Austin FC has announced the signing of Sebastián Driussi, a 25-year-old Argentine attacking midfielder, as a Designated Player (DP). Driussi becomes Austin FC’s third DP alongside his new teammates Cecilio Domínguez and fellow Argentine Tomás Pochettino.
Driussi joins Austin FC on a multi-year contract after opting to exercise a buyout clause in his former agreement with FC Zenit St. Petersburg shortly after helping his former team win the Russian Super Cup on July 17.
With the recent attack-minded additions of Driussi as Austin FC’s third DP and Moussa Djitté as the third U-22 initiative player, Austin FC has maximized all three DP roster slots and all three U-22 initiative roster slots.
Terms of Driussi’s acquisition were not disclosed.
Born in the San Justo enclave of Buenos Aires, Argentina, Driussi (pronounced “dree-U-see”) debuted as a 17-year-old in 2013 with Argentina’s famed Club Atlético River Plate, where he made 110 appearances and 81 starts in four seasons, tallying 31 goals across all competitions.
With River Plate, Driussi won South America’s vaunted Copa Libertadores (2015), Argentina’s Copa Campeonato Primera Division (2013-14) as well as the Copa Sudamericana (2014), one Torneo Final (2014), two Recopa Sudamericana titles (2015 and 2016), one Suruga Bank Championship (2015), and one Copa Argentina (2016).
Driussi was part of the River Plate squad that finished second at the 2015 FIFA Club World Cup, falling to FC Barcelona in the final.
In 2017, Driussi moved to FC Zenit St. Petersburg in the Russian Premier League, where he registered 119 appearances and 102 starts, scoring 25 goals across all competitions. Driussi won six trophies with the reigning Russian first division champions, including three consecutive league titles (2019, 2020, and 2021), one Russian Cup title (2020), and two Russian Super Cup titles (2021-21 and 2021-22). Driussi made eight starting appearances for Zenit over two UEFA Champions League campaigns.
Driussi played in 15 matches for the Argentina U-17 National Team and eight matches for the Argentina U-20 National Team, scoring a combined eight goals. Driussi helped Argentina win the South American U-20 Championship in 2015.
Unfortunately, due to current MLS protocols related to a players’ entry into the United States, Driussi is not available for this Saturday’s match against the Colorado Rapids.