
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.
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The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.
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