What's Next for Arnau Farnos?

For the second year in a row Oregon State has been knocked out in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, this time at the hands of the Washington Huskies in a 3-2 double overtime defeat. There will be several questions for the Beavers this off season, and one of the biggest is what's next for star midfielder Arnau Farnos.

If you haven't followed the team, Farnos emerged as one of the nation's top goal scores this season. Last year he was already the West Coast Conference's Midfielder of the Year, but with his senior season wrapped up, he's like onto his next chapter. There are a few paths he might go down.

The first option is New York City FC. The Pigeons hold Farnos's draft rights after picking him in the third round of the 2025 MLS Superdraft in the third round with the 84th overall pick. Farnos ultimately decided to return to Oregon State for his senior season, but NYCFC still holds his draft rights.

NYCFC is still alive in the MLS playoffs, so if they have plans for Farnos we probably won't hear them for a bit. The club is no stranger to getting immediate use out of its draft picks, with the team's 2024 top pick Malachi Jones making an immediate impact on the pitch before an injury cost him half the 2024 season and all of 2025.

If Farnos does come to an agreement with NYCFC, there's a chance he ends up on the club's MLS Next Team, NYCFC II, giving the team some time to acclimate him to MLS. The Next squad is generally used for players who have spent time in the club's youth program, but there are a few older players on the roster.

MLS Next might have been the plan had Farnos signed with the club following the last MLS Superdraft, but the player New York City FC picked in 2024 and the player they have the rights to in 2025 are very different. Six more goals, six more assists, 12 more total points. There's an argument to be made that Farnos is ready to join the main club's roster if he elects to pursue the MLS route.

There are other avenues available for Farnos, and the most interesting may be a return to his native Spain. Farmos came up through the Spanish youth system, and has connections to three clubs currently in La Liga. That includes the team currently second on the table, Barcelona.

A younger Farnos spent time on Barca's youth teams, and in 2017 helped the club win a U12 tournament, but its been some time since he's been with the program. More recently, he spent two seasons with Girona FC's U19 squad, and one on Girona FC B. Prior to that he was on Celta Vigo's youth squad. If Farnos elects to return to Spain, he has options.

The MLS season ends on December 6th with the MLS Cup. After that, we should get a better sense of New York City FC's plans are, and what the next steps of Arnau Farnos's career look like.