Tomas Pochettino is going deep in the heart of Texas…
The 25-year-old Argentine soccer player has signed on as a designated player for Major League Soccer (MLS) expansion side Austin FC has signed, the club has announced.
Pochettino joins forward Cecilio Dominguez as the team’s DP signings. Dominguez, a Paraguay international, moved to the club in August of 2020.
“Tomas is a player we’ve monitored for almost a year now, and we’re excited to have landed him,” Austin FC head coach Josh Wolff said in a team statement.
Wolff added that Pochettino has “very good qualities to the way that we want to play, he’s an attack-minded midfielder, has very good dynamics in and around the penalty box to combine and to shoot from distance.”
Pochettino came up through the Boca Juniors academy before making his debut for the Buenos Aires giants in 2015. He spent the past three seasons as a standout for Argentine top-division side Talleres.
“He’s very intelligent, in finding spaces in the final third, and in passing. His runs off the ball are very smart. He’s a team player, he’s very responsible as well on the defensive side, and with him being positioned in the middle of the field, that’s important,” Austin FC sporting director Claudio Reyna said.
The 18-year-old half-Argentine American soccer player, a midfielder for Borussia Dortmund, has been voted U.S. Soccer‘s Young Male Player of the Year for 2020.
Reyna burst onto the international scene with the German giants in 2020 and capped the year by making his first appearance for the United States in a 0-0 draw with Wales back in November.
The former NYCFC product received 79% of the vote and follows Sergino Dest, Alex Mendez, Josh Sargent and Christian Pulisic as the most recent winners of the award.
He also joins USMNT greats Landon Donovan (2000), Jozy Altidore (2006), and Michael Bradley (2007) on the list of honorees.
The award was first given out in 1998 when Josh Wolff took home the prize.
Reyna has made 39 appearances over all competitions in 2020, producing five goals and seven assists.
He has played in all 13 league games for Dortmund in the 2020-21 season, adding three goals and four assists. Reyna has also been a standout in the Champions League this campaign, appearing in all six matches thus far while starting in four.
The 26-year-old Paraguayan professional footballer has signed with Austin FC as the MLS expansion side’s first Designated Player.
Dominguez moves to Austin from Argentine giants Independiente, where he spent last season after moving over from Club America.
Dominguez will remain on loan for the remainder of the 2020 season before joining his new team in January of 2021.
“Cecilio is the type of player we wanted for our first Designated Player signing. He’s a young but experienced, attacking international who joins us from one of the biggest clubs in South America,” said Austin FC head coach Josh Wolff. “His dynamic forward play will translate well to MLS.
“He is an attacking player well known to Liga MX fans, with a broad skillset, good movement off the ball and the ability to come inside and create scoring opportunities by himself. He can score with both feet and his head, and he is a true team player. His club experience in Mexico, Paraguay, and Argentina, alongside his national team history with Paraguay, adds a significant threat to our forward line. He’s a player fans will be pleased to see when we start play in 2021.”
Dominguez, who is the club’s second signing, scored eight goals and provided six assists in 42 games for Independiente, and scored 21 goals in 74 matches for America prior to that.
Austin FC sporting director Claudio Reyna said he had no shortage of suitors for his services.
“He chose Austin FC as opposed to staying in Argentina with the likes of Boca Juniors showing serious interest,” said Reyna.
“Both ways it shows the belief we have in him and likewise him in our staff and the way we’re absolutely going to get him back to his highest level. He just turned 26 and has so much to look forward to. It’s the challenge we talk about with every player … there’s no doubt that he’s going to find his form and be a really impactful player for us.”
Dominguez, who has also had stints at Paraguayan clubs Nacional and Cerro Porteno, has appeared 17 times for his country but has yet to score.
MLS expansion side Austin FC has signed the 20-year-old Paraguayan forward as its first player, for a transfer fee that sources tell ESPN is $2.75 million.
Redes is on the books of Paraguayan side Guarani, and will remain with them before joining up with Austin ahead of its debut season in 2021.
“It is an honor to join Austin FC as the first player signing in club history, and I am excited for the opportunity to advance my career in Major League Soccer,” said Redes. “I look forward to representing Austin in competition and in the community. I’ve been watching Major League Soccer closely, and I am very excited to begin working with coach [Josh] Wolff to further develop my skills in a global league that has helped other Paraguayan players reach new heights.”
Born in La Colmena, Paraguay, Redes has scored 12 goals in 82 league and cup appearances since making his professional debut with Guarani back in 2018.
Redes has spent time as a forward as well as a wide attacking player, and was off to an auspicious start in 2020, scoring three goals during the qualifying rounds of the 2020 Copa Libertadores to help Guarani reach the group stage of the tournament.
He had also scored twice in six league appearances before the sport in South America was shut down because of the coronavirus pandemic.
“The words I use to best describe Rodney are versatility and impactfulness,” Austin FC Head coach Josh Wolff said. “Rodney is a young player with qualities that can strongly influence any match as a result of his positional flexibility, eye for goal, and clear finishing quality.
“I am very pleased that we have secured a rising talent who demonstrates goal scoring ability in both the Copa Libertadores as well as his domestic league, and I believe that our supporters will appreciate his hunger and willingness to make Austin FC successful.”
Redes is the first player to be signed by Austin sporting director Claudio Reyna, and he’ll likely be signed to a young Designated Player contract.
Given that Redes will be 21 by the time he suits up for Austin, his hit to the salary budget will be $200,000 based on this year’s MLS roster rules.
“Rodney is a dynamic, attacking player, and we are proud to welcome him as the first signing in the history of Austin FC,” Reyna said.
“Rodney is precisely the sort of player we intend to attract to Austin FC. At a very young age, he has already registered strong performances and collected valuable big-game experience in major competitions. I am pleased that we capitalized on this brief July transfer window to sign Rodney, and our staff looks forward to working closely with him.”
Wolff added: “[Redes is] a player that I think fits really well with what Claudio and I envisage this team being about. For him to be our first signing is a good indication of what we want to be on the field and off the field. He’s a young, hungry, dynamic player and I think the more I watched him and the more I’ve interacted with him the more you realize he’s a very focused young man.
“When he plays, he plays with real commitment, real passion and his Technical qualities are very clear. He’s got very powerful running, he’s a low profile guy, good change of speed with and without the ball and most importantly he’s very goal-orientated.”
