Austin FC trades for veteran center back Matt Hedges
Austin FC has its new center back.
El Tree acquired veteran Matt Hedges in a trade with Toronto FC on Wednesday, sending $475,000 in general allocation money north of the border in return.
Hedges, 33, is a familiar face, as he played for Dallas for 11 years prior to signing with Toronto in the offseason.
It’s a long-awaited move by Austin FC since the MLS transfer window opened on July 5, one that was likely delayed by El Tree’s limited space under the salary cap.
El Tree has been decimated with injuries at center back all season but is extremely thin at the spot with Julio Cascante and Kipp Keller the only true players at the position available. Leo Väisänen is out with a knee injury until September, and Alex Ring is dealing with a nagging groin injury that has kept him out most of the last month.
Whenever he joins the club, Hedges likely will immediately start unless Ring returns. Keller, who has started since Ring went down, is a second-year player who is more suitable to come off the bench.
Standing 6-feet-4, Hedges fits the profile of taller center backs that Austin FC prefers.
His career peaked in the mid-2010s when he was named to the MLS Best XI twice, was Dallas’ captain and made five appearances for the U.S. men’s national team, though he was an MLS all-star as recently as 2019. He has made 324 MLS appearances, with 14 of those coming this season, most recently from off the bench on July 15 in a 1-0 loss to Chicago.
Hedges “has consistently been one of the league’s best center backs for the last decade, and his talent and experience will be very valuable to the team,” Austin FC sporting director Rodolfo Borrell said in the club’s release to the media.
With the completion of the trade, Hedges signed with El Tree through the end of 2024, with club options for the following two seasons.
Hedges’ contract with Toronto had him making more than $900,000 this year, according to the MLS players association, but financial details of his Austin FC contract were not released.
FC Juárez stands in Austin FC's way
FC Juárez coach Diego Mejía makes it clear his team is young — he noted it multiple times in his postgame press conference Tuesday night — but there’s no denying the talent Los Bravos possesses for anyone who watched it during a draw with Mazatlán FC at Q2 Stadium.
It’s the challenge Austin FC faces Saturday if it wants to advance to the knockout round of the Leagues Cup, as the winner of the match — or winner of the shootout — will head to LAFC next week for tournament play.
Struggling last season in the Mexican league (it finished 16th out of 18 teams), Juárez is off to a strong start in the current campaign with two wins and a draw, and following Tuesday’s tie is undefeated in four games across two competitions.
It lost the shootout 4-3 Tuesday, meaning Austin FC can tie and win the shootout Saturday to advance on a tiebreaker as both teams would have two points, but each team will aggressively try to stay alive with Juárez hoping to keep up its good form.
Players with experience in both leagues
Saucedo and Mazatlán forward Aké Arnaud Loba and midfielder David Colman are three players between the two Mexican teams in Austin's group that have also played in the MLS.
Mazatlán defies predictions to win group
When Mazatlán goalie Ricardo Gutiérrez made his second save of the shootout Tuesday night, it cemented the surprise of the Leagues Cup group stage.
Thought of as the worst team in Liga MX — it finished last in the spring and has the lowest payroll — and a heavy underdog to advance in the competition, Mazatlán instead has won the group.
This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Austin FC gets much-needed center back help with trade
