Happy game week everyone! It’s been a long off-season, but we’re finally back to action at Q2 Stadium with a revamped roster, a new coach, and renewed hope. Before we throw on our long johns and bundle up for the rare cold home match, the False 9 crew sat down and discussed the pressing topics heading into the 2025 season.
The following is part one of our conversation, with part two coming tomorrow. What you are about to read was recorded at the False 9 compound. This is a not quite verbatim transcription and cannot be used against us in a court of law.
QUESTION #1
What was your favorite off-season move by Rodo?
Travis: Selling Driussi for $10 million. Getting that amount for Seba was so beautiful that it should be in the Louvre or at least the Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes in Buenos Aires.
Louis: He designed, assembled, and painted my beloved hens a new coop with an attached Blackstone flat-top grill for asadas at the compound.
Charles: Selling Sebastian Driussi for a jaw-dropping $10M. Not just the money in, but the $6.7M off the books gave Austin FC the resources to make their other moves. One of the highest paid players in the league shouldn’t have nearly as many penalty misses (2) as assists (3).
Pennypacker: The Driussi business was a masterclass in getting maximum value out of a distressed asset. But an honorable mention goes to bringing in Ilie Sanchez on short years and (we assume) reasonable money. Austin FC needed a solid defensive midfielder, a veteran MLS locker room glue guy, and someone who can vie for the captain’s armband. In Sanchez, they got all three.
Lionel: Told River Plate he was the Wallet Inspector and got their wallet.
Alistair: Playing hardball with River Plate sets us up for transfer success in the future and fully ends the opening salvo of Austin FC’s existence. Also doing shots at the kit release.
Uncle Tony P: I’m going a different route and say finding Besard Sabovich on a free transfer. He did the same with Mikkel Desler last year and Desler was an immediate upgrade at the right-back position, plus he’s on a team friendly contract. I have sneaky suspicion Sabovic may turn into our midfield Desler. If he does, then it’s an amazing piece of business by the head chef.
QUESTION #2
Who will be the “breakout player” for Austin FC this season?
Travis: We love globetrotters here, so a Balkan-Swede in Besard Sabovic is our favorite candidate for a breakout star.
Louis: I love my chickens. They’re my life.
Charles: Owen Wolff, without his dad coaching the team the 20 year old can fully come into his own. He’s a great fit for Nico’s system and can take advantage of all the minutes opened up by Driussi’s departure. The “nepotism” people in the Austin FC fanbase should shut up forever.
Pennypacker: There were so many additions in the offseason that Mikkel Desler feels like an oldtimer at this point, but he’s still played fewer than 500 MLS minutes. There’s definitely a world where he’s team MVP, if not an actual 2025 All Star.
Lionel Mutz: Dani Pereira has already been a wonderful player for us. But, playing as an offensive-oriented 8 behind a $30-million front line for a manager that most likely won’t seem to constantly resent having to play him, he’s going to be on the scoresheet a lot more in 2025.
Alistair: Mikkel Desler because I can’t pronounce anyone else’s name
Uncle Tony P: I was listening to the Suffering From Joy podcast the other day and one of the crew threw out a name I hadn’t considered: CJ Fodrey. Thinking more about it, I really like that shout out. Fodrey should be playing more centrally and could see some significant minutes when Brandon Vazquez is out on international duty. Tall, fast, and athletic, CJ’s profile fits well as a Vazquez backup. Sign him up for 5 goals and a promising future.
QUESTION 3
There are a lot of high expectations from the fanbase with the overhauled roster. What constitutes success and failure?
Travis: Success is making it past the first real round of the playoff, assuming MLS hasn’t created a new playoff format. Failure is simply not making the playoffs
Louis: Not having my chickens around to provide comfort, companionship, and predictions would be the biggest failure. Biggest success would be spending more quality time with my beloved hens.
Charles: Success is making playoffs (not the play-in game) along with a USOC run into a named round (quarterfinals or later). Failure is 2025 looking like 2024 or 2023.
Pennypacker: Success is finishing seventh or better in the West and winning Copa Tejas. Failure is missing the playoffs while not reaching the final of the US Open Cup.
Lionel Mutz: Top 7 in the West is the minimum. Success is Top 4 and hosting 1-6 First Round Playoff matches (pending whatever incomprehensibly stupid playoff format excretes from MLS HQ in like August or something) along with a deep Open Cup run. Failure would be 8th or below and/or dropping more than 0 points to Frisco/Crynamo.
Alistair: Success is finishing top 4 and hosting a playoff round (assuming we have playoffs again this year and we don’t just play a regular season then hand Miami the trophy). Failure is not making the playoffs and/or not winning at least 2-3 more games this season.
Uncle Tony P: Success is clearing 50 points for just the second time in our club’s history. That will comfortably guarantee a playoff spot and show real progress. Failure is battling on decision day to make the playoffs and an early Open Cup crash out.
QUESTION 4
There’s one senior international roster spot available. What would you like to see Rodo do with it?
Travis: Sign Jimmy Dunne as a free agent CB/fullback on pre-agreement so he can start in late July, sell off Julio, Leo, and bring in another midfielder/fullback.
Louis: Trade it for some quinoa-based, high gluten, shadegrown pelleted chicken feed.
Charles: I’d love to see him keep that powder dry (so to speak) to try and bolster the roster based on team needs later in the season or to help with a playoff push.
Pennypacker: If there aren’t any glaring midseason needs, I’d like to see them bring in another midfielder on a U22 deal. As the roster rules currently exist, it would be smart to take as many swings at that pinata as possible.
Lionel Mutz: There’s this Paraguayan winger who has reportedly been balling out at Olimpia recently…
Alistair: Trade it for more GAM
Uncle Tony P: An upgrade at CB could give this team a huge boost. Someone with a little more speed and is attainable on a TAM contract.
QUESTION 5
Let’s talk about Nico. What are your thoughts on the new gaffer?
Travis: I love a Valencian accent, so Nico’s bilingual antics and story have impressed me. However, the truth on the pitch will tell the real story. Make the playoffs this year at a minimum and build back a fun culture.
Louis: I’m a bit leery. He keeps talking about how much he enjoys chicken wings from Pluckers doused with Fire in the Hole sauce.
Charles: He’s made a very calculated effort to be the opposite of Wolff. Embracing fans and the culture and in press conferences has actually answered questions about tactics or how the team will play. That being said, he was fired mid-season from one of the few teams Austin was worse than last season.
Pennypacker: I think he’s going to be an ancillary figure in the story of Austin in 2025. Rodo is in many ways the current face of the franchise and he’s assembled the team he wants. I don’t think Estevez is either so good a manager that he will squeeze untapped potential out of the squad nor so bad that he’ll hold them down.
Lionel Mutz: He’s amicable, understands what it’s like to be a supporter and hasn’t intentionally antagonized the fan base so far. So, he’s automatically the best manager in Austin FC history.
Alistair: He smiles and interacts with the fans so we’ll have to find new complaints the first time we go into the Horseshoe of Sadness and lose 3 straight.
Uncle Tony P: Nico seems like a nice dude and is actively trying to interact with this fan base, which is an immediate upgrade over Josh Wolff in that regard. He says a lot of nice things with regards to player usage as well. However, he still got fired less than a year ago from FC Dallas. I’m reserving judgement until I see results on the field.
That’s it for today folks. Come back tomorrow for Part 2!
Uncle Tony P.
Uncle Tony P. is a lifelong Austin FC supporter and overall handsome son of a bitch who always has a full supply of mustard on hand for his Verde friends.