The 2024 Austin FC II season was the club's second season in MLS Next Pro, the third tier of soccer in the United States. They played in the league's Western Conference. They are the defending MLS Next Pro Cup Champions, after they beat Columbus Crew II 3–1 in the Cup final.

Background

Austin FC started playing in the MLS Western Conference in

2021 File:2021 collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: the James Webb Space Telescope was launched in 2021; Protesters in Yangon, Myanmar following the 2021 Myanmar coup d'état, coup d'état; A civil demonstration against the October–November 2021 ...

. In August 2022 it was announced that they would launch a MLS Next Pro team for the 2023 season. On December 13, Austin FC announced that Brett Uttley will be the first coach for Austin FC II. Austin FC II first season was the

2023 season 3 (three) is a number, numeral and digit. It is the natural number following 2 and preceding 4, and is the smallest odd prime number and the only prime preceding a square number. It has religious or cultural significance in many societie ...

, where they finished the season 2nd in the Western Conference and went on to win the 2023 MLS Next Pro Cup.

Season

Preseason

After Austin FC announced that they had signed Micah Burton to a contract as a

homegrown Homegrown may refer to any plants grown in a domestic setting. It may also refer to: Music *Home Grown, an American rock band formed in 1994 * ''Home Grown'' (Geri Allen album), 1985 * ''Homegrown'' (Dodgy album), 1995 * ''Home Grown'' (Blue Mou ...

player, Austin FC II announced the first moves of the season signing goalkeeper Marcus Alstrup as a free agent and winger Christopher Garcia on loan from El Paso Locomotive. On January 19, Austin FC II announced the signing of Ervin Torres, a product of the Austin FC Academy. Torres also has four appearances with the U.S. Men's Youth National Under-16 Team. On January 31, Austin FC II announced two more free agent signings. Bringing in Anthony García a 20-year-old winger who spent last season with the Santos Laguna Under-23 squad and Aaron Cervantes a U.S. youth international who spent last season with LA Galaxy II. On February 20, 2024, Austin FC II announced the signing of both winger Bryant "Jimmy" Farkarlun and defender Antonio Gomez. Farkarlun was signed to a three-year contract with an option for two additional years, and Gomez signed a two-year contract with an option for two additional years. On February 27, Austin FC II announced the re-signing of Ugandan midfielder

Bobosi Byaruhanga Bobosi Byaruhanga (born 3 December 2001) is a Ugandan footballer who currently plays as a midfielder for American side Austin FC II, on loan from Vyškov. Club career Vipers SC Byaruhanga started his career with Vipers, progressing through the ...

on loan from Czech side MFK Vyškov and the acquisition of Spanish defender Rubén Bonachera from Polish side Wisła Kraków II. On March 1, 2024,

U.S. Soccer The United States Soccer Federation (USSF), commonly referred to as U.S. Soccer, is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization and the official governing body of the sport of soccer in the United States. Headquartered in Chicago, the federation is a ...

announced changes to the

2024 U.S. Open Cup The 2024 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup is the 109th edition of the U.S. Open Cup, the knockout domestic cup competition of American soccer. Houston Dynamo FC were the defending champions, but were eliminated in the round of 32 by Detroit City FC. ...

. These changes allowed MLS affiliated MLS Next Pro teams to participate in the Open Cup. Austin FC II was given a spot in the first round of the 2024 U.S. Open Cup. On March 8, Austin FC II announced they had transferred their 2023 leading scorer,

Valentin Noël Valentin Noël (born 27 April 1999) is a French professional football player who plays as a midfielder for Las Vegas Lights FC of the USL Championship. Career Youth and college Noël was born and raised in Niort, France playing for his hometown ...

to the

Las Vegas Lights Las Vegas Lights FC is an American professional soccer team based in Las Vegas, Nevada, that plays in the USL Championship. The team made its debut in 2018 and plays its home games at Cashman Field. The team employs neon imagery in its crest a ...

for an undisclosed amount. On March 14, prior to the first game of the season, Austin FC II announced roster moves to prepare for the season. Both Micah Burton and CJ Fodrey were signed on loan from Austin FC and six players signed amateur agreements with the team, including defender Drake Fournier, defender Mason Miller, forward Joah Reyna, goalkeeper Spencer Sanderson, winger Luka Spadafora, and defender Gavin Wolff.

