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It’s apparent Austin FC has put an emphasis on team defense to start the 2025 season, and it’s something that paid off Saturday with the club’s biggest league win in 11 months.
The Verde & Black topped perennial MLS power LAFC 1-0 on Saturday at BMO Stadium in Los Angeles behind an impressive defensive display — by the backline in particular — and Guilherme Biro’s first-half goal on a header off a corner kick.
More: Austin FC vs LAFC: Man of the match, player ratings for MLS matchday 4
Depending on whose metrics you look at, Austin FC had at most 35% possession, yet the number of dangerous scoring opportunities the hosts had can be counted on one hand. LAFC ended with only three shots on goal, with Brad Stuver providing excellent stops on the only two serious challenges he faced.
Here are some thoughts from the match as Austin FC (2-2-0, 6 points) returns home next week for a rare Sunday afternoon game versus MLS’ newest club, San Diego FC.
The significance of this three points can’t be overstated.
LAFC is not a team you expect to beat on the road, and with Austin FC dropping a home match last week, it’s a bounce-back result that was needed.
Singular MLS matches don’t take on a great deal of importance until September, but this result avoided a three-game winless streak that would have been magnified in the first month of the season. And the fact that it came in one of Austin FC’s most difficult road matches of the year is an extra bonus.
“We’re not at LAFC’s level yet, but we’re building,” Austin FC coach Nico Estévez said. “We showed the mentality of a team that wants to win.”
This wasn’t a fluke win, either. Though LAFC dominated possession, especially in the second half, it’s not as if Austin FC was played off the field. And while its attack is still a work in progress, Austin FC turned in a quality performance from start to finish and actually had a higher expected goals stat (0.96-0.84).
It’s the club’s best league win since defeating the Los Angeles Galaxy at home last April.
Now, Austin FC needs to build on this against an expansion team at home.
The whole backline of Biro, Brendan Hines-Ike, Oleksandr Svatok and Jon Gallagher was exceptional, with Gallagher doing a good job of containing LAFC star forward Denis Bouanga.
But it was a smart game plan by Estévez to not leave Gallagher on an island defending Bouanga, as midfielder Owen Wolff was constantly joining him to double team Bouanga when he was near the box.
“We always had a teammate to help and defended their wingers very well,” Estévez said.
Wolff arguably had the best game of his career. While he provided the corner kick on Biro’s goal and was smart with his passing in the attack, it was his defense up and down the field that really stood out.
But he wasn’t alone. It was a collective defensive effort from all 11 players, including forwards Brandon Vazquez and Myrto Uzuni.
“Our work rate was as a team was really high,” Estévez said.
Neither Vazquez nor Uzuni, the team’s splashy offseason signings, have yet to score. Vazquez is obviously the focus of opposing defenses and is constantly harassed by defenders, but Uzuni had his opportunities Saturday. He missed two wide-open chances in the box early in the second half that could have given Austin FC a two-goal cushion.
“I’m not worried about (Vazquez and Uzuni),” Estévez said. “They’re going to score goals, and people will be happy when they do. … If you go back and look, it took Bouanga a while to score when he came into the league.”
This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Austin FC vs LAFC score: 3 takeaways from the Verde & Black's 1-0 win
Continue reading...
The Verde & Black topped perennial MLS power LAFC 1-0 on Saturday at BMO Stadium in Los Angeles behind an impressive defensive display — by the backline in particular — and Guilherme Biro’s first-half goal on a header off a corner kick.
More: Austin FC vs LAFC: Man of the match, player ratings for MLS matchday 4
Depending on whose metrics you look at, Austin FC had at most 35% possession, yet the number of dangerous scoring opportunities the hosts had can be counted on one hand. LAFC ended with only three shots on goal, with Brad Stuver providing excellent stops on the only two serious challenges he faced.
Here are some thoughts from the match as Austin FC (2-2-0, 6 points) returns home next week for a rare Sunday afternoon game versus MLS’ newest club, San Diego FC.
Noteworthy victory
The significance of this three points can’t be overstated.
LAFC is not a team you expect to beat on the road, and with Austin FC dropping a home match last week, it’s a bounce-back result that was needed.
Singular MLS matches don’t take on a great deal of importance until September, but this result avoided a three-game winless streak that would have been magnified in the first month of the season. And the fact that it came in one of Austin FC’s most difficult road matches of the year is an extra bonus.
“We’re not at LAFC’s level yet, but we’re building,” Austin FC coach Nico Estévez said. “We showed the mentality of a team that wants to win.”
This wasn’t a fluke win, either. Though LAFC dominated possession, especially in the second half, it’s not as if Austin FC was played off the field. And while its attack is still a work in progress, Austin FC turned in a quality performance from start to finish and actually had a higher expected goals stat (0.96-0.84).
It’s the club’s best league win since defeating the Los Angeles Galaxy at home last April.
Now, Austin FC needs to build on this against an expansion team at home.
Backline a rock
The whole backline of Biro, Brendan Hines-Ike, Oleksandr Svatok and Jon Gallagher was exceptional, with Gallagher doing a good job of containing LAFC star forward Denis Bouanga.
But it was a smart game plan by Estévez to not leave Gallagher on an island defending Bouanga, as midfielder Owen Wolff was constantly joining him to double team Bouanga when he was near the box.
“We always had a teammate to help and defended their wingers very well,” Estévez said.
Wolff arguably had the best game of his career. While he provided the corner kick on Biro’s goal and was smart with his passing in the attack, it was his defense up and down the field that really stood out.
But he wasn’t alone. It was a collective defensive effort from all 11 players, including forwards Brandon Vazquez and Myrto Uzuni.
“Our work rate was as a team was really high,” Estévez said.
Offense showing signs
Neither Vazquez nor Uzuni, the team’s splashy offseason signings, have yet to score. Vazquez is obviously the focus of opposing defenses and is constantly harassed by defenders, but Uzuni had his opportunities Saturday. He missed two wide-open chances in the box early in the second half that could have given Austin FC a two-goal cushion.
“I’m not worried about (Vazquez and Uzuni),” Estévez said. “They’re going to score goals, and people will be happy when they do. … If you go back and look, it took Bouanga a while to score when he came into the league.”
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This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Austin FC vs LAFC score: 3 takeaways from the Verde & Black's 1-0 win
Continue reading...
