Austin hit rock bottom after they lost in a 4-1 route in Kansas City. Sporting KC has been a bottom-table team for much of this season, so for Austin to not be able to compete speaks volumes.
Captain Sebastian Driussi started for the first time in over a month. Gyasi Zardes returned to the Starting XI for Maxi Urruti, and in a late scratch Aleksandar Radovanovic came on for Alex Ring.
Ring is believed to have gone down with a groin injury during the pre-game warm ups which caused the last minute substitution.
Who Is Stepping Up?
This was a match in which no one in particular stepped up. I could put Sebastian Driussi on here for scoring the solo ATX goal on the night. But, he also missed an obvious sitter in front of the net and was on the ground near the goal complaining to the referees while Austin was on attack.
It was a poor match by mostly everyone. Gyasi Zardes had the 2nd highest Fotmob rating to Driussi at a 7.4 rating. But, even as the 2nd highest rated player on the team, Zardes finished with zero shots as the striker.
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Who Is Dropping Off?
As I mentioned above, it was a poor match for most Austin FC players. As it was hard for me to find a player who stepped up, it was difficult for me to find players who didn’t drop off. I can put most of the team on this list.
Statistically, Jon Gallagher had one of his roughest nights in Verde and Black. He has been really consistent this year, but in this match had difficulty making an impact. He was 0/5 on successful dribbles and 3/10 on ground duels won.
Diego Fagundez looks like a shell of the player we had for the first two seasons. He doesn’t seem to have that extra gear he had early in his Austin career. Is it a lack of motivation to play for Coach Josh Wolff?
It was another match where Emiliano Rigoni failed to make a single goal contribution. As a DP, Rigoni has only one goal, and one assist in his time with Austin. Not good enough from a player Driussi vouched for as a difference maker.
The entire backline did not look good as they gave up four goals to one of the worst attacking teams in the league. It was a rough night for all involved. With Alex Ring going down with the injury, how bad does the team need to try and keep Aleksandar Radovanovic on after his loan?
A lot can be said about the team’s lack of motivation. They did not look mentally ready nor did they have a creative game plan to be in a position to win this match.
Sporting KC looked like they wanted it more. Beating Austin to the ball time and again, and communicating well as a team.
A lot of these things come down to coaching. The #WolffOut crowd is growing larger after this match. It seems the team this year will take one step forward, and then three steps backwards.
Some of this had been due to injuries, but some have been on players not buying into what Wolff is trying to accomplish, In return, Wolff is not changing to put a system in place in which these players could thrive.
Austin returns to Q2 on Wednesday, June 23rd at 7:30 in a Copa Tejas Match. Can Austin get revenge on their foes from Frisco?
I am curious, where the verde faithful stand now on #WolffIn or #WolffOut debate. Let us know your thoughts in the comments below?
Feature image courtesy Apple TV.
100% wolffout at the end of the season. The fan revolt will start at Q2 when/if we lose to frisco and/or crynamo to lose copa Tejas. I hope josh is ready for the warm seat
#Wolffout!!! His style does not fit the players we have and we consistently don’t have a clue of what to do once we cross midfield. Is it against the rules to take shots from outside the box?
Just note to say that no team has more points in the West than SKC since May 1. You didn’t lose to a bottom of the table team, you lost to the hottest team in the West. That said, it wasn’t a pretty game for ATX.