March/April

Austin FC II started the season with a 1–3 loss to Tacoma Defiance, with the lone goal coming from Bryan Arelleno 83 minutes into the match. In their first road game of the season, Austin FC II picked up their first win, beating

Houston Dynamo 2 Houston Dynamo 2 is an American professional soccer team that is located in Houston, Texas. It is the reserve team of Houston Dynamo FC and participates in MLS Next Pro. History On December 6, 2021, Houston Dynamo FC were named as one of 21 c ...

1–0 on a goal in the 80th minute by CJ Fodrey. On April 20, Austin travelled to The Town FC, earning a draw in a 0–0 game, but dropping a point in the shootout, losing 2–4. Austin FC II closed out the month of April, with a 2–2 against Ventura County FC, and again failed to earn the second point falling 4–5 in the shootout.

U.S. Open Cup

In their first ever

U.S. Open Cup The Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup, commonly known as the U.S. Open Cup (USOC), is a Single-elimination tournament, knockout cup competition in men's Soccer in the United States, soccer in the United States of America. It is the oldest ongoing nati ...

, Austin FC II fell in a penalty kick shootout to the amateur side Foro SC. After finishing 120 minutes in a 2–2 draw off goals by Salvatore Mazzaferro and

Sébastien Pineau Sébastien Gerard Pineau Flores (born 20 January 2003) is a professional footballer who plays as a forward for Austin FC II. Born in Chile, he is a youth international for Peru. Club career Alianza Lima Universidad César Vallejo loan Having spe ...

, Austin fell 3–4 in the penalty shootout.

May/June

To start the month of May Austin FC II traveled to Denver, CO to take on

Colorado Rapids 2 Colorado Rapids 2 is a professional soccer club based in Denver, Colorado area that competes in the MLS Next Pro league, the third division of American soccer. The team is owned by, and operates as the reserve team of, the Major League Socce ...

, earning a 2–1 win on goals from

and Ervin Torres. On May 12, Austin FC II fell 2–1 to St. Louis City SC 2 on a goal during stoppage time. Austin FC II hosted Sporting Kansas City II on May 17, earning two paints after a 2–2 draw, but winning the shootout 5–4. On 24 May 2024, Austin fell to LAFC 2 2–1 on an extra time goal. Austin's lone goal was scored by Jimmy Farkarlun, his second of the season. The day after the first team suffered their worse loss of the season, FCito followed suit with their worse loss of the season, falling 4–0 to the Real Monarchs. Continuing to struggle on the road, Austin FC II earned a 1–1 draw against

and lost the shootout 5–3. After the international break, Austin FC II captured two points against Portland Timbers 2 drawing 0–0 during regulation, but winning the shootout 5–4. Austin FC II earned another draw against North Texas SC in their highest scoring game of the yar, but dropped a point in the shootout. Austin FC II closed out June by earning another draw against Sporting KC II, dropping a point in the shootout falling 5–3.

July/August

Austin FC II started the month of July, by earning a 2–0 win against Real Salt Lake on goals from CJ Fodrey and Alonso Ramírez. Playing on th road in

Shell Energy Stadium Shell Energy Stadium (formerly BBVA Compass Stadium, BBVA Stadium, then PNC Stadium) is an American multi-purpose stadium located in Houston, Texas that is home to Houston Dynamo FC, a Major League Soccer club, the Houston Dash of the National ...

