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Norwegian defender Ruben Gabrielsen has signed as Austin FC's latest signee. (Molde Fotballklubb/Twitter)
The Verde smoke cleared once again for a new signing Monday as Norwegian defender Ruben Gabrielson looks to answer the club's quest for a new central defender on Monday.
Gabrielsen signed a two-year contract with an option to stay for the 2024 season. Financial details for the signing were not disclosed..
Gabrielsen comes as a 29-year-old defender with experience in Norway and France's top leagues. At 17, Gabrielsen became the youngest-ever player to debut for Norwegian team Lillestrøm in 2009, shifting to Molde FK in 2014 as he helped lead the team to win the Norwegian league and cup that year. Named Molde captain three years later, Gabrielsen won another Norwegian league championship in 2019 before leaving for French side Toulouse FC, totaling 171 appearances, eight goals and eight assists with Molde.
With Toulouse FC, Gabrielsen made 50 appearances in 2020 before going on loan to Danish club FC Copenhagen in 2021. Gabrielsen has also made two appearances with the Norwegian men's national team, earning the captain's armband in a draw against Austria in a match in November 2020.
An experienced center back, Gabrielsen's signing appears to plug the biggest hole in Austin FC's projected starting lineup after veteran Matt Besler retired at the end of the 2021 season. Gabrielsen is the second center back signed this offseason after the club signed No. 1 SuperDraft defender Kipp Keller as its first pick in the 2022 draft on January 11.
Gabrielsen joins the club as a member of the club's international roster, which allows only a limited number of international players to be in a club at one time. In order to free up some spots for Gabrielsen, Austin FC's Jhohan Romana, Zan Kolmanic and Rodney Redes were cleared from the international roster Monday morning after receiving green cards. International spots are also tradeable, and the club opted to sell one of its slots to MLS Club Inter Miami CF for $225,000 to add to its signing budget.
In total, Austin FC has signed three midfielders, three defenders and a striker as it nears the end of its first offseason. While the club has lost prospects like native Austinite McKinze Gaines, new signees include veteran midfielder Ethan Finlay, Colombian midfielder Jhojan Valencia and former Houston Dynamo striker Maxi Urruti.
The club is currently training and will hit the pitch once more when preseason begins with a scrimmage against Toronto FC at Austin's practice field, St. David's Performance Center, on Wednesday, Feb. 9. Austin FC's four-match preseason schedule will include an international friendly against current Liga MX champions Atlas FC on Feb. 16 before the club's second season begins with a home opener against FC Cincinnati at Q2 Stadium on Saturday, Feb. 26.
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(AUS airport/Instagram)
With major entertainment events slated for October, the Austin-Bergstrom International Airport is gearing up for a busy month.
Artists and music lovers are set to pack into Zilker Park for The Austin City Limits Music Festival in the coming two weekends. Following that, Formula One will bring racing fans to the Circuit of the Americas.
For those two events, the airport is anticipating high passenger days with 30,000 or more people departing flights.
ABIA recommends arriving at least two and a half hours in advance for domestic flights on those days. For ACL, it's expected on both Sundays of the festival along with the Monday and Tuesday after. The F1-driven high passenger days are expected on Oct. 20-21 and Oct. 23-26.
\u201c#AustinCityLimits visitors, you\u2019re in for a weird and wild ride \ud83e\udd18\u262e\ufe0f \n\nFlying in or out of our airport? We got firm and fun tips for you: https://t.co/RawVRalOXN\u201d— Austin-Bergstrom International Airport (AUS) (@Austin-Bergstrom International Airport (AUS)) 1664894083
F1, especially, could draw in loads of travelers as the three-day event saw 400,000 attendees last year. ABIA warns that highways leading to the airport may see even higher traffic than usual around the event and that travelers should plan their route accordingly.
Bailey Grimmett, a spokesperson for ABIA, said travel numbers come in 24 hours in advance. So, it's hard to predict if the airport will see travel volumes at the same levels that have happened around previous F1 races or if it'll top ACL's flight traffic.
Still, she says historical knowledge points to a chance for it.
“We've had that Monday after F1 break the record for single busiest in airport history," Grimmett said. "So context clues I would say yes, but I can't confirm that. But the historical background points to that."
In anticipation of the high volume of flyers, the airport received additional TSA officers for security screening through the end of October. To prepare even further, the Department of Aviation and partners hosted a job showcase and hiring fair to address the continued labor shortage the airport has experienced.
Relief from hectic travel days is on the horizon with November likely to see a slowdown.
"I don't anticipate it will be as busy as October just because we don't have as many events going on," Grimmett said. "Thanksgiving is kind of our primary holiday that we see a lot of passengers coming in and out of the airport."
