Austin FC defender Oleksandr Svatok wins a header during a 2-1 loss to the LA Galaxy at Dignity Health Sports Park. Credit: credit: Austin FC

Austin FC will not participate in the 2024 MLS Cup Playoffs. A notion that’s been apparent for weeks became official late Saturday night when the Verde and Black lost, 2-1, to the LA Galaxy at Dignity Health Sports Park.

Sebastián Driussi’s first MLS goal in over four months wasn’t enough to match the Galaxy’s attacking firepower, which overwhelmed the ATX defense throughout the evening.

It was a particularly rough night for defender Guilherme Biro, who got completely turned around by Galaxy winger Gabriel Pec in the 31st minute, and was helpless to watch Pec cut inside the penalty area and fire the opening goal past Brad Stuver.

Austin managed to equalize in the 55th minute in a manner head coach Josh Wolff surely wishes he would have seen more of during the final quarter of the season, as designated players Osman Bukari and Driussi combined for their first goal as a duo.

Bukari found a yard of space in the LA 18-yard box, then played a clever centering pass to the penalty spot, where Driussi applied the kind of emphatic, one-time finish into the roof of the net that called back to his brilliant 2022 campaign. It was his 50th goal as an Austin FC player.

LA regained the lead in the 76th minute by way of its other two attacking stars. Spanish midfielder Riqui Puig assisted striker Dejan Joveljić while Austin defenders mostly stood and watched.

Things got hairy in the closing seconds of the match, as Biro earned himself a red card for a wild sliding tackle against Puig, sparking a mass confrontation that included coaches Wolff and Greg Vanney.

Biro will miss Austin FC’s final match of the season, a mostly ceremonial finale at Q2 Stadium on October 19 against the Colorado Rapids, who are locked into the playoffs but fighting for seeding.

After the match, Stuver cleared up any confusion relating to how the ATX players might be feeling after the club missed out on the playoffs for the third time in four years, in a league where 18 of 29 teams (62%) qualify.

“We feel like shit,” the goalkeeper said.

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 October 4 • 2024.

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Eric Goodman has covered Austin FC for the Austin Chronicle since before the club first kicked a ball in 2021. His column, The Verde Report, continues the Chronicle's decades-long tradition of soccer-focused commentary, serving as a spiritual successor to Nick Barbaro's Soccer Watch column. Eric has also covered multiple Olympic Games and FIFA World Cups as a freelance sports journalist, and is a two-time Emmy-winning producer.