Austin Bold FC’s launch keeps Julian Gaines, 15, here for now
Professional soccer almost couldn’t get to Austin fast enough for Julian Gaines.
The 15-year-old soon-to-be sophomore at Round Rock High School has been a fixture on United States youth national teams since he was 12, and he spent his summer weighing offers from multiple Major League Soccer academies.
That was, until Austin Bold FC made him an offer he couldn’t refuse.
If all goes according to plan, Gaines will train and play for the new United Soccer League franchise when it launches next spring.
“It just made sense to me since it was in our backyard,” Gaines told the American-Statesman. “It’s always been a dream to play at a professional level, and (Bold FC) offered that.”
To play in the USL and retain college eligibility, a player must be attached to a U.S. Soccer Development Academy team that’s affiliated with the club he is playing for. Bold FC won’t have an academy of its own to start but plans to have agreements with at least one D.A. program before the 2019 season.
Gaines is unattached and has yet to sign a contract with Bold FC, but the club presented him Friday at its unveiling as an example of youth players in the area who aspire to play professionally. “It’s a no-brainer to bring in Julian,” said Bold FC head coach Marcelo Serrano. “He’s one of the top players in Austin. He’s not ready for the pros right now, but he’s young. It’s our job to develop him so he can bring the best of an Austin player. He’s just the first one of hopefully many.”
Until earlier this year, Gaines had been playing for Lonestar Soccer Club, the only D.A. club for boys and girls in Austin. It’s the same club on which his older brother, McKinze Gaines, developed before signing a pro contract in Europe shortly after his 18th birthday.
The elder Gaines brother is entering his second season with SV Darmstadt 98 in the German second division.
Like his brother, Julian is a winger known for his speed. He has received regular callups to youth national teams since 2015 and represented the under-17 team at the Nike International Friendlies last December.
He’s less than half the age of the three signings Bold FC announced Friday: 34-year old Kléber Freitas, 35-yearold Edson Braafheid and 36-year-old Marcelo Saragosa.
“Julian gets to play soccer on a professional level and learn from guys who have loads of experience,” said his mother, Meredith Gaines. “And we get to still enjoy him at home for a little while.”