The Verde Report: That’s Some Start to the Season

Three weeks into the 2021 season, I made a rookie mistake. Austin FC had just beaten Minnesota United, 1-0, on the road for its second win in a row and I wondered out loud, even asked Josh Wolff directly, "Is Austin FC actually good?"

We all know what happened over the ensuing seven months, and I've learned my lesson. If you want to read about why Austin FC's five-goal trouncing of bottom-feeders FC Cincinnati means the Verde are destined to lift the MLS Cup at season's end, look elsewhere.

All the same, it's impossible – and would frankly be foolish – to completely disregard such dominant performance to kick off the 2022 campaign. There are takeaways that can safely, conservatively be drawn from a match in which Austin FC set an MLS record for margin of victory in a season opener – ones that have a good chance to become recurring themes throughout a potentially transformative sophomore year for El Tree.

Josh Wolff's system, and the coach himself, are beginning to flourish. It was always going to take time for the hyper-detail- oriented Wolff to impart the specifics of his attacking blueprint onto the Austin FC squad, and it appears as though that patience may be starting to pay off. The Verde possessed the ball for 57% of the match Saturday night, a figure it hit or eclipsed 10 times last season. However, the club translated that possession into 19 shots, more than it had in all but one match in 2021.

The difference was noticeable. Against a weak Cincinnati defense that left acres of space for the Verde to attack, the hosts had a clear plan for how to break their opponent's lines. A quick aside on soccer tactics: Teams generally defend using stacked layers or "lines" of players, starting with the forwards and ending with the defenders. Figuring out how to penetrate or "break" those lines is critical to getting the ball in dangerous areas. Austin FC did so with well-rehearsed runs and decisive, accurate passes from its midfielders and fullbacks.

Then, in the post-match press conference, Wolff himself exuded the calm and confidence of a coach with a year of experience at the helm to draw on. "It's week one, we got a win, and the guys can enjoy that. But we'll make sure we don't get too carried away with it," he assured.

Familiarity makes things click. It's no coincidence that the players most responsible for Saturday's dominant performance – Cecilio Domínguez, Alex Ring, Dani Pereira, and Zan Kolmanič – have all worn the Verde since day one. (Sebastián Driussi, who was acquired midway through 2021, was also fantastic, which speaks to his effortless quality.)

Those players now have a full season of understanding each other's strengths, weaknesses, and tendencies, which translates to more fluid team-oriented play. The club's superb third goal put that notion on full display.

A deeper squad. Austin FC fans woke up to a blissful sight the morning of game day: a completely blank injury report to start the season for El Tree. This famously wasn't the case last year when the club had already lost two players to season-ending injuries before a regular season ball was kicked.

But if and when the bumps and bruises start to pile up this season, the club will be much better equipped to handle them given the added depth of talent in the squad. That was apparent Saturday when Jhohan Romaña, who started nearly every game for Austin FC in the second half of 2021, was not even given a spot among the nine eligible substitutes despite a clear bill of health.

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Austin FC next faces Miami at home on Sunday, March 6, at 3pm.