On Thursday, Austin FC announced its 14-match schedule for the MLS Sprint Season, taking place in spring 2027. The unique competition format has all the same stakes as a normal season as Major League Soccer undergoes an exciting transition to a new summer-to-spring calendar beginning in July 2027.
Austin’s Sprint Season kicks off at home against FC Dallas on Saturday, February 20 and wraps up at LA Galaxy on Saturday, May 8 prior to the Audi 2027 MLS Cup Playoffs. Here’s everything you need to know ahead of the sprint.
Competition Format
Austin FC will play 14 regular season matches, split evenly between seven home and seven away games. Austin will play each of its fellow Western Conference clubs one time during the Sprint Season.
- Home: Dallas, Colorado, Seattle, LAFC, San Jose, SKC, RSL
- Away: St. Louis, Portland, San Diego, Houston, Vancouver, Minnesota, LA Galaxy
The top eight teams in each conference will qualify for the Audi 2027 MLS Cup Playoffs. In each conference, the postseason will be played in a single-elimination bracket format to determine a conference champion.
The Eastern Conference Champion and Western Conference Champion will then meet in 2027 MLS Cup presented by Audi.
All playoff games, including MLS Cup, will be hosted by the team with the higher position in the final 2027 Supporters’ Shield standings.
Qualification for Cup Competitions
All MLS clubs, including Austin FC, will compete in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup from 2027 onward. The top nine teams in each conference’s standings during the Sprint Season will qualify for Leagues Cup 2028.
Like previous seasons, MLS will qualify the following teams for the 2028 Concacaf Champions Cup via the Sprint Season:
- 2027 MLS Cup presented by Audi winner
- 2027 Supporters’ Shield winner
- 2027 MLS Eastern or Western Conference regular season winner (whichever conference winner does not also win Supporters’ Shield)
- 2027 MLS Supporters’ Shield next best club
- 2027 MLS Supporters’ Shield next best club
New Faces at Austin FC
The Verde & Black will enter the Sprint Season with new faces in charge on the sporting side. Incoming Head Coach Jim Curtin joins ATXFC after a decade leading Philadelphia Union, where he established himself as one of the most respected and successful coaches in MLS. During his tenure, Philadelphia won the 2020 MLS Supporters' Shield, captured the 2022 Eastern Conference title, reached MLS Cup 2022, and qualified for the MLS Cup Playoffs seven times.
Curtin was named MLS Sigi Schmid Coach of the Year in both 2020 and 2022, becoming one of only a handful of coaches in league history to earn the award multiple times.
Khaled El-Ahmad began his role as Chief Soccer Officer and Sporting Director in August and will have his first transfer window at the helm prior to the start of the Sprint Season. El-Ahmad brings nearly two decades of experience across Major League Soccer, European football and City Football Group. Throughout his career, he has held leadership roles encompassing roster construction and management, scouting and recruitment, technical strategy, player development, value creation and organizational leadership.
