Austin FC has signed a Pulisic, but it’s probably not the one you’re thinking. William Pulisic, cousin of Chelsea star Christian Pulisic, signed a contract with the MLS expansion club a day before the new Texas club makes its debut.
Terms of the deal were not disclosed. Austin FC also announced it had signed defender Aedan Stanley, who was the club’s third draft pick in the 2021 MLS SuperDraft. Pulisic and Stanley were teammates for a year at Duke University.
| Officially #VERDE!
Austin FC has signed defender @astan_13 and goalkeeper @willpulisic.— Austin FC (@AustinFC) April 16, 2021
“We are excited to officially welcome Aedan and William to Austin FC,” said Claudio Reyna, Austin FC sporting director, former USMNT captain and Gio’s dad. “They have both been training hard to earn a position in our roster, and we look forward to their further development as they add youthful depth to our squad.”
Will Pulisic, who turned 23 on Friday, is a goalkeeper who, like Christian, spent time at Borussia Dortmund. The former Blue Devil made 11 appearances for the BVB U-19 team in 2016-17. While not as heralded as his cousin, Will Pulisic has been capped 28 times for various U.S. youth national teams. Will and Christian were both members of the team that represented the U.S. at the 2015 U-17 World Cup.
“I am very excited to be a part of Austin FC in our inaugural season,” Will Pulisic said. “It’s a dream come true to be able to play for a club with high ambitions and huge support from the entire city. I’m ready to give everything I have to my team, my club and the city of Austin.”
Austin FC makes its MLS debut on Saturday with a nationally televised game against LAFC (6 p.m. ET on FOX). The club’s home debut at the new Q2 Stadium will be June 19 against San Jose.
It's almost here, Austin.
Saturday. On National TV. pic.twitter.com/fqyqlhCpiX— Austin FC (@AustinFC) April 16, 2021
In addition to Pulisic and Stanley, Reyna has built the squad around veteran defender Matt Besler in addition to designated players Tomás Pochettino (no relation to the PSG coach) and Cecilio Domínguez. Josh Wolff will coach the team and Matthew McConaughey will do whatever it is Matthew McConaughey does.
