One day after Austin FC announced his hiring, chief soccer officer and sporting director Khaled El-Ahmad jumped into action on Wednesday with a series of roster moves.
The team traded midfielder Owen Wolff to Sporting Kansas City in exchange for up to $7.6 million, transferred forward Jayden Nelson to England’s Bolton Wanderers, and loaned forward CJ Fodrey to Scotland’s Falkirk FC — all before 9:30 a.m. in Texas.
In the cash-for-player deal for Wolff, Austin receives $4.5 million from Sporting KC plus up to an additional $3.1 million in conditional performance-based incentives. Austin also retains a sell-on percentage of any future transfers involving the 21-year-old.
Wolff became Austin’s first homegrown player signing in 2021 at age 16. He is also the youngest player in franchise history to appear in a match and the youngest to score a goal.
“While it is not an easy decision to part ways with a player of Owen’s caliber, there have been substantive discussions since December of last year whereby the Club expressed willingness to grant Owen his wish of playing elsewhere if an agreeable solution were to materialize,” interim head coach Davy Arnaud said. “Our leadership team, with the support of our ownership group, was willing to honor his wishes so long as the offer matched the quality and trajectory of the player. We feel that this is the right move for the club as we continue to position ourselves for long-term success.”
Wolff recorded 10 goals and 23 assists in 147 appearances across all competitions with the Verde & Black. He broke out in 2025 with seven goals and 12 assists.
“Austin FC will always be a special place for me. It’s where I began my career, and where I shared so many amazing moments with my teammates, my coaches, and the fans,” Wolff said. “I grew so much during my time here, and I want to say thank you to everyone who played a part in that.”
Wolff is the son of Sporting KC legend Josh Wolff, who played for the then-Kansas City Wizards from 2003-06 and 2008-10.
“We are extremely excited to welcome Owen to Kansas City,” SKC general manager David Lee said. “Owen is one of the top young players in MLS, with excellent technical quality who can add goals and assists to the team, while his versatility to play in multiple positions will make him a key asset for our coaching staff. We want to be a destination for the top domestic talent around the league, and Owen fits perfectly into that model following his standout season in 2025 with Austin.”
In exchange for Nelson, Austin receives $1.1 million guaranteed from Bolton Wanderers and up to $1.225 million more if certain conditions are met. Austin also retains a future sell-on percentage.
Nelson, 23, tallied two goals and an assist in 13 MLS matches (seven starts) for Austin since arriving in a trade last December with Vancouver. The Canada native has five goals and 10 assists in 81 career matches (52 starts) with Toronto FC (2020-22), the Whitecaps (2025) and Austin.
Fodrey, 22, is on loan with Falkirk through June 2027. The agreement includes a recall option for Austin in January 2027 and does not include a purchase option.
A first-round pick (13th overall) by Austin in the 2023 MLS SuperDraft, Fodrey has one goal and two assists in 51 career MLS matches (five starts).
–Field Level Media
