Austin FC’s winless streak extends to eight MLS matches and to 10 matches when including League Cup play. This one comes as a 1-0 defeat against the last-place team in the Western Conference.
It was a night that ATX clinched the Copa Tejas as the Houston-Dallas match ended in a 0-0 draw. This is the second straight year that Austin has taken the trophy, but this one feels way different as Austin is a bottom-of-the-table team.
Sebastian Driussi was held out with a leg injury. The starting XI was interesting, especially in the attack, with Emiliano Rigoni at striker and Alex Ring in attack.
If you purchase through our links, we earn a commission that will support content like this that we create on the site.
Who Is Stepping Up?
This match is tough to see many positives in. Jhojan Valencia did some nice things as he is getting more minutes with the first team. He was able to progress the ball forward as he completed 83% of his passes and defended well as he had nine recoveries and won six duels.
Nick Lima had a nice night, specifically in attack, as he achieved 90% passing accuracy while also completing 11 out of 15 long balls that helped get the ball in attacking positions.
It was good to see CJ Fodrey come in and play some minutes, as he entered the match during the 67th minute. He showed some confidence and the ability to make good decisions; I would like to see him get more minutes these last few matches.
Save money purchasing game tickets on SeatGeek, Austin FC’s official ticketing partner. Use code CAPCITYSOCCER for $20 off your first purchase.
Who Is Dropping Off?
Ethan Finlay looked largely invisible in the attack, as he wasn’t able to create any chances. He was subbed off in the 59th minute for Will Bruin. Bruin missed the best chance of the night by skying it, but it was nice to see Bruin get some playing time and get the chance to find a late goal.
Jon Gallagher had a tough night as he struggled a bit in defense, winning only one out of five duels, and in attack, he only completed 20% of his crosses.
It was such a dull night that most of the players seemed so meh that it was hard to differentiate between good and bad performances.
The team could be eliminated from playoff contention as early as Wednesday night. It’s hard to believe that a lot of this team was on the team that made the Western Conference final only a year ago.
We can find out a lot about the guys as we see how they play even when playoffs are out of reach. Will they show any fight? A lot of these guys should be trying to show the front office why they should be a part of this team for the long term.
Austin FC returns to Q2 Stadium on Wednesday as they take on DC United at 7:30 pm. Can Austin get the win for the first time in nearly 80 days?
Let us know what you think in the comments below.
Cover image courtesy Apple TV
As long as our coach is named Wolff nothing will change. We will continue to bleed points. And the coach will continue to put some kind of a positive spin on, let’s face it, horrible performances. The problem with our coach is he seems more interested in giving his son pitch time, than he is in doing the best for the team. He consistently starts underperforming players and leaving others, who have had some decent games, on the outside looking in. His substitutions are predictable to the minute and name of who’ll be coming on. Worst of all, he is not capable of making adjustments on the fly during a game. It’s the same tactic game after game, after game… We do not have the talent on the roster to play Barca like Tikitaka around the back of the box. Yet he tries to do that time and again. Lastly, it appears he has lost the locker room. While I obviously do not have any hard evidence of that, it sure seems that way looking at the interactions between him and his players.
In my opinion, if we are looking for improvement next season, there is only one solution. We will have to start from scratch with a new coach.