Austin FC have declined the contract options for defender Julio Cascante and forward Diego Rubio, leaving the veterans poised to sign elsewhere domestically or abroad.
Cascante represented the Verde & Black since their inaugural 2021 season. The Costa Rican international has played in 141 matches (all competitions) for Austin, the fourth-most in club history.
Rubio spent the past two seasons with Austin and tallied 6g/4a in 66 matches (all competitions). The Chilean international first came to MLS in 2016, making additional stops at Sporting Kansas City and the Colorado Rapids.
Further, midfielder Ilie Sánchez has signed a new contract with Austin through 2026 with an option for 2027. And center back Brendan Hines-Ike's contract option was automatically exercised based on performance metrics during the 2025 campaign.
This past season, Austin returned to the Audi MLS Cup Playoffs under head coach Nico Estévez. They finished sixth in the Western Conference (47 points) and hosted the US Open Cup final.
Contract options exercised (4)
- Stefan Cleveland (GK)
- Brendan Hines-Ike (D)
- Dani Pereira (M)
- Riley Thomas (D)
New contract (1)
- Ilie Sánchez (M)
Contract options declined (3)
- Julio Cascante (D)
- Jimmy Farkarlun (F)
- Diego Rubio (F)
