After a postponed date with LAFC and a tense U.S. Open Cup clash in San Jose midweek, Austin FC returned to MLS action Saturday night at Q2 Stadium in style – or, at least, in the style that has defined its 2025 season.
The Verde and Black did not concede any goals, nor did they score any in 0-0 draw against the New England Revolution. It was the club’s third goalless draw in 12 home matches this MLS campaign, further cementing Austin as the most adept defense and most inept offense in the Western Conference.
Here are our takeaways from the match:
“If You Play 10 Times, 9 You Win”
Saturday night marked the ninth match this season in which Austin FC failed to score a goal. Of all those shutouts, this was arguably the harshest.
Nico Estévez’s side did a lot of good things from an attacking standpoint against the Revs, including firing 19 shots towards Aljaz Ivacic’s goal to the tune of 1.9 expected goals. It was the most xG the club had tallied in a match without scoring.
Especially in the first half, the host club produced some of its best-looking build-up play of the season. However, as we’ve detailed previously, finishing remains the club’s Achilles’ heel. Only four of Austin’s 19 shots were directed on frame, and all four of those led to Ivacic saves.
“It’s a game that, if you play 10 times, 9 you win,” Estévez lamented after the match. “It is what it is, you know? We are unlucky to not score those goals.”
Unfortunately for the Spanish coach, this isn’t the first time he’s felt hard done by a result. The club is in a stratosphere of its own this season when it comes to the gulf between expected goals (27.1) and actual goals scored (14.) That delta of -13.1 almost 50% higher than the next-closest club, St. Louis City SC.
However, Estévez acknowledged that his side lost some of its edge in the second half, letting New England’s defense off the hook.
“We lost the shape. We lost the plan, you know? And that is the moment when you lose the momentum,” Estévez said.
Replacing an All-Star
During the customary starting XI photo just before the match, Austin FC players held up Brandon Vazquez’s No. 9 jersey after it was announced earlier in the week that the All-Star striker was set to undergo season-ending surgery to repair a torn ACL.
Vazquez smiled and waved from a Q2 Stadium suite, then did a lot of cringing throughout the 90 minutes watching his counterpart, Myrto Uzuni, fail to find the back of the net on multiple high-quality chances.
Uzuni’s comfort at the striker position – as opposed as a winger, where he mostly played when Vazquez was healthy – is certainly a boon to the club given the loss of its leading goalscorer, at least in theory.
Uzuni got in behind the New England back line on multiple occasions, but still was unable to add to his lone MLS goal this season despite racking up 0.88 xG just by himself.
His best chance came in the 16th minute at the end of a great Austin counter-attack, as Osman Bukari curled a cross that gave Uzuni a shot from point-blank range. However, the Albanian international wasn’t able to find a way past Ivicic in goal.
“It’s a pity. He had really good chances. He worked really hard, and he should be the man of the match today, making us win,” Estévez said of Uzuni. “But I feel if he continues to have those chances, he will help the team scoring goals.”
Typical Stuv
While it’s true that Austin had the better of the chances, New England certainly produced some of its own. In fact, when it comes to the shots on target department, the Eastern Conference squad led eight to four.
However, none of the eight were of the quality to beat Brad Stuver in the form he’s in. The Verde keeper is playing at arguably the best level of his career in recent weeks, not only justifying his MLS All-Star selection, but making a case as the top goalkeeper in MLS.
He’s currently the only MLS net minder that’s top-five in all of the big goalkeeping categories: saves, save percentage, goals against per match, and clean sheets.
“We have, I would say, the best goalkeeper in the league, with all the respect to the rest of the goalkeepers, and I played with a couple of them,” ATX captain Ilie Sánchez said. “Brad has been our MVP this season.”
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.
This article appears in July 11 • 2025.