MLS Austin FC

Austin FC Announces Expansion of Austin FC Academy to Five Age Groups with the Addition of U-12 and U-17 Teams

May 19, 2021 - Major League Soccer (MLS)
Austin FC News Release


Austin, TEXAS - Austin FC announced today the expansion of the Austin FC Academy to include the U-12 (born in 2010/2011) and U-17 (born in 2005/2006) age groups for the 2021-22 season. With the expansion, the Austin FC Academy now features five (5) age groups -- U-12, U-13, U-14, U-15, and U-17. With the addition of the new U-12 team, the current U-13 team will move to U-14, U-14s to U-15, and U-15s to U-17. Full rosters for each age group will be announced later in 2021.

"The addition of the U-12 and U-17 rosters to Austin FC's Academy is a decisive step in the formation of a comprehensive professional Academy youth soccer system," commented Tyson Wahl, Austin FC's Academy General Manager. "We are proud to offer an expanded pathway to professional soccer to the many talented Central Texas players who will compete in our academy system. We are one year closer to realizing our goal of seeing at least one player per season move from Austin FC Academy to the Austin FC first team. This expansion for 2021-2022 will further help us in developing the next generation of elite players from our region."

"Having five age groups at Austin FC's Academy in such short time speaks volumes about the level of commitment our Club has to local youth talent," commented Claudio Reyna, Austin FC's Sporting Director. "Our goal is to continue forming these talented players and offer them the best opportunity to develop their skills and support their aspirations to become professional soccer players."

Austin FC Academy is the fully funded development academy that began competition in the Fall of 2019 with the U-14 team participating in the U.S. Soccer Development Academy (USSDA). It later expanded to include the U-13, U-14, and U-15 teams in 2020 under MLS NEXT.

With the expansion, four (4) of the five (5) Austin FC Academy teams will compete in MLS NEXT, apart from the U-12 team. Major League Soccer (MLS) manages, organizes, and controls the MLS NEXT system of youth soccer, which was launched in 2020 with the goal of transforming elite youth soccer in North America. MLS NEXT players have access to the highest level of competition, training and personal development opportunities that will prepare them for their professional futures. See below the 2021-2022 U-12 and U-13 rosters:

2021-2022 U-12 Roster (2010/11)

NAME CLUB

Edwin Platero FC Barcelona Austin

Christian Zuniga FC Barcelona Austin

Carlos Lopez FC Barcelona Austin

Jack Greenville FC Westlake

Caleb Welch FC Westlake

Josiah Garcia Capital City Soccer Club

Camden Spitzer Capital City Soccer Club

Kelby Spitzer Capital City Soccer Club

Wesley Hamilton Capital City Soccer Club

Ryan Diaz Lonestar Soccer Club

Johnny Bautista Lonestar Soccer Club

Diego Garcia Lonestar Soccer Club

Nico Siqueiros Lonestar Soccer Club

Luke Andre Lonestar Soccer Club

Lukas Mendez Lonestar Soccer Club

Boaz Zimmerman Lonestar Soccer Club

Blue Davis Lonestar Soccer Club

Zayden Seyhoon Lonestar Soccer Club

Blaise Iwakoshi Lonestar Soccer Club

Jayden Nguyen Lonestar Soccer Club

Alex Moore Lonestar Soccer Club

Ariel Portillo Lonestar Soccer Club

Gavin Meraz Lonestar Soccer Club

Liam Payne Lonestar Soccer Club

2021-2022 U-13 Roster (2009)

NAME CLUB

Kevin Espinoza Lonestar Soccer Club

Tristan Montalbo Lonestar Soccer Club

Ethan Miranda Lonestar Soccer Club

Jorge Rivera Lonestar Soccer Club

Daniel Wright Lonestar Soccer Club

Ty Rouen Lonestar Soccer Club

David Aschenbeck Lonestar Soccer Club

Isaac Velasquez Lonestar Soccer Club

Luke Williams Lonestar Soccer Club

Jaxon Radcliff Lonestar Soccer Club

Tiano Vela New Mexico Pateadores

Isaiah Tatum Juventus Academy San Antonio

Kike De La Cruz Rayados Laredo Soccer Academy

Adin Memic FC Barcelona Austin

Caleb Doane Lake Travis Elite

Robbie MacFarland Tigres San Antonio

Christian Ayala Capital City Soccer Club

Jonathan Ayala Capital City Soccer Club

Cesar Alejandro Balderas Capital City Soccer Club

The Austin FC Academy represents the highest level of training and competition for aspiring professional soccer players in Central Texas across Austin, San Antonio, and surrounding cities. The Austin FC Academy trains at St. David's Performance Center, the Club's $45 million, privately funded, state-of-the-art training facility located near Parmer Pond in North Austin.

Check out the Austin FC Statistics



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