What you should expect from Austin FC's 2nd season
New franchises face a daunting task of building an entire team from scratch. Often, it takes several years for a team to find its identity and real success — no matter the sport.
AUSTIN (KXAN) — Austin FC starts the 2022 season Saturday with high hopes and expectations that this second year of soccer will net better results than the first.
New franchises face a daunting task of building an entire team from scratch. Often, it takes several years for a team to find its identity and real success — no matter the sport.
In the case of MLS, the fairy tale, rags-to-riches story is possible for new teams. Atlanta United was the best team in MLS in its second season, winning the MLS Cup in 2018. That club is the outlier and not the standard. However, a playoff appearance in year two may be a reasonable hope for Austin FC and its fans.
Including Austin FC, 10 franchises have started play in MLS since 2012.
Austin FC will take on fourth-year MLS club FC Cincinnati Saturday at 5 p.m. at Q2 Stadium in the season opener.
How did other new MLS teams fare?
CF Montreal (2012) started MLS competition in 2012 and reached the playoffs in its second season after a seventh place conference finish. The 2013 season ended with a loss in the first round.
New York City FC (2015) found the right combination quickly. New York missed the playoffs in its inaugural year but has been a consistent contender since, reaching the postseason in six straight seasons (2016-2021) and winning the MLS Cup last year.
Orlando City FC (2015) started in 2015 and its second season was worse than the first. Orlando didn't reach the postseason in its first five seasons before breaking through in 2020.
Atlanta United FC (2017) is the poster child for early MLS success. Atlanta won it all in its second season after a first-round playoff exit in its inaugural season. Atlanta has been a participant in four of the last five postseason tournaments.
Minnesota United FC (2017) took three years to find the playoffs, missing in back-to-back seasons (2017 and 2018). Minnesota has three straight playoff appearances, including a semifinal spot during the 2020 MLS is Back Tournament.
Los Angeles FC (2018) started strong, earning a playoff spot in its first year in 2018. Los Angeles was a playoff contender three straight seasons (2018-2020). The club didn't make the playoffs last season.
FC Cincinnati (2019), Austin FC's season-opening opponent, is still waiting for its first playoff season. Cincinnati has been consistently near the bottom of the Eastern Conference standings during its first three years. The club's best performance came in its inaugural season when it finished 12th in the East.
Inter Miami FC (2020) will be searching for its first, true postseason success in 2022. Miami was a participant in the MLS is Back Tournament in 2020, but finished 11th in the East in 2021.
Nashville SC (2020) hasn't experienced a season without the playoffs. Nashville reached the quarterfinals in 2020 and 2021.
Key takeaways
What can MLS history tell us about Austin FC's future?
Five out of those nine new teams played in the postseason during their second season. Three teams reached the playoffs in their first seasons as MLS teams.
Two new franchises have reached the pinnacle of the league — Atlanta in its second season and New York City FC in 2021. It took New York City seven seasons to win the Cup.
Two teams, Cincinnati and Miami, are still waiting for their first playoff appearance entering the 2022 season.
Last season, Austin finished 12th in the Western Conference — five spots and 17 points out of the playoffs. Verde was boom or bust in 2021. Austin lost 21 games, the most in the Western Conference, while winning nine.
Austin could make a push for the playoffs by turning some of those losses into draws. However, it's still going to take at least three more wins in 2022 to put ATX in contention.