Welcome aboard the sliding scale of expectations, Austin FC.
After a dynamite start to the season through the end of April, Verde and Black closed out a treacherous month of May with a 4-1 loss to the LA Galaxy over Memorial Day weekend, dropping its record for the month to one win, one draw, and three losses. It’s not unfamiliar territory for ATXFC. The club posted the same record in May 2021, when it was deep in the throes of an eight-game road trip to start its MLS existence and holding on for dear life. Expectations were tempered, if they existed at all.
It’s a different context this time around. A fabulous early run saw Austin FC close out the month of April as the first team in MLS to reach the 20-point mark. Even now, after a relatively difficult month, Austin FC is entrenched in the Western Conference playoff picture, currently sitting in fourth place with seven wins, three draws, and four losses. They’re also just 1 point shy of a tie for second place with FC Dallas and Real Salt Lake. But, again, it’s been a struggle lately.
“At the end of the day, we need to know what we’ve done,” ATX midfielder Diego Fagúndez said following the latest loss to the Galaxy. “The way that we came out this year we showed that we’re a strong team, and that’s what we want.”
It would be lazy to insinuate that Austin FC in the month of May is the “real” Austin FC and that the team of the prior nine weeks was anything else. But it is fair to wonder if the second-year franchise is yet able to go head-to-head against the league’s established contenders and win with consistency. All four teams the Oaks took on in May (they played the Galaxy twice, losing both) are in playoff position in their respective conferences. Austin FC handled the hardest test of them all – beating league leaders LAFC on the road – but eventually the strength of the opposition caught up with them.
“I think we’ve left some points out there,” coach Josh Wolff said. “It’s been a solid start to the season, but we have goals that we still need to push forward to achieve. I think there’s plenty to be pleased about from a progress standpoint, but there’s plenty of progress still to make.”
The Verde and Black will also have the opportunity to bolster its roster in the coming weeks. The club’s next MLS match (away against Montreál CF) is not until June 18 due to the FIFA international break, and by then, you’d have to imagine that Austin FC’s original Designated Player, Cecilio Domínguez, will be back to full fitness after sitting out while the league investigated him for off-field misconduct. Domínguez was reinstated on May 4, but has yet to reappear on a match day roster.
The club’s front office also has the summer transfer window, which opens in early July, to look forward to. Last year, the midseason acquisition window yielded star player Sebastián Driussi, among others. Don’t count on another Driussi this time around, but added depth on the wings or at fullback could make a sizable difference. And for the players already in Verde, some much needed rest is in order.
“Everybody needs to take a nice break off soccer and make sure we’re focusing on ourselves and taking care of our bodies,” Fagúndez said. “When we go back, it’s going to be a hard time … This is the time to push.”
This article appears in June 3 • 2022.
