Myrto Uzuni scored his first MLS goal and Austin FC posted a clean sheet to defeat St. Louis City SC, 1-0, at Energizer Park Sunday afternoon.
In just the sixth match of the year, the Verde and Black picked up their third consecutive victory, a feat the club did not achieve in either of the previous two seasons.
Here are our takeaways from the match:
DPs Deliver
Despite coming into the match with a winning record, Austin FC hadn’t exactly set the world aflame from a goalscoring standpoint this season. And while the club only managed a lone goal – its fifth in six games – against St. Louis, it was a strike that could spark things for the Austin club’s Designated Players.
From Osman Bukari’s first moments as an Austin FC player after signing midway through last season, his spectacular ability as a dribbler has been clear. What hasn’t been as clear is whether Bukari can consistently turn those hypnotizing dribble moves into goals and assists.
In the 33rd minute Sunday, after turning St. Louis defender Joakim Nilsson in circles in the penalty area, Bukari lifted his eyes, spotted Uzuni alone 10 yards in front of goal, and calmly laid the ball off for the Albanian striker to snap a shot into the back of the net.
“In that moment, with Buka, I was calling him all the time, ‘Pass me the ball!’ Because two times before, he shot the ball,” Uzuni said. “And Buka listened to me… so I think this was a big win.”
Harsh criticism for a teammate? Maybe. But also warranted, and constructive. Bukari’s poor decision-making in similar moments has hurt Austin FC this season. But the Ghanaian made the right play this time, and it led to a pivotal goal.
Bukari beating defenders off the dribble and then assisting Uzuni or Brandon Vazquez – the club’s third DP – for goals is pretty much Plan A for Austin FC’s attack as currently constructed. Sunday’s winner was an encouraging manifestation of that, and hopefully the first of many to come.
Another Clean Sheet
Austin FC’s defensive record through six games has been nothing short of masterful. The club has pitched a shutout in half of its matches, and hasn’t allowed more than one goal in any of them. The Austin defense has been the second-toughest to score on of any team in MLS – behind only St. Louis, as a matter of fact, which didn’t allow a goal for the first four games of the season.
Head to head, though, it was Austin that won the defensive battle, holding St. Louis to just three shots on goal despite the hosts chasing the tying goal for nearly two-thirds of the match.
Perhaps the most encouraging part of Austin’s defensive success is that it hasn’t required heroics from goalkeeper Brad Stuver. Stuver, who certainly has been solid when needed, is averaging just 2.2 saves per match, among the fewest in the league. The Verde outfield players are making Stuver’s job easier, and that’s the sign of a sustainable defense.
Less Is More
Both Austin and St. Louis came into the match averaging among the lowest average possession percentage of all MLS teams. That created an interesting dilemma for Sunday’s match. Somebody needs to be on the ball, so which team would abandon their preferred style of play to do so?
Turns out, St. Louis blinked first. The home side finished with 58% possession, while Austin happily sat back, exploited a counter-attack opportunity to grab the goal, then remained organized defensively while St. Louis tried and failed to break the lines.
ATX head coach Nico Estévez even sidelined his best possession midfielder, Ilie Sánchez, for the majority of the match to lean into the game plan, even if some “total soccer” purists might bristle at the tactical thinking.
“We could change the process and try to score more goals and concede more, but I feel more comfortable in this way that we can get wins,” Estévez said.
One thing Estévez didn’t like, however, is how much less threatening Austin FC looked on the counter-attack while defending its lead in the second half. If ATX is going to continue to find success playing this style of soccer, they’ll have to remain committed to gambling on those opportunities.
This article appears in March 28 • 2025.