'I wish it wasn't ending.' Departing Austin FC player speaks to fans at send-off

AUSTIN (KXAN) – Following the news that former Austin FC winger Diego Fagundez would leave the club, dozens of fans gathered Tuesday night to send the beloved player off. 

“I'm a little emotional, but I just want to say thank you to everybody since day one. You guys treated me and my family with a lot of love,” Fagundez told a crowd of around 100 FC fans. 

Austin FC announced Tuesday that the club would trade Fagundez to the LA Galaxy for its midfielder, Memo Rodríguez. In addition to getting Rodríguez, Austin FC said it would also receive up to $900,000 in General Allocation Money (GAM), including $300,000 of guaranteed 2023 GAM, for the trade. 

“I wish it wasn't ending,” he continued. “You guys are still gonna be my family no matter what.” 

Fagundez said he was just as surprised as his fans to hear the news that he was traded, but “soccer is like that sometimes. We got to move on and go somewhere else," he said.  

While with Austin FC, Fagundez played 95 matches, scored 17 goals and 23 assists. He scored the first goal in the Club's history on April 24, 2021.

“Just know I love you guys, and now I'm gonna be looking forward to coming back to [Q2 Stadium] and playing in front of you guys,” he said.