Former Lincoln City captain Jason Shackell has been named MLS NEXT Pro Coach of the Year after an outstanding first season in charge of Austin FC II.
The League Two title winner guided Austin’s second team to the best regular-season record in the competition, securing the overall number one seed for the play-offs. It has been a remarkable introduction to the job for Shackell, whose side have broken records while proving particularly difficult to score against.
Austin put together a league-record run of 10 consecutive victories and matched the competition’s best total of 19 regular-season wins. They also qualified for the play-offs earlier than any side in MLS NEXT Pro history, securing their place with a victory over Vancouver Whitecaps FC 2 in Matchweek 23.
Perhaps unsurprisingly for a team managed by a former centre-half, their defensive figures were equally impressive. Austin recorded 15 clean sheets and conceded just 21 goals, leading the league on both counts.
Shackell has worked his way through the coaching ranks since joining Austin’s academy as an under-15 assistant in February 2021. He became their under-16 head coach in 2024 before being appointed to lead the second team ahead of this season.
His side have already taken the first step towards adding a play-off trophy to their regular-season success, beating San Jose Earthquakes II 2-1 last Sunday. They now host LAFC2 at Parmer Field in the Western Conference semi-finals on Sunday, 25 October.
For City supporters, Shackell will be remembered as one of Danny Cowley‘s most experienced recruits, arriving in the summer of 2018 with more than 400 senior appearances behind him. Norwich City, Wolves, Barnsley, Derby County and Burnley had all featured in a career that brought Premier League football, promotions and plenty of experience organising a defence.
That experience proved valuable as we won the League Two title in his first season at Sincil Bank. Shackell gave us an assured presence at the back and a threat in the opposition penalty area, earning a place in the division’s PFA Team of the Year.
There was even that free-kick against Morecambe, which was hardly what most of us expected when we signed an experienced centre-half. His goals were useful, but the organisation and authority he brought to the defence were a much bigger part of what made him such an important signing.
He remained involved after promotion to League One, although his time here ended unhappily under Michael Appleton. His final appearance came in the 4-3 defeat at Accrington, the game in which Anthony Scully scored his first City goal, after which Appleton complained of “criminal defending” from senior players.
Shackell never played for the club again, eventually leaving with 69 appearances and seven goals across all competitions. Of those, 60 appearances and six goals came in the league, with his contribution to the 2018/19 title-winning side the obvious highlight.
It is good to see him making a success of coaching after starting with Austin’s academy rather than walking straight into the top job. Fifteen clean sheets in his first season with the second team suggests his players have been listening to a few of the things he used to tell our defenders.
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