, Austin FC II dropped three points losing 2–0. After going out to a two-goal led on goals by Jimmy Farkarlun and Bobosi Byaruhanga, Austin let Minnesota come back and draw the game 2–2 in the 90th minute, but only were able to earn one point after falling 2–3 in the shootout. On July 27, 2024, Austin FC II played in the MLS Next Pro invitation against

Cancún F.C. Cancún Futbol Club is a Mexican professional football club based in Cancún, Quintana Roo currently playing in Liga de Expansión MX. The club was established in June 2020 after the Cafetaleros de Chiapas franchise announced that it would be mo ...

the 2023–24 Liga de Expansión MX Champions. Austin earne a 2–1 win against the Mexican 2nd division champions on goals from Micah Burton and Alonso Ramirez. After their first international match, Austin FC II earned two points, against one of the top teams in the Western Division, North Texas SC, winning the shootout 5–4. In their next match, Micah Burton's brace helped Austin FC II earn one point in a draw with Portland Timbers 2, though they dropped a point in the shootout 8–7. To close out the MLS mid-season transfer portal, Austin FC II signed Irish forward Peter Grogan from

Bray Wanderers Bray Wanderers Football Club ( ga, Cumann Peile Fánaithe Bhré) are an Irish association football club playing in the League of Ireland First Division. The club in its present form was founded in 1942 in Bray, and was known until 2010 as ''B ...

. Austin FC II continued their mid-season success, earning three points against Sporting Kansas City II on goals from CJ Fodrey and Ervin Torres. Austin FC II closed out the month of August with another win, beating Minnesota United FC 2 by a score of 2–1 on goals by CJ Fodrey and Salvatore Mazzaferro. Austin head into the month of September one place out of the MLSNP playoffs.

September/October

Austin started the last month of their season with an away trip to St. Louis City FC 2. Austin had a strong performance, taking the lead twice in the game, but fell 3–2 after giving away two penalties.

Management team

Roster

''.''

Transfers

In

Loan In

Out

Loan out

Non-competitive fixtures

Preseason

Mid-season

Competitive fixtures

MLS Next Pro Regular Season

Standings

= Western Conference

=Overall

Matches

U.S. Open Cup

Statistics

Appearances and goals

''Numbers after plus–sign (+) denote appearances as a substitute.''

Top scorers

, 6 , 1 , 0 , 7 , - , rowspan=3, 3 , FW , 10 , align="left", Jimmy Farkarlun , 3 , 0 , 0 , rowspan=3, 3 , - , MF , 30 , align="left", Ervin Torres , 3 , 0 , 0 , - , MF , 32 , align="left", Micah Burton , 3 , 0 , 0 , - , rowspan=3, 6 , DF , 5 , align="left", Salvatore Mazzaferro , 1 , 1 , 0 , rowspan=3, 2 , - , MF , 6 , align="left", Alonso Ramírez , 2 , 0 , 0 , - , MF , 18 , align="left",

, 2 , 0 , 0 , - , rowspan=4, 9 , DF , 2 , align="left", Cheick Touré , 1 , 0 , 0 , rowspan=4, 1 , - , DF , 3 , align="left", Antonio Gomez , 1 , 0 , 0 , - , MF , 17 , align="left", Bryan Arellano , 1 , 0 , 0 , - , MF , 77 , align="left", Diego Abarca , 1 , 0 , 0 , - !colspan="4", Total ! 30 ! 2 ! 0 ! 34

Top assists

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, 1 , 0 , 0 , - , MF , 17 , align="left", Bryan Arellano , 1 , 0 , 0 , - , MF , 30 , align="left", Ervin Torres , 1 , 0 , 0 , - , MF , 32 , align="left", Micah Burton , 0 , 1 , 0 , - , MF , 77 , align="left", Diego Abarca , 1 , 0 , 0 , - !colspan="4", Total !27 !1 !0 !28

