Austin FC hosted Minnesota United for a midweek clash as the Verde came out on top in a 2-1 thriller.

It was a night marked by returns to the lineup as Diego Fagundez returned to the Starting XI and Sebastian Driussi was made available on the bench.

The only real question when Josh Wolff released the lineup was why not start Aleksandar Radovanovic? It doesn’t make sense with a banged up Alex Ring and Nick Lima not being a natural CB.

Josh Wolff chose Diego to start over Emiliano Rigoni. He could have placed Fagundez over Ethan Finlay, but probably just wanted to rest Rigoni’s legs as they are playing this congested part of their schedule.

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Who Is Stepping Up?

An all-time performance by THE MAN Brad Stuver. He was great all night in the box saving dangerous shots and distributing the balls well.

We would not be celebrating a win today if it wasn’t for the heroic work of STUUUU. He is our man and he was there when we needed him the most in the last minutes.

Sebastian Driussi returned to a loud standing ovation as he came on for Ethan Finlay in the 61st minute. And he made his presence felt as he put his final stamp on this game as he scored the ultimate game-winner in the 82nd minute.

Driussi was selected as the YETI Man Of The Match. It was great to have him back as you never feel out of it with him out there.

Jon Gallagher scored his fifth goal on the season in the 19th minute on a beautiful ball delivered by Adam Lundqvist. Both players continue to be a staple of consistency on this team.

Who Is Dropping Off?

The striker position. Gyasi Zardes got the start with Maxi Urruti coming on for him in the 61st minute. Both strikers had zero shots or chances created. They were not a threat to score on the night.

Nick Lima looked rough playing as a CB. He was constantly trying to gain ground as he was left behind many times on Minnesota counters.

I don’t totally blame Lima, as I believe this is a Wolff issue playing him out of position.

Alex Ring got subbed out at half. He didn’t look terrible out there but unsure how he is feeling with his groin injury. Not sure if it was affecting him at all. Hopefully it is healing up and Wolff rests him if needed to make sure he is good for the long-term.

Ethan Finlay‘s performances of late and his one tonight show me him more of a depth guy and not a consistent starter for us. With Fagundez coming back and figuring out where to play Driussi, I believe his minutes will come harder to find.

The Verde and Black return to Q2 on Saturday against Real Salt Lake at 7:30 pm.Will the boys make it back-to-back wins? Will Driussi start?

Let us know what you think in the comments below.