MLS all-star in 2023 at left back<\/a> \u2014 he thinks he\u2019s different, too. He\u2019s no longer the fresh-faced 24-year-old just trying to find his way in the professional ranks.\u00a0<\/p>\n\u201cI\u2019m more experienced and a better player,\u201d Gallagher said. \u201cI think I\u2019m probably a bit more level-headed emotionally. \u2026 And the tools I can offer off the field are probably more beneficial now in terms of leadership.\u201d<\/p>\n
While he\u2019s focused on playing for Austin FC as long as possible, eventually, Gallagher would like to live in Ireland again, he said. And soccer is likely what will take him back.\u00a0<\/p>\n
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Though most players older than 32 never know when their career will end, whenever Gallagher\u2019s time in MLS is up, he\u2019ll probably be coveted by Irish teams due to his passport. (Many European leagues require teams to have a minimum number of national players.)\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cBeing back this Christmas definitely opened my eyes to it,\u201d he said. \u201cI love (Ireland) and all my family is still there. It still feels like the place I was raised in. \u2026 Whenever I get to my mid-30s (and MLS is no longer an option), me and my wife have talked about going back for a year or two if the legs still have it.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Competition comes from not only opponents<\/p>\n
The last two years have tested Gallagher, especially after his all-star campaign.\u00a0<\/p>\n
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He started the first 22 matches at right back in 2024, then lost his spot there when the club brought in Mikkel Desler. His absence from the starting lineup lasted one game, and he started the rest of the season at either left back or on one of the wings.\u00a0<\/p>\n
After coming off the bench in the first three matches in 2025, he started the next 16 games at right back when Desler suffered an injury, then the following five on the wing. Though his minutes diminished for a brief stretch, he started nine of the team\u2019s last 12 games, including its two playoff matches.\u00a0<\/p>\n
In multiple contests, Gallagher played two different positions, switching from outside back to the wing, depending on the lineup.<\/p>\n
This training camp, little has changed. Gallagher noted he\u2019s already played in multiple spots. (He started the club\u2019s preseason match Friday at right back.) And there\u2019s plenty of competition at both outside back and winger.\u00a0<\/p>\n
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But wherever it is on the field Austin FC needs him, from center back to striker, Gallagher will be there.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cSomething I work with my mindset is, just be the best \u2018Jon the soccer player\u2019 that you can be,\u201d Gallagher said. \u201cSo if it gets me on the field, then that keeps me happy.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Austin\u00a0FC defender Jon Gallagher (17) celebrates after goal March 23 against San Diego FC goalkeeper CJ dos Santos…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":138447,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[132,135,134,133,58542,20604,136,58543],"class_list":{"0":"post-138446","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-austin","8":"tag-austin","9":"tag-austin-fc","10":"tag-austin-headlines","11":"tag-austin-news","12":"tag-jon-gallagher","13":"tag-major-league-soccer","14":"tag-mls","15":"tag-q2-stadium"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/138446","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=138446"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/138446\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/138447"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=138446"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=138446"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=138446"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}