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Five Austin FC players are out and several more have been injured during the club's first season. (Laura Figi/Austonia)
Austin FC has been through the ringer for their first season: a seven-week stretch on the road to kick off, one goal in seven games, and a slew of injuries that left half of the club's starters off the pitch at one point.
Here's a quick look at who's on, who's off and who's been injured on the Austin FC roster to date.
Jon Gallagher, forward: unknown foot injury
The same foot that kicked in Austin FC's first home goal could keep forward Jon Gallagher out of the next few practices or matches.
Gallagher said he downed some Ibuprofen just before he scored the first goal at Q2 Stadium. By the end of the first half, Gallagher said he was "pretty useless," and he was seen on crutches around halftime, though he was walking regularly as time went on.
Gallagher said he's unsure on the verdict of the injury.
"I don't know the extent of it. Hopefully it's not too bad," Gallagher said after the match. "Mentally, it's a bittersweet night because I don't know how bad it is."
Danny Hoesen, striker: out indefinitely on hip injury
Hoesen has been out for several matches in a row but may recover by the end of the season. (Danny Hoesen/Instagram)
Fans were dismayed when Head Coach Josh Wolff announced that Hoesen, who had been the offensive frontman at the beginning of the season, would be out for the season on a hip injury.
Luckily, Sporting Director Claudio Reyna clarified a day later and said Hoesen is progressing well after surgery and could be back sooner. "We're still hopeful that he could recover in time for the later games in the year," Reyna said.
The club has made a few moves to help out the striker position, though Reyna said they were looking to sign new forwards during the summer transfer window regardless. The club signed 21-year-old Moussa Djitté from Grenoble in the French Ligue 2 on Monday, and Reyna said their third Designated Player slot is still open.
Nick Lima, right back: pulled hamstring
Nick Lima is out indefinitely after pulling a hamstring against Minnesota United. (Austin FC/Twitter)
Nick Lima was the last of a string of last-minute injuries that saw three starters—Lima, Captain Alex Ring and center back Matt Besler—out in a 2-0 loss against Minnesota United on June 23.
While Ring (right ankle) and Besler (right foot) recovered just in time to help shut out the Columbus Crew on Sunday, Wolff said Lima will be out "for a little while" as his pulled hamstring heals.
In his stead is Hector Jimenez, who Wolff said is the only true right back they have left in a press conference after the Minnesota match. Jimenez, who suffered an injury himself in his first start of the season in May, has helped the club to their second shutout at Q2.
Aaron Schoenfield, forward: left knee
Aaron Schoenfield has yet to debut with the club due to injuries. (Aaron Schoenfield/Instagram)
Aaron Schoenfield, another scoring option for the club has yet to make his debut with Austin FC after a "setback" with his left knee. Wolff said that "it'll still be a good ways" before Schoenfield can hit the pitch for the first time, furthering a need for new signees up top.
Ulises Segura, midfielder: left knee
#GirlDad
— Austin FC (@AustinFC) June 28, 2021
💚🖤 @USeguraCR pic.twitter.com/WWB4wOB8ha
Segura's debut has yet to be determined this season as well after the midfielder underwent knee surgery near the start of the season. Both he and Schoenfield have been out for the entire season to date on left knee injuries.
Ben Sweat, left back: ACL tear
Ben Sweat is now back on a daily basis at @StDavidsPC doing exercises on his surgically repaired knee. pic.twitter.com/ldSAUkBs2L
— Eric Goodman (@Goodman) June 29, 2021
Starting left back Ben Sweat suffered one of the first matchday injuries with the club, and the verdict was an athlete's worst nightmare. With an ACL tear, Sweat is looking at a long path to recovery, though he's already undergone surgery and has been spotted doing exercises on his injured knee.
Sweat's injury propelled new signee Žan Kolmanič into the starting XI just after flying in from his former team NK Maribor in Slovenia. Wolff has praised the 21-year-old Kolmanič for his fitness and eagerness on the ball, but Sweat will still be welcomed with open arms the next time he hits the pitch.
While a five-man injury list may not be ideal, Austin has seen some quick recoveries so far: Besler and Ring are back in tip-top shape, No. 1 SuperDraft pick Daniel Pereira has returned after a stint on the bench, Jhohan Romana is once again available at center back, and Rodney Redes, who suffered a "ding" to his knee, has seemingly fully recovered.
The club will need all hands on deck as they attempt to combat the scoreless "curse" (we're the only ones calling it that) at Q2 Stadium.
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Popular
Many, like Austin blogger Jane Ko, are opting to build homes on empty lots instead of buying preexisting homes. (Jane Ko/A Taste of Koko)
After casually searching for a home for years, Austin influencer and blogger Jane Ko experienced the pandemic housing surge firsthand when she found an empty lot near the airport in the summer of 2020. Stretched thin by high demand and limited supply, Austin's median home prices had already reached a then-record of $435,000 in August of that year, while new inventory grew by just 0.1% in that month.
