Austin FC II announced today that the Club has signed free agent defender Nico Van Rijn to its MLS NEXT Pro roster pending league and federation approval. Van Rijn, 23, joins ATXFC II on a deal through the 2025 MLS NEXT Pro season with options for the 2026 and 2027 seasons.
A 6’4” center back, Van Rijn (pronounced “van rye-n”) is a dual citizen of Spain and the Netherlands. He came through the youth ranks at CF Damm before beginning his senior career with Lleida Esportiu in 2020. Van Rijn made 10 league appearances and one (1) Copa del Rey appearance in his one (1) season there before moving to Algeciras CF in the Spanish third division.
Across the 2021/2022 and 2022/2023 seasons, Van Rijn played 39 league matches for Algeciras and one (1) Copa del Rey match. Van Rijn then signed for Recreativo Granada, the second team of Granada CF. He scored his first professional goal last December in a match vs. Atlético Madrid B and made 24 total appearances for Recreativo Granada last season.