Disciplinary record

{, class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;" , - , style="background-color:#00AE42; color:#000000" rowspan="2" !width=15, , style="background-color:#00AE42; color:#000000" rowspan="2" !width=15, , style="background-color:#00AE42; color:#000000" rowspan="2" !width=120, Player , style="background-color:#00AE42; color:#000000" colspan="3", MLSNP , style="background-color:#00AE42; color:#000000" colspan="3",

, style="background-color:#00AE42; color:#000000" colspan="3", MLSNP Playoffs , style="background-color:#00AE42; color:#000000" colspan="3", Total , - !style="background-color:#00AE42; color:#000000" width=34; background:#fe9;, !style="background-color:#00AE42; color:#000000" width=34; background:#fe9;, !style="background-color:#00AE42; color:#000000" width=34; background:#ff8888;, !style="background-color:#00AE42; color:#000000" width=34; background:#fe9;, !style="background-color:#00AE42; color:#000000" width=34; background:#fe9;, !style="background-color:#00AE42; color:#000000" width=34; background:#ff8888;, !style="background-color:#00AE42; color:#000000" width=34; background:#fe9;, !style="background-color:#00AE42; color:#000000" width=34; background:#fe9;, !style="background-color:#00AE42; color:#000000" width=34; background:#ff8888;, !style="background-color:#00AE42; color:#000000" width=34; background:#fe9;, !style="background-color:#00AE42; color:#000000" width=34; background:#fe9;, !style="background-color:#00AE42; color:#000000" width=34; background:#ff8888;, , - , 1 , GK , align="left", Marcus Alstrup , 0, , 0, , 0, , 0, , 0, , 0, , 0, , 0, , 0, , 0, , 0, , 0 , - , 2 , DF , align="left", Cheick Touré , 4, , 0, , 0, , 0, , 0, , 0, , 0, , 0, , 0, , 4, , 0, , 0 , - , 3 , DF , align="left", Rubén Bonachera , 2, , 0, , 0, , 0, , 0, , 0, , 0, , 0, , 0, , 2, , 0, , 0 , - , 4 , DF , align="left", Antonio Gomez , 3, , 0, , 0, , 0, , 0, , 0, , 0, , 0, , 0, , 3, , 0, , 0 , - , 5 , DF , align="left", Salvatore Mazzaferro , 4, , 0, , 0, , 0, , 0, , 0, , 0, , 0, , 0, , 4, , 0, , 0 , - , 6 , MF , align="left", Alonso Ramírez , 10, , 0, , 0, , 1, , 0, , 0, , 0, , 0, , 0, , 11, , 0, , 0 , - , 7 , MF , align="left", Anthony Garcia , 0, , 0, , 0, , 0, , 0, , 0, , 0, , 0, , 0, , 0, , 0, , 0 , - , 8 , MF , align="left", Steeve Louis Jean , 5, , 0, , 0, , 0, , 0, , 0, , 0, , 0, , 0, , 5, , 0, , 0 , - , 9 , FW , align="left",

, 5, , 1, , 0, , 0, , 0, , 0, , 0, , 0, , 0, , 5, , 1, , 0 , - , 10 , FW , align="left", Jimmy Farkarlun , 2, , 0, , 0, , 0, , 0, , 0, , 0, , 0, , 0, , 2, , 0, , 0 , - , 11 , FW , align="left", Christopher Garcia , 0, , 0, , 0, , 0, , 0, , 0, , 0, , 0, , 0, , 0, , 0, , 0 , - , 14 , DF , align="left", Nico Van Rijn , 0, , 0, , 0, , 0, , 0, , 0, , 0, , 0, , 0, , 0, , 0, , 0 , - , 17 , MF , align="left", Bryan Arellano , 1, , 0, , 0, , 0, , 0, , 0, , 0, , 0, , 0, , 1, , 0, , 0 , - , 18 , MF , align="left",

