MLS Austin FC

Austin FC to Select up to Five Players during MLS Expansion Draft

Published on December 9, 2020 under Major League Soccer (MLS)
Austin FC News Release


Austin, Texas - Austin FC, the 27th Club in Major League Soccer (MLS), confirmed that the 2020 MLS Expansion Draft will be broadcast live on AustinFC.com, Twitter, Facebook and other MLS platforms on Tuesday, December 15, starting at 5.00pm CST. During the 2020 Expansion Draft, Austin FC may select up to five players from an eligible pool of players that MLS will publish on Monday, December 14 at 12.00pm CST.

"Our Club has been working diligently for many months to arrive at this moment, and the Expansion Draft marks a vital step in the process of building our 2021 inaugural roster," said Austin FC Sporting Director, Claudio Reyna. "We are excited to add up to five important players to our squad, and we look forward to continuing to build our roster in advance of our first MLS season in 2021. I urge all our fans to make sure they tune in on December 15 to see who we select."

As the sole MLS expansion side debuting in 2021, Austin FC will be the only Club to partake in the 2020 Expansion Draft. Per MLS rules, Austin FC will be permitted three (3) minutes for each player selection, and the Club can claim one player from each of the participating MLS clubs. No trades will be permitted during the 2020 MLS Expansion Draft window, which ends as soon as the allotted three (3) minutes for the fifth pick ends.

The clubs exempt from the 2020 Expansion Draft are: Atlanta United, Columbus Crew SC, FC Cincinnati, Los Angeles Football Club, Minnesota United FC, New England Revolution, New York City FC, Portland Timbers, Seattle Sounders FC, and Sporting Kansas City. These clubs had players selected by Inter Miami CF and Nashville SC during the 2019 MLS Expansion Draft. Austin FC can pick one player per club from the remaining 16 returning MLS clubs that competed during the 2020 season. Each of those teams can protect 12 players from their Senior, Supplemental, and Reserve rosters. These clubs are: Chicago Fire FC, Colorado Rapids, D.C. United, FC Dallas, Houston Dynamo, Inter Miami CF, LA Galaxy, Montreal Impact, Nashville SC, New York Red Bulls, Orlando City SC, Philadelphia Union, Real Salt Lake, San Jose Earthquakes, Toronto FC, and Vancouver Whitecaps FC.

Austin FC will also participate in the half-day MLS trade window on December 13, opening at 8.00am CST and closing at 12.00pm CST. Austin FC can make further player acquisitions when Free Agency opens on December 16 at 12.00pm CST and in the two stages of the Re-Entry Process beginning on December 17 (stage one) and concluding on December 22 (stage 2).

The 2020 MLS Expansion Draft will be broadcast live on MLSsoccer.com.

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