Who is the second-best Austin FC player?

We're all in agreement about Sebastian Driussi as Verde's best player, right? But who's No. 2 on the list?

Because news is still slow in coming and we don’t know the full free agent picture — though our friends at Moontower covered who among the free agent ranks of unproductive over-30 forwards and vastly overpriced fullbacks might be available in their most recent episode, which was fun — a question occurred to me that felt worthy of research. 

So, I think we’re all agreed that Sebastián Driussi is Austin FC’s best player. He’s the most productive by the raw numbers and almost the best judging from other metrics (that might not be entirely fair to the skill set that he does bring and the minutes he plays). He’s certainly paid like the team’s best player. 

But who is the second-best player on Austin FC? 

Is it Brad Stuver for his shot-stopping abilities and leadership? Is it Alex Ring for his versatility and ability to play well no matter where he’s dropped on the field? Is it Dani Pereira given his potential and his development to date? Or is there some other surprising second-best player on the roster based on items we’re not even factoring in? 

Austin’s best player, along with a player that ranks somewhere on the list (Andy Nietupski/TTL Sports)

If you will, come down the path of nerdery with me. We’ll start with the nerdiest stop of all.