Austin, Texas — Austin FC began building their squad for the 2021 season before the MLS Expansion Draft, but they used that space to find some more key additions. On Tuesday night, Austin FC picked up five players and flipped the last pick in the Expansion Draft.
Coached by Josh Wolff, a former U.S. men’s national team assistant coach under Gregg Berhalter, Austin FC selected the following players.
- Danny Hoesen, Forward, San Jose Earthquakes
- Jared Stroud, Midfielder, New York Red Bulls
- Brady Scott, Goalkeeper, Nashville SC
- Joe Corona, Midfielder, LA Galaxy
- Kamal Miller, Defender, Orlando City SC
The selection of Miller didn’t last long. The former Orlando City defender was flipped to the Montreal Impact. In return, Austin FC acquired $225,000 in General Allocation Money (GAM) and the No. 11 selection in the upcoming MLS SuperDraft.
Miller, who was picked by Orlando in the 2019 SuperDraft out of Syracuse, made nine starts in 12 appearances in 2020. Overall, he started 23 of his 28 appearances for Orlando City SC. In the MLS post-season this year, he started one of two appearances.
“We are happy with the acquisition of this young Canadian international, who had a great 2020 season,” Olivier Renard, Montreal sporting director, said. “Kamal is a left-footed defender with a different style than what we already have at this position.”
Following the draft, Head Coach Josh Wolff talked about the moves Austin FC has made so far, and the excitement of the next few days. pic.twitter.com/FFkSZViVl3
— Austin FC (@AustinFC) December 16, 2020
Three Takeaways from the MLS Expansion Draft for Austin FC
- Joe Corona could be huge: Corona didn’t quite fit in the system as well as he would’ve liked in Los Angeles. Coming from a long career in Liga MX where he featured for the likes of Tijuana, America and Veracruz, Corona scored two goals in 47 appearances for the Galaxy. Now, with a new, but familiar, coach, he might have just found his MLS landing spot. Only time will tell, of course.
- Who’s going to be the starting GK? A U.S. youth international, Brady Scott likely isn’t going to be the starter for Austin FC. However, the pick suggests that the club has someone else lined up. One of the bigger names on the market is Andrew Tarbell, who stepped up and performed exceptionally during the MLS Cup Playoffs for the Columbus Crew SC. Scott will get his chance to fight for the starting spot, but keep your eyes peeled for a goalkeeper signing soon.
- How does this fit in with the other? As mentioned, Austin FC made a few acquisitions before the Expansion Draft. Nick Lima, Ben Sweat, Julio Cascante, Jon Gallagher, Marco Farfan and Ulises Segura are all packing their bags for Texas after various trades. There’s a mixture there, too, of young and old. It seems like Wolff knows for certain who he wants on his back line, at least.
