The steely Finn is staying in the now
Amid the hype and optimism that colored the start of Austin FC’s 2023 season, a tinge of controversy lingered around the club. Head coach Josh Wolff opted to name Sebastián Driussi captain for the club’s third season in Major League Soccer. In a vacuum, the decision made perfect sense. Driussi was fresh off a 25-goal, MVP runner-up campaign and had just signed a long-term contract extension to remain the face of the team for the years to come.
“I mean, it’s simple. Josh decided to make a change, which is, you know, no problem for me,” a relaxed Ring said. “I haven’t always been captain, and I don’t think it changes you much. There’s a saying, or I remember a senior player once told me that, you know, it’s a piece of cloth. And, of course, I was proud to be the first captain here. But in the end, it won’t make you play better. Or play worse.
It doesn’t take much time around Ring to understand that he’s the kind of person who doesn’t waste words. More often than not, he keeps his thoughts to himself. But when he speaks, it’s for a purpose. It’s a quality he shares with another famous Finnish sportsman: racing driver Kimi Raikkonen, whom Ring calls his “idol.” Nobody ever mistook Raikkonen for a chatterbox, either.
“I would say mostly, I kind of knew what the conversation was going to be around. And I think the way the season went, you know, I think it wasn’t the Pandora’s box that needed to be opened. Because for me, that was never an issue. I think it was made a bigger deal by other people, not by myself,” Ring said.
“I remember when I was younger, you dream, you want to play Champions League and all these things. And it’s just important to stay in the now,” Ring said. Ring is among the first to admit that last season’s 12th-place finish simply wasn’t good enough for the Verde and Black. He’s as motivated as anyone to reach the MLS Cup Playoffs this year, but the days of him letting the stresses of top-flight soccer bleed into his home life are long gone.
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