The Verde Report: Austin FC Splurges on Veteran Goalscorer Maxi Urruti
The Verde has now made two signings on the attacking end of the field
By Eric Goodman, Fri., Dec. 31, 2021
Only one team in Major League Soccer's Western Conference – the Houston Dynamo – performed worse in 2021 than Austin FC. And yet, from within that orange East Texas train wreck, the Verde and Black believe they've found the solution to their own woes at striker.
On Tuesday the club announced the signing of 30-year-old Argentine center forward Maximiliano "Maxi" Urruti, who brings a nine-year career total of 62 MLS goals and 37 assists westward to Austin. He joins on a two-year contract with a club option for a third.
Urruti is a veteran of five MLS clubs, including FC Dallas and, most recently, the Dynamo. When he debuts for Austin FC in 2022, he'll become the first player to suit up for all three Texas MLS outfits. More importantly, Urruti has won all three major trophies in the U.S. top flight. He scored a key playoff goal for the Portland Timbers on their path to the 2015 MLS Cup championship, and contributed nine goals to FC Dallas' 2016 campaign, which yielded a Supporters' Shield (best regular-season record) and a U.S. Open Cup.
"Maxi is a winner with a proven history of scoring goals and creating chances," Austin FC Sporting Director Claudio Reyna said in a statement. "He'll help us become more dynamic in the attacking third and we look forward to welcoming him and his family to Austin."
While the Texas retread narrative might initially turn off the Oaks' more territorial fans, there's plenty to like about the move from a Verde vantage point. Urruti has spent the vast majority of his tenure stateside as a proven, starting-caliber striker – something Austin FC seriously lacked when Danny Hoesen, Cecilio Domínguez, and Moussa Djitté split the majority of time at the No. 9 position. Urruti was signed as a free agent, meaning the club did not have to pay a transfer fee for his services, and since Urruti is a permanent U.S. resident with a green card, he will not take up a valuable international roster spot. Perhaps most importantly, he's durable, having played 30 or more games in seven of the last eight seasons. Austin FC was ravaged by injuries in 2021, particularly at striker.
So what's the catch? In short, efficiency. Urruti is a volume scorer who generally has needed big minutes to put up passable numbers up top. He averages one goal every 269 minutes (roughly every three full matches) and converts only about 10% of his shots into goals. There's also the matter of price tag. Urruti made $1.27 million with Houston in 2021, according to the MLS Players Association. He will almost certainly make less than that with Austin FC, but it's unclear how much less. Excluding Designated Players Domínguez and Sebastián Driussi, only Alex Ring ran Austin FC north of $1 million last season.
But for a low-risk, high-floor addition at a key spot on the field, it's tough to argue against the club's logic. Urruti is an insurance policy in case the 22-year-old Djitté proves unable to spearhead Austin FC's attack, and is an upper-tier backup in the event Djitté succeeds. The Senegalese striker managed just one goal on 12 shots in 13 games last season.
Along with winger Ethan Finlay last week, Austin FC has now made two signings on the attacking end of the field. They have yet to address depth and talent concerns in defense, specifically at center back, widely considered the club's biggest area of need. Still, two months remain in the offseason to rectify that.