Due to seemingly ever-increasing demand, Austin's homebuilding market has been busy—if not strained. New listings were up 6% in November 2021, while median home prices had cooled ever-so-slightly to $470,000. The area was ranked the fifth-busiest metro in the country for single-family homebuilding permits in August 2021, according to a National Association of Homebuilders report.
Austin influencer Jane Ko build a semi-custom home on an empty lot near Austin-Bergstrom International Airport. (Jane Ko/A Taste of Koko)
"I think for those of us that have been here, we've seen prices rise in the last five years and I kind of figured if I don't buy now, then I probably won't be able to," Ko said. "I kind of stumbled upon it and I think for a lot of people that's been really the only way to find real estate since the market is so hot."
Austin's inventory has remained somewhat low, especially in the center of town, leading some to believe that homebuyers are being "priced out" by the city's limited options. Area suburbs are reflecting that—the Kyle-Buda-San Marcos region saw 2,900 new home starts from September 2020-21, more than any other Austin submarket.
But with new developments working to keep pace with demand, 2021 Austin Board of Realtors President Susan Horton told Austonia the trend just reflects customer desires.
"I don't think that folks are being pushed by any means," Horton said. "Folks that want to buy out in the rural areas are buying for personal reasons and they're buying because they want the land and privacy. Folks really, truly want to be out. If you want a big lot, it's there."
Like many homebuyers during the pandemic, Ko was happy to scrap Austin's downtown for more space. Because she works from home, she said she and many of her friends are looking for bigger homes and bigger lots in hot areas like Dripping Springs.
Ko had the option of moving into already-built homes within the neighborhood but opted for a custom-built home instead—something that Horton said is another draw for prospective homebuyers.
Austin influencer Jane Ko remodeled her kitchen after building her semi-custom home. (Jane Ko/A Taste of Koko)
Ko's kitchen remodel took months due to supply chain delays/ (Jane Ko/A Taste of Koko)
"The desire to be away from the person next door is really most of the time the deciding factor," Horton said. "And then there are those that want to have a house simply because they want to design it themselves, and so those are the aspects that make buying that raw land and building a house really important."
But building a custom home has its drawbacks. Horton said construction loans, land surveying, zoning restrictions and road access are all hoops that can be jumped through with an experienced realtor.
But even through the tedious and stalled homebuilding process, Ko said it's been worth it to create a home made just for her.
"This is a place that I'm hopefully going to stay in for a very long time," Ko said. "And I think because I do a lot of entertaining at home and shoot photos at home, it's really important that my space looks the way I want it to."
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As Californians were especially drawn to Austin in the pandemic, some may head back to the Bay Area. (CC)
Melaku Mihret, who works remotely in Austin for a Meta office in the Bay Area, thinks some of the Californians who have moved to Texas in the pandemic may just move here temporarily, save money and then head back. Others have also speculated a possible reverse migration, but it may be too early to tell.
According to the Kinder Institute at Rice University, Texan migration to California has remained steady for years. And when it comes to Californians leaving, the institute says it's less about a pull into Texas and more of a push out of California driven by home prices.
But they're not all staying in Austin. U-Haul data shows departures from Austin were up 18% even as one-way arrivals were up 22% in 2021.
Melaku Mihret, a remote worker a Meta office in the Bay Area, is now living in Austin. (Andrea Guzman)
For Mihret, the biggest driver behind his move was the squeeze of costs in Northern California. If the cost of living wasn’t an issue, Mihret said he’d live in the Bay Area. So if Austin continues to become less and less affordable, would Californians go back?
For Mihret, not many places come close to what California offers. He points to the nature, such as the mountains and lakes, in California and the massive tech hub it is. Austin is “not even nearly close to California,” Mihret said, after acknowledging Austin's growth as an emerging tech hub.
Meanwhile others like Ian Davies, who grew up in Austin and left in 2011 when he was in high school, much prefer living in Austin.
His family had moved to Philadelphia, years passed and he eventually landed a job in financial operations at NBC Universal in Los Angeles, California. When the option of remote work during the pandemic came around, he longed to return home.
“I couldn’t wait to move back to Austin,” Davies said. “Not that I didn’t enjoy my time in LA. But LA is just a whole other beast than Austin.”
Ian Davies does remote work for NBC Universal in Downtown Austin in early January. (Andrea Guzman)
But a downside he says is it's become more expensive in the past year and half since he returned. The Austin-Round Rock-Georgetown metro area had the 12th highest change in a recent study on cost of living increases across the country. And among the nation’s top 10 tech hubs, Austin saw the largest year-over-year increase in average rent this past September, with an average of $1,647.
It's a cost of a growing city. Davies sees a positive in all the growth, as he enjoys living in a city with a diverse population, like when he was in LA.
“There’s a group of Austinites who are very against people moving here, and I’m definitely not part of that crowd. I want to share this city with other people. I think it’s awesome.”
He says he wouldn’t want to be anywhere else.
“I hope that Austin can keep its soul and keep its weirdness. Like blues and rock and live music,” Davies said. “I haven’t seen much of that change. I hope people that move here can adapt the spirit of the past and carry that.”
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