The 2023 Major League soccer regular season schedule is out, and with it comes the circling of certain dates: the home opener, derbies, tough away stretches, and more.
Austin FC will face each of its conference opponents home and away – except for in-state rivals FC Dallas and Houston Dynamo FC, whom Austin will play three times each – and will play six Eastern Conference teams to round out its 34-match slate. That means facing a total of 19 different clubs in league action, some of which the Verde & Black will meet for the very first time.
The start of the season is still months away, but it’s never too early to learn a bit about each of those 19 teams. Click here to get tickets to any of Austin FC’s 2023 home matches.
St. Louis CITY SC
Matchup Record: 0-0-0
Match Dates: February 25 (H), August 20 (A)
Player to Watch: Goalkeeper Roman Burki will anchor the team with a huge amount of experience competing in the German Bundesliga, one of the world’s top leagues. Burki spent seven seasons with German giants Borussia Dortmund, making 176 appearances.
Matchup Fact: Just as Austin FC did with Q2 Stadium in 2021, St. Louis is playing its first season in its brand-new home venue CITYPARK in 2023.
CF Montréal
Matchup Record: 1-0-0
Match Dates: March 4 (H)
Player to Watch: Midfielder Djordje Mihailovic had a breakout campaign in 2022, recording nine goals and six assists as one of the league’s most efficient players.
Matchup Fact: Austin beat Montréal in Canada last year despite playing the entire second half with 10 men. Jon Gallagher assisted Maxi Urruti – formerly a Montréal player – for the game’s only goal.
Real Salt Lake
Matchup Record: 2-2-1. The draw occurred in the 2022 Audi MLS Cup Playoffs, with Austin winning the ensuing penalty kick shootout.
Match Dates: March 11 (A), June 3 (H)
Player to Watch: RSL’s club captain Damir Kreilach missed almost the entire 2022 season through injury, but is back for 2023 and expected to make a big difference.
Matchup Fact: Moussa Djitté scored the first hat trick in Austin FC history against RSL on September 14, 2022, a 3-0 victory which clinched Austin FC’s first-ever playoff berth.
Houston Dynamo FC
Matchup Record: 4-1-0
Match Dates: March 18 (A), May 27 (A), June 24 (H)
Player to Watch: Midfielder Adalberto Carrasquilla isn’t the flashiest player but does a lot of the dirty work for his team to help them find success, winning tackles and looking to get the ball forward.
Matchup Fact: Austin’s record against Houston is its best against any team which it has faced multiple times, but Houston will have a brand-new coach this year in Ben Olsen. Austin Head Coach Josh Wolff and Assistant Coach Davy Arnaud both played for Olsen at D.C. United, and Assistant Coach Nolan Sheldon held the same role under Olsen in D.C. from 2016 to 2020.
Colorado Rapids
Matchup Record: 2-2-1
Match Dates: March 25 (H), September 30 (A)
Player to Watch: Forward Diego Rubio led the way for Colorado offensively in 2022, recording 23 goal contributions (16 goals, seven assists) in an impressive campaign.
Matchup Fact: The first goal (scored by Diego Fagundez) and first win in Austin FC history both came against the Rapids in April 2021.
LAFC
Matchup Record: 2-4-0
Match Dates: April 8 (A), October 7 (H)
Player to Watch: Stars like Gareth Bale and Carlos Vela grab the headlines, but LAFC’s most consistent performer over the last two seasons has been Cristian Arango. His 32 goals across the regular season and playoffs since joining LAFC midway through 2021 are second-most in MLS in that span.
Matchup Fact: Though the Verde & Black were the only MLS team to beat LAFC twice in 2022, it was the Californians who ended Austin’s season in the Western Conference Final en route to winning MLS Cup.
Vancouver Whitecaps FC
Matchup Record: 1-3-0
Match Dates: April 15 (H), July 12 (A)
Player to Watch: Midfielder Ryan Gauld had a solid 2022 for Vancouver during his second season in the league, tallying eight goals and nine assists.
Matchup Fact: Home-field advantage proved critical in this matchup last season, with Austin and Vancouver each earning a shutout win by a multiple-goal margin at home.
LA Galaxy
Matchup Record: 1-3-0
Match Dates: April 22 (A), September 24 (H)
Player to Watch: Midfielder Riqui Puig hit the ground running after arriving midway through the 2022 season, adding a real creative spark to the Galaxy’s attack. Puig, a product of FC Barcelona’s famed La Masia academy, tallied three goals and five assists in only nine starts.
Matchup Fact: Moussa Djitté scored his first Austin FC goal against the Galaxy in a 2-0 win in September 2021.
San Jose Earthquakes
Matchup Record: 0-2-3
Match Dates: April 29 (H), October 21 (A)
Player to Watch: Striker Jeremy Ebobisse is coming off a career-best season, in which he scored 17 goals for the Quakes. He’ll be expected to lead the line once again in San Jose.
