Jared Stroud settling into key role as Austin FC continues to gain momentum
Photo Credit: Scott W. Coleman
There have been a lot of positive things to take from the first three games of Austin FC’s history, but one of the brightest spots has been Jared Stroud.
When he was selected by Austin FC in the expansion draft, he didn’t know much about the club and was a bit nervous, but after starts in the last two games, the 24-year-old midfielder is starting to find his groove early.
"I had high expectations for myself personally, coming into this season,” Stroud said. “It’s about not getting too high from the last two games. I have my personal goals, in terms of numbers I want to hit and chances created every game. But now, I’m approaching every game in the best way possible.”
In Stroud’s first start a couple of weeks ago against the Colorado Rapids, it was his initial cross that led to Diego Fagundez scoring the first goal in club history. Last week against Minnesota United, he hit a perfect cross and found Fagunedez in stride for the only goal in the 1-0 win.
“He's a machine, he works tirelessly,” Austin FC head coach Josh Wolff said after the win over Minnesota. “That's infectious around the entire field, and it certainly helps us in a lot of ways, both offensively and defensively.”
Stroud was the New York Red Bulls’ 4th round pick in the 2018 draft. He spent two seasons with New York Red Bulls II of the USL Championship, scoring 22 goals and 20 assists in 63 appearances.
He made the move to MLS in 2020 and appeared in 20 games for NYRB.
Stroud said the similarities between Wolff’s system in Austin and what he was used to in New York is the press and the desire to win the ball high up the field, while differences include the speed of play and playing out of the back.
He’s got some big competition for his spot in the Austin FC starting XI, most notably Rodney Redes, the first signing in club history that has been nursing an injury the last couple of weeks.
“Between all the wingers, we want to see everyone grow and get better,” Stroud said. “We all compete, but everyone has a professional manner about them. It’s an important part of the team to have that competitive spirit and have guys fighting for positions. It’s healthy competition and it’s going to push us to be a better team.”
Stroud is tied for second on the team with five shots this season. Even though it’s still early days, 60% of those shots have been on target, the highest figure among Austin FC players with at least three shots.
Austin FC looks to win its third game in a row while continuing its eight-game road trip to start the season Sunday a. 6 p.m. at Sporting Kansas City.
“(Success) starts with the organization from (Austin FC Sporting Director Claudio Reyna) and Josh and his staff,” Stroud said. “They lay out the picture and they make it feel like it’s not an expansion team. We have a philosophy and we stick to it. They’ve chosen a good group of players.”
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Originally published at https://www.hillcountrynews.com/stories/jared-stroud-settling-into-key-role-as-austin-fc-continues-to-gain-momentum,86377?