club’s best player in 2025<\/a> and is a much better option than 35-year-old Ilie S\u00e1nchez, while Desler, when healthy, is in the top half of right backs in the MLS. (Desler’s constant injury issues are starting to become a concern.)<\/p>\nOffseason signings flash talent\u00a0<\/p>\n
The first look at new midfielders Facundo Torres, Joseph Rosales and Jayden Nelson was a good one.\u00a0<\/p>\n
All three performed well in the season opener and give Est\u00e9vez options in his attack.\u00a0<\/p>\n
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\u201cTheir qualities fit very well together,\u201d Est\u00e9vez said. \u201cThey\u2019re comfortable in space, in between the lines and running behind the defense. They feel comfortable combining with each other, and you can see the chemistry right away in those situations. We have to keep (giving them more opportunities) to connect.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Torres in particular has impressed his teammates. One of the club\u2019s designated players who it paid a large transfer fee for in the winter, he has the potential to be a game-changer for an offense that was the worst in the Western Conference the last two seasons.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s just another level of quality,\u201d Gallagher said. \u201cHe\u2019s a guy that is MLS proven, which is really important in a league that\u2019s so dynamic and hard to adjust to. \u2026 He brings that extra level of \u2026 ball security and playmaking ability to kind of turn moments into something in the attack.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
A glance at D.C. United<\/p>\n
After being the worst team in MLS in 2025, the club spent more than $11 million over the winter to bring in forwards Tai Baribo and Louis Munteanu.\u00a0<\/p>\n
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Baribo, who also plays for the Israeli national team, scored 16 goals for Philadelphia last year, while Munteanu, who suits up for Romania in international play, spent the last six seasons playing in the top divisions in Italy and Romania.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Baribo scored the lone goal in the team\u2019s 1-0 win over Philadelphia last week, and the duo will need to be accounted for at all times by the Austin FC backline.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201c(Baribo) is dynamic up top and you want to limit his touches as much as possible,\u201d Gallagher said. \u201cEvery game in MLS is tough. That\u2019s the beauty of this league and why it\u2019s so unique compared to others.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Early start\u00a0<\/p>\n
A 1: 30 p.m. kickoff used to be a rarity in MLS, but Sunday is the first of four early afternoon kickoffs Austin FC has before the first half of the league ends in late May.<\/p>\n
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\u201cI like the early games,\u201d Gallagher said. \u201cIf you get three points, you can enjoy the rest of the day.\u201d<\/p>\n
Austin FC defeated LAFC and San Diego in its two daytime games last year, and with projected 85-degree weather, it may have a slight advantage playing against a team coming from the Northeast.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThe league probably didn\u2019t expect it to be this hot,\u201d Gallagher said with a chuckle. \u201cSo hopefully that helps.\u201d \u00a0<\/p>\n
Another forward added<\/p>\n
Austin FC signed MLS free agent forward Christian Ramirez on Friday to bolster its depth behind\u00a0Myrto Uzuni.\u00a0<\/p>\n
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Ramirez, 34, spent last year with the Los Angeles Galaxy and scored four goals in 25 appearances. He was waived and had his contract bought out by the Galaxy on\u00a0Feb. 21.\u00a0<\/p>\n
An eight-year MLS veteran who also played two years in Scotland for Aberdeen, Ramirez has spent time with Minnesota, LAFC and Columbus in addition to the Galaxy.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Austin\u00a0FC predicted starting lineup\u00a0<\/p>\n
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Midfield: Joseph Rosales, Dani Pereira, Facundo Torres, Ilie S\u00e1nchez, Jayden Nelson<\/p>\n
Defense: Guilherme Biro, Oleksandr Svatok, Brendan Hines-Ike, Jon Gallagher<\/p>\n
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Austin\u00a0FC vs. D.C. United prediction<\/p>\n
Austin FC 2, D.C. United 1: Outside of Baribo, Munteanu, midfielder Gabriel Pirani and goalie Sean Johnson, D.C. United\u2019s roster isn\u2019t overly talented. This is a game the Verde & Black need to take take care of, especially at home, so expect them to do so.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"AUSTIN, TEXAS – FEBRUARY 21: Ilie Sanchez #6 of Austin FC kicks the ball during the first half…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":184297,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[132,135,134,133,73710,136],"class_list":["post-184296","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-austin","tag-austin","tag-austin-fc","tag-austin-headlines","tag-austin-news","tag-d-c-united","tag-mls"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/184296","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=184296"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/184296\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/184297"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=184296"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=184296"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=184296"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}