Austin FC signed midfielder Patrick Cayelli, forward Stefan Dobrijevic, and goalkeeper Erik Lauta to short-term agreements from Austin FC II on Saturday. The club said all three are available for selection against San Diego FC at Q2 Stadium.
Kickoff is 7:30 p.m. CT. The match had not been played when this note was published, so there is no score and no lineup. Goalkeeper Brad Stuver is questionable with an illness, which is in the availability report. How to watch is here.
Cayelli and Dobrijevic joined Austin FC through the 2026 MLS SuperDraft and later signed with Austin FC II. The club said Cayelli played all 28 of Austin FC II’s regular-season matches, with 22 starts and five assists. Dobrijevic played 25 matches, with seven goals and two assists. When Austin announced the draft, it said Dobrijevic was the 47th overall pick and Cayelli was the 77th.
Austin FC II signed Lauta as a free agent in January. He made 20 appearances and kept eight clean sheets, tied for second-most in MLS NEXT Pro, the club said Saturday. Austin FC II finished as the top team in the MLS NEXT Pro regular season. On Sept. 20 the club said the team closed that season as the No. 1 seed.
What the short-term deals allow
Austin cited the 2026 MLS roster rules. A club may sign a player who is 25 or younger from its MLS NEXT Pro affiliate to as many as four short-term agreements in a season. Each agreement can last up to four days, and the four together can cover no more than 16 days. One player can be on as many as four MLS match rosters in a season and can appear in no more than two MLS league matches. During those agreements, the player may appear in any number of non-league games.
Graphic: Austin FC.
Sources: Austin FC, Sept. 26, 2026; Austin FC SuperDraft announcement; Austin FC II, Sept. 20, 2026.
