In the waning hours of Sunday evening, following Austin FC’s dramatic 1-0 victory over LAFC that tied a winning bow around the club’s home regular season schedule, head coach Nico Estévez did something that epitomized why he was brought to Austin in the first place. The first-year coach grabbed a microphone, walked out to midfield, and personally thanked the Verde faithful for their support throughout the year.
It was a small act, but one that exemplified the culture shift that Estévez has imparted onto the club since taking over for his close friend Josh Wolff (who, it must be said, never showed much of a desire to ingratiate himself to ATX fans directly).
It was clear from the very beginning of Estévez’s Austin tenure that he was going to bring a “likability” factor that the club sorely needed. Less clear was whether he was the right coach, tactically, to get the best out of a roster that possessed some top-end talent, but also included several question marks and lacked familiarity.
Austin FC got off to a scintillating start under Estévez, winning four of its first six matches. But as spring gave way to summer, and the schedule tightened up, the club began to slump hard. In 10 MLS matches across April and May, Austin FC won just once. The club also lost its star striker, Brandon Vazquez, to a season-ending knee injury in that span. The season looked to be slipping away.
That, though, is when Estévez’s best work began. He reshaped and simplified the attack around Myrto Uzuni and Owen Wolff. Those players have combined for 13 goals and eight assists since June. Estévez maintained the club’s organized defense. He successfully navigated not one but two competitions throughout the second half of the year as the club not only sewed up the No. 6 seed and a return to the MLS Cup Playoffs, but made a run to its first-ever final in the U.S. Open Cup as well.
To achieve all of that with a roster that ranks in the bottom-third in MLS in terms of salary spend, per Spotrac, is a clear sign of good coaching.
“It has been a fantastic season for us. It wasn’t easy,” Estévez said, referencing the Vazquez injury and attrition of two competitions. “I think in this position right now is the most that we could get, seeing how everything went.”
With any new coach, the most important thing they must show over the course of year one is improvement. Through the first half of the MLS season, Austin scored 11 goals, conceded 20, and amassed 20 points in the standings. In the second half of the year (with one more meaningless match still to play at the San Jose Earthquakes homebase on Saturday) ATX scored 25, conceded 23, and earned 27 points, with the team looking far more enjoyable to watch in the process.
There is still the matter of seeing how far Estévez can take Austin FC into the MLS Cup Playoffs – the club will be underdogs against whichever first round opponent they come up against. Regardless, it’s clear the club has found its coach for the present and future in the 45-year-old from Spain.
Obviously, it’s the results that are most important to that equation. But it doesn’t hurt to be a likable guy in the process, and grab the mic every once in a while.
This article appears in October 17 • 2025.
