After finishing as the top team in MLS NEXT Pro during the regular season, Austin FC II begins its playoff campaign Sunday night, when the Verde & Black will host San Jose Earthquakes II in an MLS NEXT Pro Western Conference Quarterfinal. The match will kick off at 7:30 p.m. CT on Sunday, October 18, and will be available to watch on OneFootball and MLSNEXTPro.com.
Austin FC II Outlook
Austin FC II is the No. 1 seed in the 2026 MLS NEXT Pro Playoffs following a record-breaking season. The Verde & Black sealed their postseason spot in Matchweek 23, the earliest playoff clinch in MLS NEXT Pro history. The team set a new league record for most consecutive wins and tied the record for most overall wins in a regular season.
Austin now returns to the MLS NEXT Pro playoffs for the first time since its 2023 MLS NEXT Pro Cup victory, and the group will be hungry to add another piece of silverware to its trophy case. Since the team was last in official action on September 20, Jorge Alastuey and Jules Bery were named to the MLS NEXT Pro Best XI with Bery also being voted the league’s Defender of the Year.
Austin faced San Jose twice during August, picking up a shootout victory following a 1-1 draw on the road and winning 1-0 at home thanks to a goal by Diego Abarca.
San Jose Earthquakes II Outlook
San Jose Earthquakes II topped Tacoma Defiance in the 2026 MLS NEXT Pro Play-In Round to secure the eighth seed last Sunday. The high-scoring match saw Quakes II lead 2-0, 3-2, and 4-3 before ending in a 4-4 draw and proceeding to penalties. San Jose goalkeeper Nathan Crockford made two stops to secure the win and send Quakes II into the Conference Quarterfinals in the team’s fourth consecutive MLS NEXT Pro Playoff appearance.
Top scorers Zachary Bohane and Tomo Allen both found the net in the team’s Play-In Round triumph. San Jose picked up 20 points from 14 road games during the regular season, good for sixth-best in the Western Conference.
