Brace yourselves for news! (And winter, but mostly news)

For those of you wondering when things are going to start happening with Austin FC, the answer is: Well, now.

Good morning, Verde fans! We’re finally getting our first legitimately cold day of the season, on the heels of maybe the worst possible MLS Cup result for those fans who go way back with Austin FC (before it was even officially Austin FC).

And we’re finally going to get news this week, whether it’s Austin being active in all the mechanisms available to MLS teams for remaking their rosters, or Austin being inactive with those. I suspect it will be the former, at least for one of the mechanisms immediately coming on line.

People have been wondering about how and when Austin FC sporting director Rodolfo Borrell is going to start “cooking;” that time is finally upon us.

Let’s kick this offseason into gear! (Shutterstock)

Here’s what to expect this week and into next week.

Trade Window Opens

Monday, Dec. 11, 8 a.m. CT

If you’re wondering when Austin FC’s going to announce the Nick Lima-for-GAM trade that everyone now knows about, that’s likely happening today. What’s a little more nebulous is whether there are other interleague trades in the works we don’t know about. Lima was always, heading into this offseason, the player most likely to be traded given his (theorized) contract status and relative value, but it’s possible that other players might be appealing to other teams.

(Like, I hate to risk speaking it into existence, but I imagine teams out there might be willing to send a fair amount of GAM Austin’s way to get Damian Las as a starting goalkeeper — especially after seeing what MLS Cup-winning goalkeeper Patrick Schulte was able to do in his first year after being named MLS Next Pro Goalkeeper of the Year.)

Also, if you’re interested in helping with this, Austin FC’s now hiring for Sean Rubio’s old Director of Player Personnel post!

(They’re requesting “experience working for a professional sports team” among the list of qualifications. Makes sense.)