AUSTIN, TX – May 03: Austin FC forward Christian Ramirez (left) gets past St Louis City SC defender Dante Polvara (21) during MLS game between St Louis City SC and Austin FC on May 3, 2026 at Q2 Stadium in Austin, TX. (Photo by John Rivera/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Icon Sportswire/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
Christian Ramírez wasn’t in Austin FC’s plans this season.
In fact, he was on a different team on MLS’ opening day.
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But the forward has turned into a key pickup for the Verde & Black, and his goal and assist Sunday sparked the club to a 2-0 win over St. Louis City SC at Q2 Stadium.
On a day when forward Brandon Vazquez returned after tearing an ACL nearly 10 months ago and midfielder Owen Wolff made his first appearance of the season, Ramírez stole the headlines.
His header on a pass from Dani Pereira — who also returned from injury — in the 69th minute and layoff to Myrto Uzuni in the 81st helped Austin FC (3-4-4, 13 points) record back-to-back wins for the first time since early September.
Ramírez is a pleasant surprise for Austin FC
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It won’t be known until later this month when the MLS Players Association releases its spring salary guide what his salary is, but he’s been worth every penny.
With Austin FC lacking viable longterm options to go alongside Myrto Uzuni up top until Vazquez returned when the year began, Ramírez has not only provided quality minutes, but four goal contributions, including a game-winner against D.C. United. He’s also been a positive addition to the locker room.
“From day one … you never would have known that he was brand new to the team,” Austin FC goalie Brad Stuver said, noting Ramírez, who wasn’t in the locker room postgame, had to immediately head to the airport after the match. “He’s a veteran of this league and been on a lot of teams and won some trophies. So he’s been able to come in and use his experience and use his voice. He can speak to the entire locker room. Being bilingual, he helps bridge the gap between the guys that don’t speak as much Spanish.”
Vazquez makes long-awaited return
Though he only played five minutes, it was a big moment for Vazquez just to be on the field.
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Entering the match in the 89th minute, he returned to action for the first time since his knee injury July 8 in a U.S. Open quarterfinal match at San Jose.
“I’m just grateful being able to be back with the team,” said Vazquez, who is arguably the club’s biggest signing in its short history. “Being able to step back onto the field and hearing the stadium go crazy, it was an amazing feeling.”
Vazquez returned about as quickly from an ACL tear as possible, though he said there were several tough moments in rehab.
“A lot of times I just had to stay positive and stay disciplined with my mindset,” he said. “Some days, it didn’t just feel like you were progressing much. … It was a long process. … I’ve been visualizing this moment for a long time and just grinding through every day to get here.”
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Austin FC is finally getting (mostly) healthy
The return of Vazquez, Wolff and Pereira gives Austin FC a lot of potential — assuming no other key players get injured. (Winger Jayden Nelson didn’t play Sunday after re-aggravating a calf injury in warmups.)
Though all three are probably at least two more weeks from playing more than 30 minutes, they give the Verde & Black significant depth all over the field.
“You can see what it means to the locker room to have these guys back,” Stuver said.
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Though no goals, Austin FC had a great first half
From an attacking standpoint, the first half was Austin FC’s best of the season in terms of quality of play.
Led by Ramírez, Uzuni, Joseph Rosales, Facundo Torres and Jon Gallagher, the Verde & Black were aggressive, entertaining and easily could have had three goals with better luck or finishing.
St. Louis goalie Roman Bürki made some highlight-reel saves to keep the visitors in the match.
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If Austin FC can consistently play like it did the first 45 minutes, it’s going to produce a lot of results.
Bottom line
Austin FC has four matches left before the World Cup break, three of which, including another contest against St. Louis, are against teams from the bottom four of the Western Conference.
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Road games at Minnesota and San Diego won’t be easy, with the latter coming only on two days rest. But if Austin FC can manage at least five points from these four contests, it will set itself up to make a move up the standings with a strong second half of the year.
AUSTIN, TEXAS – MAY 03: Brandon Vazquez #9 of Austin FC looks on during the MLS match between Austin FC and St. Louis CITY SC at Q2 Stadium on May 03, 2026 in Austin, Texas. (Photo by Noah Goldberg/MLS via Getty Images)
Noah Goldberg/MLS via Getty Images