Austin FC announced today that the Club has signed defenders Antonio Gomez, Riley Thomas, and Nico Van Rijn to Short-Term Agreements from its MLS NEXT Pro affiliate Austin FC II. All three (3) players will be available for selection for Austin’s MLS match against San Diego FC on Sunday, March 23 at Q2 Stadium.
Thomas signs his second Short-Term Agreement this season, while Gomez and Van Rijn each sign their first.
Gomez signed with Austin FC II in February 2024. He has since made 26 MLS NEXT Pro appearances (23 starts), with one (1) goal and one (1) assist. Gomez played collegiate soccer at California Baptist University from 2020 to 2023, making 71 appearances for the Lancers. The 6’2” native of Las Vegas, Nevada earned WAC All-Freshman honors in 2021, Second Team All-WAC honors in 2022, and made the WAC All-Tournament team in 2023 as CBU won the conference title.
Thomas joined the Club last December via the MLS SuperDraft. Thomas made his MLS NEXT Pro debut on March 7, playing all 90 minutes of ATXFC II’s 4-2 win. He was on the bench for Austin FC’s 1-0 win over LAFC on March 15. A product of 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.
Van Rijn signed for Austin FC II in July 2024 and has made 13 appearances (12 starts) in MLS NEXT Pro to date. 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. He then had stints at Algeciras CF and Recreativo Granada, scoring his first professional goal in December 2023 in a match vs. Atlético Madrid B.
Per the 2025 MLS Roster Rules and Regulations, a club may sign a player, age 25 or younger during the league season, from its affiliate (MLS NEXT Pro) to a maximum of four Short-Term Agreements (up to four-day contracts) each season (maximum of 16 days). An individual player may be included on up to four (4) MLS league season match rosters each season, however, that player may appear in no more than two (2) MLS league season matches. An individual player may appear in any number of non-league games during the terms of his four (4) Short-Term Agreements.
