Austin FC Adds Argentine Attacker Emiliano Rigoni in Designated Player Splurge

Austin FC’s big summer splash is now complete as the club positions itself for a maiden voyage into the MLS Cup playoffs.

The club on Friday made official the signing of Argentine winger Emiliano Rigoni from Brazilian club São Paulo FC for a reported transfer fee of $4 million, second-highest in club history. Rigoni’s contract with Austin FC is guaranteed through 2024, with option years in 2025 and 2026. A club press release suggested that the 29-year-old’s arrival to Austin may not be immediate, saying, “Rigoni will arrive in Austin in the coming weeks upon receipt of his P1 visa.”

Rigoni rejoins countryman and former teammate Sebastián Driussi in Austin after the pair played parts of four seasons together at Zenit St. Petersburg from 2017 to 2020, winning three Russian Premier League titles.

While there is plenty on Rigoni’s résumé to excite Austin FC fans about his long-term prospects with the club, in the short term, Rigoni heads to Austin in rather dreadful form. After a successful 2021 season with São Paolo featuring six goals and five assists in 33 matches (24 starts), he made just one start and 10 substitute appearances this season without a goal or assist before agreeing to terms with Austin. An offseason coaching change at São Paolo is thought to have contributed to Rigoni’s lack of production.

There is undoubtedly a risk involved in signing an out-of-form player midseason with hopes that said player will be effective in an elevated role during important, late-season matches. The onus falls on Austin FC head coach Josh Wolff, his staff, and even MVP candidate Driussi to get Rigoni up to speed in time to be a difference-maker this season.

ESPN Brazil was first to report a principle agreement between Rigoni and Austin FC on July 11, nearly three weeks before the signing became official.

That’s because Rigoni could not officially join the Verde and Black as a Designated Player (MLS clubs are allowed a maximum of three) until Austin FC successfully negotiated a separation with its first-ever DP, Cecilio Domínguez, who had not played for the club since March.

Last week, Domínguez and Austin FC mutually agreed to terminate the player’s contract. By going this route – as opposed to finding another club to pay a transfer fee to acquire the Paraguayan player – Austin FC presumably took a total loss on the $2.5 million investment it made into securing Domínguez’s services back in 2020. But it guaranteed the club an opportunity to complete Rigoni’s signing ahead of the August 4 deadline for midseason additions, giving the club (it hopes) the extra firepower in attack needed to seriously contend for an MLS Cup championship.

Taken together, that maneuvering can be viewed as a statement of intent by Austin FC ownership toward valuing on-field success over transfer market profit. A more penny-pinching club may have waited out the Domínguez predicament until a sufficient transfer offer came in, even if it meant missing out on a chance to add talent in the immediacy.

Rigoni is a safe bet to slot immediately into the right wing position formerly occupied by Domínguez as soon as the Argentine makes his arrival in Central Texas. “His abilities are an excellent fit for our style of play,” Austin FC Sporting Director Claudio Reyna said in a statement.

Until Rigoni makes it into town, though, El Tree will likely continue its platoon of Ethan Finlay and Owen Wolff on the right flank, including when the club takes on Sporting Kansas City at Children’s Mercy Park Saturday night.

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For more Austin FC news and analysis, visit The Austin Chronicle’s Austin FC hub. Follow “The Verde Report” columnist Eric Goodman on Twitter: @goodman.