Besard Sabovic joins Austin FC in a stunning move to revive their MLS playoff dreams | OneFootball

Austin FC made it clear: 2025 will be different. Adding the 27-year-old midfielder Besard Sabovic provides experience, physicality, and vision to a team ready to flip the page following a playoff-less season. He signed through 2027 with an option for 2028. The Swede brings in a pretty nice resume of European soccer, playing in leagues like the Swedish Allsvenskan, Turkey's Süper Lig, and the Russian Premier League.

With a profile that blends technical quality and physical intensity, Sabovic seemed precisely the type of player Austin FC needed to rebuild its midfield and support new head coach Nico Estévez.

A bold move

To obtain Sabovic's MLS discovery rights, Austin sent $50,000 in General Allocation Money (GAM) to New York City FC. Although these are run-of-the-mill deals in MLS, Austin's decision speaks volumes about the confidence he has in the potential that he believes Sabovic can bring to the team.

He will get confidence from the club's sporting director, Rodolfo Borrell, who described him as a player with a "strong physical profile" and "quality and experience playing in Europe's top divisions." In simpler words, he is that missing piece to help the team improve in the next few seasons.

Technical impact and midfield leadership

So far in his professional career, Sabovic has scored 20 goals and provided 11 assists in 206 appearances. While not an out-and-out scorer, he often chips in with vital contributions to the attack for a midfielder that combines physical strength with tactical intelligence. The ability to fit into most contexts and styles of play will definitely come in handy in MLS-a league with its fair share of competitiveness that is hardly ever fully predictable.

Austin FC has been revamping its midfield, and Sabovic is the third addition to the position this offseason, joining Ilie Sánchez and Nicolás Dubersarsky. Holdovers will also include Dani Pereira and Owen Wolff, providing a balanced mix of youth and experience.

Sabovic on the MLS challenge

Leaving Europe to bet on MLS was a calculated decision for Sabovic. He himself stated that he was seeking a new challenge, and Austin FC seems to have been the perfect choice. "After playing my entire career in Europe, moving to the United States and joining Austin FC is exactly the challenge I’m looking for," said the player.

It was clear that Sabovic's enthusiasm reflects the work of Austin FC's management, who saw his signing not only as a technical reinforcement but also as a symbol of the club's renewed ambitions.

Austin FC's prospects for 2025

Austin FC was disappointing this past 2024 season as it failed to make the Audi MLS Cup playoffs. Now under the tutelage of head coach Nico Estévez, the club will try to rebuild and build a better, more consistent identity. With the arrival of Sabovic, he becomes another piece the head coach has in his arsenal to build up a competitive team.

It is that kind of match against Sporting Kansas City that will early test whether those new signings fit into the team, or whether Austin FC is really ready to bounce back.