The Verde Report: Rodney Redes Is 2023’s Biggest Silver Lining So Far
The team’s longest-tenured player rewards Austin FC’s patience with the “Redes-sance”
By Eric Goodman, Fri., May 5, 2023
In the beginning there was Redes.
That's how it all started for Austin FC in July 2020, when the Premier League had only just returned from a three-month freeze-out due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the NBA had yet to embark on its bubble era, and WWE was still broadcasting shows from its eerily silent performance center. A then-20-year-old soccer player named Rodney Redes – who had never stepped foot outside his native Paraguay, let alone traveled to the United States – signed a contract to become the first-ever player for a brand-new MLS team in the Texas capital.
It's been a long road from there to here. Despite his inclusion among the 11 starters for the club's inaugural match, it quickly became apparent that Redes was far too rough around the edges to contribute to Austin FC in a meaningful way, often looking overwhelmed and aimless on the pitch as the club plodded through its first year.
El Tree made major strides in its second season but did so largely without Redes in the fold. He clocked less than two matches' worth of total minutes throughout the entire 2022 campaign, mostly in late-game cameos. But while fellow international signings Cecilio Domínguez, Tomás Pochettino, and Jhohan Romaña all came and went from the club, Redes remained.
Perhaps it's poetic, then, that as Austin FC continues to regress back to its expansion-season self through the early part of 2023, the biggest silver lining has been the play of its longest-tenured player. After consecutive encouraging appearances as a substitute against Vancouver and LA Galaxy in April, head coach Josh Wolff rewarded Redes with his first MLS start in nearly two years over the weekend against the San Jose Earthquakes. In turn, Redes rewarded Wolff with his best game in Verde to date, complete with just his second career MLS assist (bonus points for helping Emiliano Rigoni score his long-overdue first Austin FC goal) as part of a 2-2 draw at Q2 Stadium.
"It's good to see [Rodney] perform," said Wolff in the tone of a coach whose patience is finally being rewarded. "I think he's had a few good performances as he's come in and been introduced as a sub."
With star assist man Diego Fagúndez out with a groin injury and a collective dearth of creativity across ATXFC's attack in recent weeks, Redes' timing couldn't be better. Wolff understands that it hasn't been easy for the diminutive Paraguayan, still just 23.
"He's a young man when he comes here. Never left the country. And I think we look around the league at these young signings and, 90% of them, it takes time for it to really take traction," Wolff said. "He works tirelessly in training. I think he's certainly aware of his roles and responsibilities inside the game. So I think he's shown that."
The slow start to his MLS career hasn't seemed to discourage Redes any. Through a translator, he spoke after the San Jose match about keeping spirits high since arriving stateside.
"I'm very happy to be the club's first signing, and I've felt happy throughout the first few years I've been here," Redes said. "I feel very comfortable. Josh talks to me, he asks me for things ... I feel like I have adapted well to his system."
Whether Redes can sustain – or better yet, build upon – this solid run of form remains to be seen. But after more than two years of waiting, Austin FC will take all it can get from its No. 11. The Redes-sance might not get El Tree back to 2022 heights by itself, but it certainly can help.
