Tag: Austin FC

Austin FC comes back to beat 10-man RSL in wild MLS playoff affair

This one should’ve been over sooner, but Austin will take any win in the postseason

Austin FC probably should have defeated Real Salt Lake long before penalties in a wild MLS first-round playoff match on Sunday.

But, despite playing more than half of the 120 minutes with a man advantage, Austin needed some heroics from Brad Stuver in the shootout to finally surpass RSL at Q2 Stadium, advancing to the conference semifinal against either FC Dallas or Minnesota United next weekend.

RSL was up two goals inside 15 minutes, but after Sebastián Driussi pulled one back for the home side, the game was turned on its head by a boneheaded red card for RSL’s Rubio Rubín just after halftime.

From there on it was pure survival mode for RSL and they nearly got there, but Driussi’s stoppage-time penalty rescued Austin’s season and sent the game into extra time tied 2-2.

Austin would end up with a whopping 38 total shots, outshooting RSL 25-3 in the 67 minutes following Rubín’s red. But it would take a shootout to finally vanquish RSL.

Sergio Córdova gave RSL the lead just three minutes in when he headed home a perfectly placed cross from Andrew Brody.

It went from bad to worse for the favored home side just 10 minutes later when Jhojan Valencia was called for a handball in the box after a VAR review, and Córdova stepped up to give RSL a two-goal lead from the spot less than 15 minutes in.

But Austin got back into the the match 15 minutes later and unsurprisingly, it was the team’s MVP candidate Driussi who produced an excellent glancing header from Diego Fagundez’s inswinging cross.

 

After a horrendous miss from substitute Emiliano Rigoni from inches away, the game turned on a moment of madness from Rubín. Already on a yellow, the striker made an ill-advised slide while stretching for a through ball that was out of reach and caught Stuver on the leg. Referee Victor Rivas had an easy decision to show a second yellow.

Down a man and with most of the second half left to play, RSL went into a defensive shell. Austin appeared stumped and the visitors were on their way to a famous victory until a stoppage-time twist gave the home side the lifeline they needed.

Scott Caldwell was whistled for a handball in the box, giving Driussi the chance to complete his brace from the penalty spot and send the game into extra time. He made no mistake, and it was 2-2.

The home side would nearly score in extra time but was frustrated time and again, with Driussi seeing a goal chalked off for offside after previously having a goal disallowed in regulation for a handball.

But ultimately Stuver proved the hero, saving two RSL penalties in the shootout and then watching Tate Schmitt’s spot kick fly over the bar to clinch the win for Austin.

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The MLS playoffs begin with three days of potential upsets and chaos

Thoughts and predictions from every opening-round playoff match

After the obligatory long, strange trip, the MLS playoffs are here.

The first round will feature six one-off games, with the higher seeds all hosting. While LAFC and the Philadelphia Union kick their feet up and watch, the remaining playoff sides will try to navigate a first round that is typically volatile. If your playoff predictions are looking pretty chalky, you’re probably off base.

Pro Soccer Wire is ready for the kind of drama MLS virtually always manages to conjure up at this time of the year, and we’re diving into each and every first round match-up with analysis, broadcast information, and predictions.

MLS playoff brackets are set after Decision Day drama

Thoughts on every playoff pairing after Decision Day’s drama

It’s officially playoff time in MLS.

Sunday afternoon saw some high tension in the Eastern Conference that ended with Orlando City coming back to secure the final playoff spot over the Columbus Crew. For the Crew, a season of lost leads ended with Facundo Torres netting an 84th minute penalty kick, giving the 2022 US Open Cup champions a win they had to have to get into the playoff spot.

Fans then watched Minnesota United and Real Salt Lake win the race for the last two spots in the West, defeating the Vancouver Whitecaps and Portland Timbers in what turned out to be effectively an appetizer for the actual postseason. Minnesota largely held Vancouver to little en route to a 2-0 win in St. Paul, while the Timbers controversially dropped midfielder Eryk Williamson and were run over by RSL, falling behind by three goals before a very late goal gave them a more respectable-sounding 3-1 loss.

