Austin FC II announced today that the Club has signed defender Riley Thomas and forward Patrick Gryczewski to its MLS NEXT Pro roster. Both players initially joined the Austin FC organization via the MLS SuperDraft 2025 and each trained with Austin FC and Austin FC II during the teams’ 2025 preseason.
Riley Thomas
Austin FC selected Thomas in the second round with the 42nd overall pick. Thomas, who is originally from Atlanta, Georgia, played collegiately at the University of North Carolina. He appeared in 86 matches across five (5) seasons at UNC, starting 85 of them.
In 2024, he was selected as a United Soccer Coaches Third Team All-American. He was voted to the All-ACC Second Team and named to the All-ACC Academic Team for the third year in a row as a senior. Thomas helped the Tar Heels to be the fifth-best scoring defense in the nation and first in the Atlantic Coast Conference in 2023.
Thomas appeared in five (5) preseason matches for Austin FC.
Patrick Gryczewski
Austin FC selected Gryczewski in the third round of the MLS SuperDraft 2025 with the 72nd overall pick. Gryczewski, who is originally from Plainville, Connecticut, began his collegiate career at the University of Hartford, recording two (2) goals and two (2) assists in 17 games as a freshman.
He then transferred to the University of Rhode Island where he contributed five (5) goals, two (2) of which were match winners, and three (3) assists in 34 appearances, playing a total of 1,945 minutes across three (3) seasons.
Gryczewski appeared in three (3) preseason matches for Austin FC.
CURRENT AUSTIN FC II ROSTER (14)
GOALKEEPERS: Marcus Alstrup
DEFENDERS: Rubén Bonachera, Daniel Cieśla, Anthony De Anda, Antonio Gomez, Riley Thomas, Nico Van Rijn
MIDFIELDERS: Diego Abarca, Jorge Alastuey, Ervin Torres
FORWARDS: Vlad Dǎnciuțiu, Anthony Garcia, Peter Grogan, Patrick Gryczewski
