The Verde Report: In Gut-Check Time, True Colors Shine Through
What’s the secret sauce in this turnaround squad?
By Eric Goodman, Fri., April 22, 2022
On Saturday, Austin FC rallied from 0-2 down with three goals in the final 10 minutes of play to stun D.C. United on their home field and vault toward the very top of the Western Conference standings. It was the sort of comeback effort that had to be seen to be believed, and even then required a few looks at the match highlights to really register.
"It gives confidence to the idea that no matter what the situation is, the team can come together and persevere," a reflective Josh Wolff would say days later. "When [the players] have got to fight and struggle together, that's when you really see who you are."
It's becoming abundantly clear that the version of Austin FC that returned from D.C. with all 3 points is made of different stuff than the squad that ended last season on a 14-match road winless streak. There were gut-check moments up and down the 2021 expansion year, but few instances where the Verde and Black actually rose to meet the challenge. This time around, though, the club is taking its opportunities like a bona fide playoff contender. So wherein lies the difference?
One could certainly point to an overall increase in talent level throughout the roster, or to the fact that most members of the Verde squad have an extra year of familiarity with each other after the trials of 2021. But the club's on-field acumen is just part of the story. Wins like the one Austin FC captured in the nation's capital only come with a heavy dose of intangibles: grit, belief, fortitude. It's in those areas where Austin FC has made the biggest strides between seasons, and they know it. "It's a very collective group. It's much more unified this year than it was last year, and I think that's very visible," Wolff said.
Ironically, the players most responsible for bringing the unity and camaraderie to Austin FC are the ones who've been with the club the shortest amount of time. Veteran offseason additions Maxi Urruti, Felipe Martins, and Ruben Gabrielsen have all quickly established themselves as vocal leaders inside the Verde dressing room – the kind of stabilizing forces the club desperately lacked on its inaugural squad.
At halftime in D.C., with Austin FC trailing, it was Gabrielsen's turn to speak up. In a moment captured in an ATXFC social media video, the former Molde captain laid into his teammates (and himself) for a lackluster first-half performance. "My message was that it was not good enough. That we're much better than that, and we showed it in the second half," Gabrielsen said. His headed goal in the 90th minute capped off the comeback. "If I didn't say something, somebody else would have said it."
"The vibe was, 'We're going to win this game,'" said Danny Hoesen, who also scored. "I think that's a huge, huge step from last year where if we were behind, especially on the road, 9 out of 10 games we would have lost it."
Hoesen watched much of the club's expansion season from the sidelines after a hip injury ended his season after five games. He authored his own comeback story with the 80th minute goal to get Austin FC on the board in just his second appearance back in action with the club. The Verde's original No. 9, who struggled in his minutes before the injury, might be more sensitive to the collective change in mindset than anyone.
"It's been a long, tough year for me." Hoesen said. "To be in this team with this spirit and this heart, and everybody is so together, it feels almost like a family."
