I don’t care what any coach says: Momentum exists in sports, and winning most certainly is contagious. Take Austin FC’s three prior season-opening matches, for example. Each not only foreshadowed how the ensuing season would unfold, but also set an early tone that permeated through the entire club.

The 2021 season opened with a hard-fought loss at LAFC exposing the then-expansion team’s lack of top-level talent. 2022, on the other hand, kicked off with a 5-0 fireworks display at Q2 Stadium that set the club off and running toward a top-four finish. Then, last season, Kipp Keller’s infamous “own assist” headlined a 3-2 collapse against St. Louis City, putting Austin FC in a hole it never dug itself out of.

Will Josh Wolff’s squad start the year off strong against the Loons on Saturday? History suggests the answer will color the rest of the season.

Will Another Double-Digit Goalscorer Emerge?

Only one player has ever eclipsed the 10-goal mark over an entire season in Austin FC’s history: Sebastián Driussi, who did so in 2022 and 2023. Driussi is a safe bet to lead the team in goals again this season, but the Verde captain needs help if the club is going to seriously compete for a return to the MLS Cup Playoffs.

Driussi’s Argentine countryman and fellow designated player Emiliano Rigoni scored just five goals in his first full MLS season a year ago. It wasn’t enough then, and it certainly won’t be enough this time around. Rigoni will be a featured player in Wolff’s attack once again and needs to prove he can score at a level that justifies his DP wages.

At the striker position, Gyasi Zardes and new signing Diego Rubio have combined for 163 goals in their MLS careers, but both are over 30 and questions linger over how dangerous each can still be in front of goal. Rubio scored 16 goals as recently as 2022 with Colorado, and got on the scoresheet multiple times during the preseason, so there’s particular optimism surrounding the Chilean.

Will Emphasis on Defense Pay Off?

According to Wolff, Austin FC emphasized defense more during this year’s preseason camp than in any prior year, and for good reason. Only three clubs in the entire league gave up more goals last season than the 55 Austin allowed. Any dent ATXFC can put into that total this season will go a long way in reversing the club’s fortunes.

A huge factor will be health and consistency, the absence of which plagued the club throughout 2023. A whopping eight different players lined up at center back during the season due to injuries and roster turnover (if you can name all eight, you’re a certified ATXFC expert) in what Wolff referred to as a “nightmare.”

The return of Žan Kolmanič, plus the late addition of veteran Brendan Hines-Ike to the back line, should help with stability. Another key will be minimizing bad giveaways, which frequently led to opposing scoring chances last season.