Austin FC is turning grievance into an art form

The upstart franchise is bravely overcoming the MLS website’s preseason predictions

Austin FC has had a stunning turnaround season, reaching the Western Conference final after finishing near the bottom of the table in its expansion season.

There are a whole host of reasons Austin has been so much better in 2022, like Sebastián Driussi staying healthy and becoming an MVP finalist, Brad Stuver continuing to be one of the league’s best goalkeepers, and Julio Cascante and Ruben Gabrielsen forming a solid center-back pairing. 

But if you ask Austin, another key factor has been the massive chip on their shoulder they’ve been carrying from something pretty innocuous: the league website’s preseason predictions.

Coming off a rough expansion season Austin FC wasn’t predicted to make much noise in 2022 — which head coach Josh Wolff was keen to highlight during the club’s preseason.

Nine months later, Wolff’s list of offenders is still making the rounds. After Austin beat FC Dallas on Sunday to reach the conference final, the club’s owner Anthony Precourt went one step further in airing out his grievances: lamination!

 

There is no way to measure how much Austin’s rise has been fueled by its fiery reaction to a cadre of writers listing out teams on a spreadsheet. But maybe it is working a little?

 

Austin’s never-ending grievance culture has been adopted by its fanbase as well, as supporters carried a banner reading “keep doubting us” into the match at Q2 on Sunday.

But those fans might want to bear in mind, though, that some of those doubts came from inside the house.

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