, 3, , 0, , 0, , 0, , 0, , 0, , 0, , 0, , 0, , 3, , 0, , 0 , - , 19 , MF , align="left", CJ Fodrey , 1, , 0, , 0, , 1, , 0, , 0, , 0, , 0, , 0, , 2, , 0, , 0 , - , 20 , GK , align="left", Aaron Cervantes , 0, , 0, , 0, , 0, , 0, , 0, , 0, , 0, , 0, , 0, , 0, , 0 , - , 25 , DF , align="left", Anthony De Anda , 7, , 0, , 1, , 0, , 0, , 0, , 0, , 0, , 0, , 7, , 0, , 1 , - , 30 , MF , align="left", Ervin Torres , 2, , 0, , 0, , 0, , 0, , 0, , 0, , 0, , 0, , 2, , 0, , 0 , - , 31 , GK , align="left", Spencer Sanderson , 0, , 0, , 0, , 0, , 0, , 0, , 0, , 0, , 0, , 0, , 0, , 0 , - , 32 , MF , align="left", Micah Burton , 2, , 0, , 0, , 0, , 0, , 0, , 0, , 0, , 0, , 2, , 0, , 0 , - , 33 , DF , align="left", Gavin Wolff , 0, , 0, , 0, , 0, , 0, , 0, , 0, , 0, , 0, , 0, , 0, , 0 , - , 34 , DF , align="left", Drake Fornier , 0, , 0, , 0, , 0, , 0, , 0, , 0, , 0, , 0, , 0, , 0, , 0 , - , 35 , DF , align="left", Mason Miller , 0, , 0, , 0, , 0, , 0, , 0, , 0, , 0, , 0, , 0, , 0, , 0 , - , 36 , MF , align="left", Luka Spadafore , 1, , 0, , 0, , 0, , 0, , 0, , 0, , 0, , 0, , 1, , 0, , 0 , - , 37 , FW , align="left", Joah Reyna , 0, , 0, , 0, , 0, , 0, , 0, , 0, , 0, , 0, , 0, , 0, , 0 , - , 77 , MF , align="left", Diego Abarca , 1, , 0, , 0, , 0, , 0, , 0, , 0, , 0, , 0, , 1, , 0, , 0 , - , , FW , align="left", Jonathan Santillan , 1, , 0, , 0, , 0, , 0, , 0, , 0, , 0, , 0, , 1, , 0, , 0 , - , , FW , align="left", Peter Grogan , 0, , 0, , 0, , 0, , 0, , 0, , 0, , 0, , 0, , 0, , 0, , 0 , - !colspan="3", Total, , 54, , 1, , 1, , 2, , 0, , 0, , 0, , 0, , 0, , 56, , 1, , 1

Clean sheets

{, class="wikitable sortable" style="font-size: 95%; text-align: center;" , - !style="background-color:#00AE42; color:#000000" width=30, Rank !style="background-color:#00AE42; color:#000000" width=30, Number !style="background-color:#00AE42; color:#000000" width=175, Name !style="background-color:#00AE42; color:#000000" width=75, !style="background-color:#00AE42; color:#000000" width=75, !style="background-color:#00AE42; color:#000000" width=75, !style="background-color:#00AE42; color:#000000" width=75, Total , - , 1 , 1 , align="left", Marcus Alstrup , 5 , 0 , 0 , 5 , -

Awards and honors

MLS Goal of the Week

{, class=wikitable , - !style="background-color:#00AE42; color:#000000" , Week !style="background-color:#00AE42; color:#000000" , Player !style="background-color:#00AE42; color:#000000" , Opponent !style="background-color:#00AE42; color:#000000" , Ref , - , align=center , 3 , CJ Fodrey ,

, style="text-align: center;", , -

References

{{2024 in American men's soccer

Austin FC II Austin FC II is an American professional soccer team that is located in Austin, Texas. It is the reserve team of Austin FC and participates in MLS Next Pro. History On August 4, 2022, Austin FC was named as one of seven MLS clubs that would fi ...