As a fresh Major League Soccer regular season kicks off this weekend, so does a season of hope for the league’s 30 fan bases. And while the intensity of that hope may vary from market to market, the fact remains that, for the moment, every team in the league is undefeated.
Hell, Austin FC fans can even pull up the 2026 standings and find their club already in the top spot in the Western Conference! (It’s only because ATXFC is alphabetically first, but that’s neither here nor there.)
Point is, the week of the season opener is meant to be filled with unbridled optimism. However, it has to be said that the Verde and Black seem intent on doing some bridling, both on the pitch and in front of the microphone.
For the record, there are a number of reasons to feel upbeat about the club’s prospects coming off a playoff berth and a U.S. Open Cup final appearance in 2025. As we outlined last week, the club has made upgrades (in theory) in key spots on the roster this offseason. Last year also directly followed a coaching change; there will be more continuity this campaign with Nico Estévez entering his second season as ATX head coach.
None of that was reflected in the club’s preseason, however. Austin FC won just one of its six exhibition matches, a 1-0 result against second-division Louisville City FC. Estévez summed up his group’s preseason as “very inconsistent” after a 2-0 loss to Sporting Kansas City on Valentine’s Day.
“We are still developing how we are going to play,” Estévez said. “We have some new players that are fitting, and you can see glimpses of what we want to see in the team, but also, the inconsistency in doing that.”
And then there’s sporting director Rodolfo Borrell who, in his preseason media availability Tuesday, seemed to be making a concerted effort to temper expectations for the season.
Borrell said he was happy with the state of the roster going into the season, but qualified that it’s still far from his “final goal in regards to the squad,” and added that, in his view, many other MLS teams have improved their rosters just as much, if not more, than Austin has.
And on fan excitement, Borrell was stoic: “Our fans have the freedom to dream big, but for me, the primary objective remains making the playoffs.”
Maybe Borrell, after his infamous “names you wouldn’t believe” remark when discussing the club’s coaching vacancy prior to Estévez’s hire, has finally learned the art of “under-promise and over-deliver.” Perhaps the club is happy to fly under the radar early this season while chemistry builds and key players work their way back from injury.
Owen Wolff is still uncertain for the season opener after preseason surgery to address a sports hernia, and Brandon Vázquez told The Cooligans podcast last week that he’s targeting early-to-mid-April for his return from knee surgery that ended his 2025 season.
Perhaps Austin FC will be happy to let other teams attract the early-season attention… teams like Minnesota United with its newest DP signing, Colombian megastar James Rodríguez – who, coincidentally, may make his MLS debut at Q2 Stadium Saturday when Minnesota visits Austin FC in the season opener.
If that’s the case, the Verde and Black would be supporting cast in a narrative taking place in their own building. And maybe that’s exactly how the club would like it. Still, all it takes is one nice win in front of a home crowd to light a roaring fire in the hype train’s engine.
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 20 • 2026.