While the playoff dates and times are yet to be announced, we now know all 14 playoff teams, and what the first round looks like.

Hany Mukhtar made his MVP case in front of his biggest rival for the prize

The Nashville SC star made a major statement with his second-half brace

Sebastián Driussi has been the MLS MVP-in-waiting for most of 2022, but Hany Mukhtar clearly isn’t ready to hand him the award yet.

Nashville SC star Mukhtar made a real statement against Driussi and Austin FC on Saturday night, scoring two goals in the second half in a 3-0 win.

With the home crowd chanting “MVP” all evening, the brace put Mukhtar atop the MLS Golden Boot race with 21 goals — one more than Driussi.

Mukhtar also has 11 assists, becoming only the fifth player in MLS history to post a 20 and 10 season.

After the game, the Nashville star made it clear he was well aware of the MVP stakes going into the contest.

“I have to give, first of all, credit to Driussi,” Mukhtar said after the match. “He’s played an amazing season, he’s an amazing player. I was with him in the MLS All-Star Week. He’s a good guy, very nice guy, very humble.

“But of course, in the end, I am here to win something with Nashville. And I think I’ve played a very good season, so obviously I want to win also the MVP award.”

Watch Mukhtar’s two goals vs. Austin FC

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MLS Madness spreads nationwide as league breaks goalscoring record

MLS was, even by MLS standards, completely bonkers Saturday night

Summer in MLS can be a rough time. You’re too far away from the real pressure of making or missing the playoffs, it’s hot and humid everywhere, teams are figuring it out after transfer window moves. It can feel very much like everyone’s biding their time for September and October.

Not August 6. MLS Madness™ took hold in nearly every corner of the country, with goals galore, teams scoring and conceding in the deepest depths of stoppage time, big-name stars scoring bangers, and everyone basically went bananas. It was a perfect advertisement for the league: fun, flawed, weird, and inexplicable.

For one thing, MLS broke a league record for goals scored in one night. Across 13 games Saturday night, teams combined for 57 goals, an average of well over four per game. The old record of 46 was left in the dust.

As the league itself once said, This Stuff Kicks!

In chronological order, let’s go through one of the wildest nights in MLS history:

Austin FC, Cecilio Domínguez agree to contract termination

Austin FC has cut its first-ever DP loose after allegations of domestic violence

Austin FC and attacker Cecilio Domínguez have per the club mutually agreed to terminate the Designated Player’s contract, effective immediately.

Domínguez, 27, was signed in 2021 as Austin’s first-ever DP ahead of their debut season in MLS. Amid an investigation into alleged domestic violence, MLS suspended Domínguez on April 8. He ended up missing five games before the league announced that he would be reinstated provided he complied with league-mandated counseling.

However, Austin supporters were not on board, with the Los Verdes supporters group releasing a statement saying they refused to “support Cecilio Domínguez continuing to play for Austin FC” as a response to MLS’s decision. Multiple supporters groups agreed to go silent for 10 minutes in Austin’s first game after the reinstatement, displaying banners supporting anti-domestic violence causes.

MLS’s reinstatement allowed Domínguez to rejoin training, which he did days after the announcement. However, Austin never named him to their matchday squad again, with today’s announcement officially ending his time at the club.

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WATCH: Odds and bets on Austin FC vs. Houston Dynamo, 8/4

ThePostGame checks out the recent trends between the MLS Western Conference opponents Austin FC and Houston Dynamo.

An inter-Texas matchup takes place Wednesday, Aug. 4, as Austin FC plays host to Houston Dynamo FC. Two of MLS’ three Texas teams are facing off for the first time ever, as Austin FC began play in 2021.

In its inaugural season, Austin is 3-8-4, sitting at No. 13 in the Western Conference and ahead of only Miami in the league standings. The Dynamo are tied with Nashville SC for the most draws so far this season with nine. Go to Tipico Sportsbook for the most updated odds.

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