Austin FC has completed the trade for New York City FC midfielder Alex Ring, adding another piece of MLS experience ahead of its inaugural season.

NYCFC will receive $750k in GAM with an additional $500k upon the completion of performance-based incentives. The trade sets a record for largest allocation money spent for a non-US national team player in league history

Ring joined NYCFC ahead of the 2017 season from Kaiserslautern in 2.Bundesliga and quickly proved to be one of the best defensive midfielders in the league. The 29 year-old made 113 MLS appearances in his four seasons in New York, becoming the club’s second-ever captain after David Villa.

Alex is #VERDE! 🌳
Welcome to Austin FC, Alex Ring! pic.twitter.com/qGbWQrO6jB

— Austin FC (@AustinFC) December 17, 2020

Ring reunites with former NYCFC Sporting Director Claudio Reyna, who helped bring the midfielder to the US. Reyna left New York for Austin in 2019 and has begun filling his new team with players that have league experience under their belt.

“He’s highly regarded in MLS, a leader, a player who can play multiple positions,” Reyna said. “He’s been a key piece of one of the best teams in the league over the last four years.”

Ring is the sixth player Austin FC has brought in through a trade this offseason, picking up the likes of Nick Lima, Ulises Segura, and Ben Sweat as well. Whether the midfielder will captain Austin FC or not is yet to be determined, but the leadership Ring brought to NYCFC will be of use as a team of unfamiliar players attempt to assimilate ahead of the 2021 season.

“It’s a difficult moment for me to be leaving a club and a city that has given me a lot over the past four seasons,” Ring said. “I am looking forward to this new challenge and opportunity with Austin it’s exciting to be a part of something from the very beginning.”