When the final whistle blows at the conclusion of a star-studded MLS Cup final Saturday afternoon in Fort Lauderdale, the Major League Soccer offseason will officially begin.
Most clubs, though, have been in offseason mode for weeks, and that includes Austin FC. The Verde and Black are coming off a generally encouraging – but by no means satisfying – campaign that culminated in a return to the playoffs for just the second time in club history, along with an ugly first-round ouster at the hands of LAFC. It’s clear Austin’s stock is trending up, and equally clear that the club has a long way to go before it is capable of seriously competing for the league’s biggest prizes.
What is less clear, though, is how Austin FC goes about improving its roster this offseason. With limited salary cap space, zero open DP slots and ironically few positions of obvious need, what can sporting director Rodolfo Borrell do this winter to position Austin FC for another step forward in 2026?
That process began prior to the holiday break when the club announced several roster decisions related to players’ contract options. ATX opted to trigger the 2026 option years for Dani Pereira, Stefan Cleveland, and Riley Thomas, while Brendan Hines-Ike’s option was triggered automatically based on performance metrics.
On the other hand, the club parted ways with one of its inaugural players in Julio Cascante, along with Diego Rubio (who had previously announced his retirement) and Jimmy Farkarlun.
In addition, club captain Ilie Sánchez agreed to a new contract to keep him in Austin next season (with an option for 2027) likely at a significantly reduced salary from the $600,000 figure attached to his previous deal.
All of that leaves Austin FC with 24 players under contract for 2026 – 18 players on the senior roster, and six players on the supplemental roster. If no other departures were to occur, that would leave the club with the ability to sign two additional players to its senior roster, which is capped at 20, per league rules.
The club also has one U22 Initiative slot available, though it does not currently have any available slots for international players. Those, however, can be traded for.
Salary-wise, the club should have a fair amount of flexibility due to the combined $1.1 million in wages freed up from Cascante, Farkarlun, and Rubio, plus whatever the club is saving from Sánchez’s restructured deal. A pair of impactful players should be attainable within that budget.
But if Borrell wants to seriously increase Austin’s cash reserves, his likely only option is to accept an offer for one of the club’s young midfielders, Dani Pereira or Owen Wolff. Pereira seems the far more likely candidate in the immediate term. His departure would free up an additional senior roster spot, while Wolff is still a supplemental player. Pereira, 25, is also five years older than Wolff, and his contract is set to expire at the end of the 2026 season. MLS clubs can convert up to $3 million in transfer revenue to salary cap resources, though it’s unclear whether Pereira would draw offers in that ballpark, whereas Wolff likely would.
Identifying areas of need on the pitch is also not as straightforward as you’d think. Right wing, striker ,and goalkeeper are solidly covered, as is Owen Wolff’s position (be that left wing or attacking midfield… the kid is versatile). Beyond that, there’s a lot of “decent” on the roster: no positions desperate for help, but also no other positions that can’t reasonably be upgraded. A true creative No. 10 in midfield almost certainly would make the biggest difference, but without an open DP slot, it’s very unlikely to acquire a player of that profile.
In all likelihood, this offseason won’t bring the kind of transformational overhaul some Austin FC fans might wish for. But if Borrell can continue making savvy moves on the margins and capitalize on his opportunities, the impact could still be plenty important.
This article appears in December 5 • 2025.