What to celebrate and what to improve on from Austin FC’s dramatic comeback win over San Jose – CAPITAL CITY SOCCER
Prior to Saturday night, it had been far too long since fans heard the words “comeback victory” and “last-minute winner” to describe an Austin FC match.
Following an entire season in which Austin failed to win a game when they conceded first, Sebastian Driussi’s 101st-minute strike that completed the Verde and Black’s two goal comeback over the San Jose Earthquakes had fans wondering if they were back in 2022.
The club truly seemed to recreate the comeback magic fans came to expect from Austin in its second season, but who is to credit for this recent run of form, and how will the Verde and Black continue it?
The win was a historic one in many ways for Austin, and re-ignited some promising signs of life that hadn’t been seen in over a year. The match marked Austin’s first ever win over San Jose (five draws and two losses in seven previous meetings), the club’s second consecutive win (its first winning streak since June of last year) and its first time scoring 4+ goals in a match since July of 2023. Austin drew five and lost 14 of the 19 matches in which they conceded first last season, but have now won two matches in a row in which the opponent drew first blood.
Unsurprisingly, Sebastian Driussi has been the focal point of Austin’s offensive outburst these past two weeks. Driussi delivered a perfect cross to Diego Rubio for the goal that turned out to be the winner against FC Dallas last weekend, and his brace proved to be the difference against San Jose Saturday. He brings a desperately needed spark to the Austin attack, and seems to be one of the few players in MLS who always show up in the clutch. His outside-of-the-foot blast into the bottom right corner to win the match on one of the final kicks of the game was truly a storybook ending to an incredibly entertaining contest. These past two weeks have been some of the best we’ve seen from Driussi since his MVP-caliber year in 2022.
Austin’s entire backline deserves a shoutout for their efforts in the attack this season, as the unit leads all MLS clubs with six goals scored by defenders. The best of the lot has to be Guilherme Biro’s left-footed blast into the bottom corner to put Austin up 3-2 on Saturday, but the Verde and Black’s defenders have been finding goals in all sorts of ways this season. Many clubs would prefer attackers to be scoring the majority of their goals, but, as long as the ball is finding the back of the net, I don’t think Austin FC fans care where it’s coming from.
Owen Wolff has been somewhat of an unsung hero in Austin’s past two matches, and seems to be finding his most efficient position out wide. Following several matches of experiment in central midfield, attacking midfield, and even fullback, Wolff has provided energy on the wing that undeniably earns him a spot in the starting eleven. Ethan Finlay has proved to be a solid presence off the bench, and some still believe in Emiliano Rigoni as a viable option, but Wolff has displayed creative ability beyond his teenage years on the left side. Look for Wolff to pick up several more starts out wide as Austin hopes to continue its win streak.
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While they kept the three points in Austin on Saturday, the argument could be made that the Verde and Black were far less efficient than the Earthquakes. Though Austin dominated the possession battle, San Jose won the xG battle by nearly an entire goal, had more shots on target, and had eleven shots inside Austin’s box.
The three goals conceded mark the most that Austin has allowed in a game all year, and they certainly could have done better in some instances. A rather poor clearance by Brendan Hines-Ike allowed Christian Espinoza to dribble into the box and find Paul Marie at the back post for the opener, and both of San Jose’s additional goals involved Austin being caught in the counter-attack with few numbers back to defend. It seemed the flow of the game and the constant attacks on both sides were more to blame than any overarching problem in the back line, but you’d still like to see fewer goals conceded from this Austin side.
All six of Austin FC’s goals in the past two weeks have come in the second half, and ten of Austin’s eleven goals this season have been in the latter half of the match. While this indicates that the team is finding their stride when it matters most, being more purposeful in the attack during the first half could certainly help the squad.
Austin has put just four shots on goal in the first half all season, and have had a number of matches in which they have been dominated in the first half. Still, the club has closed the gap significantly in the last two games, as the Verde and Black are getting morechances in the first period, but still don’t quite have the goals to show for it. Creating more chances early and being more clinical in front of goal in the first half is far easier said than done, but would help Austin’s odds of continuing their streak significantly.
I’d certainly like to see Austin have some greater efficiency on set pieces in the future, especially corner kicks. Austin tallied 10 corners compared to San Jose’s three, but they rarely provided a decent look at goal. Part of this struggle is likely due to the absence of Zan Kolmanic, who typically took corners for Austin before his injury in the match against Philadelphia, as well as Emiliano Rigoni’s recent transition to the bench. With neither on the field, Owen Wolff has been launched into that position, and his service off of set pieces has been one of his few flaws in the past two weeks. If Austin wants to continue its win streak, producing better chances off of set pieces in the final third is important.
Still, Austin FC fans will be doing far more celebrating than analyzing this week, as the comeback win indicates good fortune for the club in the coming weeks.
The Verde look to build off of both the ups and downs of its dramatic victory over San Jose and continue its win streak when they travel to Missouri to face St. Louis City next Sunday at 3:45 p.m. at CityPark.
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Cover image courtesy Austin FC
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