If you’ve kept up with the Loons this winter, you know that the club has undergone a period of significant turnover. We’ve seen Cameron Knowles replace Eric Ramsay as head coach, nine players join the team, and 10 players leave the team through various means (transfer, loan, contract expiry). If you’ve kept up with the league for a few years now, you know that these kinds of roster updates are inevitable.
Professional soccer clubs are ever-changing, like living organisms. It’s extremely rare for any club to remain exactly the same through a transfer window or offseason; that’s just not how this business works, folks. In fact, I bet there are some fun stats to back that claim up. Too bad the season opener is almost here; I won’t have time to dive into three decades’ worth of transfer business. Dang.
As a consolation prize, why don’t we kill two smaller birds with one stone? Let’s prepare for this weekend’s season opener by taking a closer look at how much Austin’s roster has changed since last season and what that might mean for the Loons in their first competitive match of 2026.
El Tree de Vida
First, let’s look at how El Tree has changed, shall we? With just five additions to the roster and six departures, they’ve avoided an overhaul after finishing sixth in the Western Conference in 2025. It seems that club leadership believes in the core they’ve put together, opting for a few small changes to hopefully push the squad into the upper echelon of the league’s real contenders.
Austin’s biggest struggle in 2025 was goal-scoring, hitting the back of the net just 37 times across their 34 regular-season games. That was the lowest tally in the entire Western Conference and tied for the second-lowest in the whole league. Naturally, then, their most significant changes this offseason have been in the attack.
If we look at the turnover from an impact standpoint, the departure of the trio of forwards Osman Bukari, Diego Rubio, and Jáder Obrian sees the Verde and Black lose more than 4,000 minutes of time played across the front, but it’s probably for the best. Bukari featured more than the rest of that group, playing 2,329 minutes, scoring three goals, and adding seven assists in 2025. That means he was good for a goal contribution every 233 minutes, or 0.39 goal contributions per 90. Basically, he added to the scoresheet every 2.5 games.
Rubio and Obrian were primarily used as attacking substitutes throughout the season, with the former playing 937 minutes and the latter getting 902. They managed goal contribution rates of 0.48 and 0.10 per 90, respectively. With the stats laid out, the problem is pretty clear. There simply wasn’t enough production from Austin’s attacking corps last season, and even though striker Brandon Vázquez was out for much of the season, they needed to add some firepower for him to work with when he returns later this season.
Enter Facundo Torres and Jayden Nelson. These wingers bring unique, game-changing skill sets to Austin, lower the age of the attack, and up the productivity from a statistical lens. They check just about every box that matters, and with proven track records in MLS already, they could turn out to be two of the signings of the season.
Torres has been playing for Brazilian giants Palmeiras since finishing the 2024 season with Orlando City. Last season, he played 1,665 minutes, scored six goals, and added three assists as part of a crowded, talented attacking unit. That’s a goal contribution every 185 minutes, or about one every other game. The 25-year-old winger got himself 53 goal contributions in 7,619 regular-season minutes for Orlando before heading to Brazil, giving him an even better statistical rate in MLS (0.63 g/a per 90).
Nelson, on the other hand, is an emerging MLS talent. Just 23 years old, his performances for an extremely talented Vancouver Whitecaps side in 2025 showcased his capacity to run, his raw speed, and his ability to adapt as needed, playing across the front when called upon. Used mostly as a secondary option for the ‘Caps, Nelson managed two goals and six assists in just 1,326 minutes last season, posting an impressive rate of 0.55 g/a per 90. If given more time in Austin, he could be on the verge of a real breakout year.
With Vázquez still out and last season’s leading goal contributor Owen Wolff questionable for the opening game, Austin will have to rely on their new signings to find goals this weekend. There’s no easing into the squad; it’s go-time, and that means it’s time to deliver.
The Loons will be hoping that Austin’s new guys haven’t had enough time to integrate, but if they have, it likely won’t be anything like playing the 2025 version of Austin. Whether the visitors play a back four or a back five, they’ll be facing a lot of pressure on the wings if Torres and Nelson can get going, keeping MNUFC’s fullbacks honest and potentially putting the Loons in a reactive state early on. If they can weather the storm like they proved more than capable of last season, the hosts will show some cracks, but it won’t be easy to get that far against this refreshed front line.
