Austin FC opened its 2026 season amid all the usual hoopla Saturday night, and it didn’t take long for the football club to resume tormenting its avid supporters. Seeing what would’ve been a highly satisfying home win shrivel into an irritating draw – thanks to a defensive breakdown in the final minute of regulation play – is not how anybody draws up their return to competitive action.
That said, if you can get past the letdown of Kelvin Yeboah’s 90th-minute header that cemented a 2-2 stalemate between ATX and Minnesota United, there was actually quite a bit to like about the way Austin FC began its second season under head coach Nico Estévez.
“I think we gave a really good performance today. A very attractive and willing-to-go-forward type of performance,” Estévez said.
Typically, the ever-upbeat Spaniard’s positive spin rings a bit hollow – or worse, categorically misrepresents what transpired on the pitch. But on this occasion, he has a point. Austin FC played, for the most part, a refreshingly positive style when on the attack. It was, at times, pretty enthralling to watch.
Granted, the bar is low for this club. A year ago, it took until late March for Austin FC to score multiple goals in an MLS match, and until early June for it to do so a second time. So scoring a goal in both halves in this season’s opener felt practically gluttonous.
And it wasn’t just about the goals themselves – one headed in by Brendan Hines-Ike off a gorgeous Facundo Torres corner kick delivery, the other finished off by Myrto Uzuni thanks to some on-a-platter service from Robert Taylor and Jon Gallagher. It was also about quick, decisive movements that had Minnesota’s defense regularly on the back foot.
Jayden Nelson already looks like a game-changing offseason acquisition for the club. The Canadian international was a constant threat any time he got a touch of the ball, and he got many coming up the left wing. It was hard to take your eye off Nelson, with his cascading curls and silky footwork. He demonstrated that he is not only capable of beating defenders in one-on-one situations, but can do so while maintaining an awareness of where his teammates are on the pitch, and spot the most dangerous next pass. Useful.
“This is why we pushed in the offseason to bring him, and [why] we paid what we paid for him,” Estévez said of Nelson. “And we’re just looking forward that we can keep helping him to keep growing.”
Torres also acquitted himself well in his ATX debut. In addition to his corner kick assist, the Verde and Black’s newest DP had no issues getting involved in the action and progressing attacks into dangerous areas. When Owen Wolff – who missed the opener and may remain out a couple weeks longer than expected post-hernia surgery, according to Estévez – returns to the ATX lineup, it’s easy to envision him and Torres complementing each other to great effect in the Verde midfield.
On the other hand, Austin FC did not concede multiple goals in an MLS match last season until mid-April. It did so against a Minnesota team without Colombian great James Rodríguez, who unfortunately did not make his anticipated MLS debut at Q2 Stadium. Austin’s defense, composed entirely of returning players, looking like the club’s biggest liability was a bit startling.
If the club can clean up that end of the pitch, though, there may be more satisfying nights at Q2 Stadium in store than ATX fans have become accustomed to.
Austin FC next plays D.C. United on Sunday, March 1, 1:30pm at Q2 Stadium.
For more Austin FC news and analysis, visit The Austin Chronicle’s Austin FC hub. Sign up for The Verde Report newsletter to get the latest news delivered straight to your inbox, and follow The Verde Report columnist Eric Goodman on X: @goodman.
This article appears in February 27 • 2026.