Matchup Fact: Matches between Austin and San Jose tend to be high-scoring, with last season’s meetings ending in 2-2 and 3-3 draws.
Portland Timbers
Matchup Record: 2-3-0
Match Dates: May 6 (A), September 17 (H)
Player to Watch: Brazilian midfielder Evander arrived this offseason for a club-record transfer fee. The Timbers’ newest Designated Player has experience in both the UEFA Champions League and Europa League.
Matchup Fact: The first Austin FC goal (scored by Jon Gallagher) and win (by a score of 4-1) at Q2 Stadium each came against the Timbers back in July 2021.
FC Dallas
Matchup Record: 1-3-2
Match Dates: May 13 (H), June 21 (H), August 26 (A)
Player to Watch: Forward Jesus Ferreira made the U.S. Men’s National Team roster for the 2022 World Cup and was voted MLS Young Player of the Year last season, with 18 goals and six assists.
Matchup Fact: Austin went unbeaten in three games against Dalals in 2022. Two regular season draws helped Austin FC lift Copa Tejas, and the Verde & Black knocked their North Texas rivals out of the MLS Cup Playoffs with a 2-1 win at Q2 Stadium in the Western Conference Semifinals.
Seattle Sounders FC
Matchup Record: 0-2-2
Match Dates: May 17 (A), August 30 (H)
Player to Watch: Nicolas Lodeiro led Seattle in goal contributions with 18 last year, ranking in the top 10 in MLS with 11 assists.
Matchup Fact: Seattle became the first MLS team to win the Concacaf Champions League in 2022 but missed the MLS Cup Playoffs for the first time since it joined the league in 2009.
Toronto FC
Matchup Record: 0-0-0
Match Dates: May 20 (H)
Player to Watch: Lorenzo Insigne is a household name in world soccer and made an instant impact in MLS after joining Toronto in 2022, tallying six goals and two assists in only 11 matches.
Matchup Fact: Toronto advanced to the MLS Cup Final three out of four seasons between 2016 and 2019 – lifting the trophy in 2017 – but has missed the playoffs each of the last two seasons.
Minnesota United FC
Matchup Record: 2-3-0
Match Dates: May 31 (H), July 8 (A)
Player to Watch: Much like Driussi pulls the strings for Austin, Minnesota has an Argentine playmaking midfielder of its own in Emanuel Reynoso. An All-Star in 2022, Reynoso recorded 10 goals and 11 assists for the Loons.
Matchup Fact: Matches between Austin and Minnesota tend to be close and low-scoring – four of five previous meetings have been decided by a one-goal margin, and three have ended 1-0.
Sporting Kansas City
Matchup Record: 3-1-1
Match Dates: June 10 (A), July 15 (H)
Player to Watch: Though Johnny Russell often rightfully grabs the headlines, striker William Agada had a breakout season for SKC last year, bagging eight goals and two assists.
Matchup Fact: Sporting KC were unfortunate to lose two Designated Players to season-ending injuries last season but will have both Alan Pulido and Gadi Kinda back and raring to go for 2023.
Inter Miami CF
Matchup Record: 1-0-0
Player to Watch: Right back DeAndre Yedlin has 77 appearances for the U.S. Men’s National Team to his name, and was a part of the USMNT squads at both the 2022 and 2014 FIFA World Cups.
Matchup Fact: Austin roared to a 5-1 win over Miami in the second week of the 2022 season, becoming the first team in MLS history to total 10 goals through its first two games.
New England Revolution
Matchup Record: 0-0-0
Match Dates: September 2 (A)
Player to Watch: Attacking midfielder Carles Gil is one of MLS’ best creators, with 32 assists across his last two seasons. 18 of those game during the 2021 season, when Gil won the league’s MVP award to help his team lift the Supporters’ Shield.
Matchup Fact: The match will be a homecoming of sorts for Austin FC’s Diego Fagundez, a New England Revolution academy product who spent 10 seasons with the club.
New York Red Bulls
Matchup Record: 0-1-0
Match Dates: September 20 (A)
Player to Watch: 20-year-old Homegrown defender John Tolkin is one of the league’s brightest up-and-coming talents. MLS ranked Tolkin at No. 6 on its 22 Under 22 list.
Matchup Fact: The Red Bulls have made the MLS Cup Playoffs for 13 straight seasons. In that time, the club won the MLS Supporters’ Shield three times, but is still chasing an elusive first MLS Cup.
D.C. United
Matchup Record: 1-0-0
Match Date: October 4 (H)
Player to Watch: Striker partnership Taxi Fountas (12 goals, three assists in 2022) and Christian Benteke – who arrived midway through last season after many years in the English Premier League and the Belgian national team – promise to have plenty of goals between them in 2023.
Matchup Fact: Austin’s defeat of D.C. was the first of many memorable comebacks last season. Trailing 2-0 with 10 minutes to play, the Verde & Black scored three times to win 3-2, becoming only the fifth team in MLS history to win a match in which it trailed by multiple goals in the 80th minute or later.
