Austin FC Regroups With Win Over Defending Champs LA Galaxy

Following a calamitous 5-1 loss to the Vancouver Whitecaps, Austin FC promised its fans a big response at Q2 Stadium against LA Galaxy, the winless defending league champions (yes, the most MLS thing ever).

It might not have been the multi-goal plundering fans were thirsty for, but the Verde and Black still crucially responded with a 1-0 victory thanks to a late goal by Brandon Vazquez and some throwback ATX defending.

Here are our takeaways from the match:

Brandon Vazquez’s Eventful Day

All season long, Austin FC had struggled to get Vazquez, the club’s centerpiece striker, decent looks in front of goal. There were no issues in that department against the Galaxy, as Vazquez racked up eight shots in the match thanks to consistent, high-quality service from teammates.

The only problem? For the majority of the match, the American striker wasn’t holding up his end of the bargain. Vazquez failed to convert on several golden opportunities to score, including a penalty kick in the 67th minute. However, Vazquez redeemed himself in the 81st minute by running onto a low cross from Žan Kolmanic and slamming it into the back of the net. He followed the ball into the goal, grabbed two fists full of net, then roared to the Q2 Stadium supporters’ section in a cathartic release of emotion.

No. 9️⃣ gives us the lead! pic.twitter.com/qkMWlMUcOa

— Austin FC (@AustinFC) April 19, 2025

“After missing a couple big opportunities in the game, I think finally hitting the back of the net was just like a breath of fresh air,” Vazquez said.

Vazquez himself was credited with 2.27 of Austin’s 3.0 expected goals for the match, the club’s highest total of the season.

“We improved a lot on finding him in really good spots,” ATXFC coach Nico Estévez said. “[Brandon is] getting anxious to score goals, but now that we create him these chances, he has to just stay calm, you know, and be himself.”

Super Sub Bukari

ATX DP winger Osman Bukari has had a noticeably uneven season since scoring the club’s first goal of 2025 back in February’s season opener. On Saturday, Estévez opted for Jáder Obrian to start on the right wing instead of Bukari, keeping the Ghanaian on the bench until the hour mark of the match.

But when Bukari did come on, he logged arguably his best minutes of the season, taking advantage of LA’s tired legs.

Just three minutes after coming on, Bukari single-handedly earned Austin a penalty kick (the one Vazquez failed to convert) by dribbling right at LA left back John Nelson and forcing a desperation foul.

Estévez talked about working with Bukari to find “his best version.” Perhaps the super-sub role is a key to that.

Defensive Return to Form

The prevailing feeling within the Austin FC locker room was that the 5-1 drubbing sustained in Vancouver last week was a one-off, and not a reflection of the club’s defensive abilities which had been elite in the seven weeks prior.

Sure enough, the club rebounded to earn its league-leading fifth shutout of the season – albeit against much lesser competition.

Goalkeeper Brad Stuver was called upon for four routine saves and the Verde defense repelled most everything the Galaxy had to throw at it, allowing for a much-needed victory following what midfielder Dani Pereira referred to as a “terrible” and “embarrassing” performance in the prior match.

“We just wanted to come back today, get three points at home, you know, kind of get that confidence back,” Pereira said.

The biggest hit to the Verde defense came in stoppage time when center back Brendan Hines-Ike was shown consecutive yellow cards for poor sportsmanship – presumably for words spoken to the referee – resulting in a red card and, more importantly, a suspension for the club’s next match, Saturday April 26 in Houston against the Dynamo.

---

For more Austin FC news and analysis, visit The Austin Chronicle's Austin FC hub. Follow The Verde Report columnist Eric Goodman on X: @goodman.

New to the Verde Report? Subscribe to the weekly newsletter and be entered to win tickets to an upcoming game at Q2 stadium.