Episode 07: Player Personnel with Sean Rubio

On today’s episode, we speak with Sean Rubio, Director of Player Personnel at Austin FC about the ins and outs of player acquisition, analytics, and communication. We launch our episode by exploring the three stages of the player acquisition process; identification, recruitment, and negotiation. Sean tells us a bit about his background and education leading up to developing his expertise in the analytics side of soccer. He talks about his work with coaches and tells us about a call from Tim Bezbatchenko that changed everything. Next, we touch on how the club’s failure in 2016 was channeled into 2017’s success, Sean tells us about the competitiveness and grit required to succeed at Austin FC and highlights the importance of communication. Following this, Sean tells us why he thinks tracking data is the next frontier and gives us his insights on how soccer is changing due to analytics. We talk about salary caps and Sean tells us why he thinks the Beckham rule is effective. We dive into player metrics and answer the question of why each deal is different. Sean tells us how the league differs from what he originally envisioned and gives us the inside scoop on the next transfer period. Lastly, Sean tells us a bit about his long-reaching goals for MLS, Austin FC, and himself. Tune in for an action-packed peek into the analytics of Austin FC today.