Alright. Let’s talk about the plane.
If you attended Austin FC’s most recent home match – a 1-0 loss against the Seattle Sounders last Saturday night – or if you swim in the online waters of ATXFC fandom, you already know the plane in question.
If you weren’t and don’t, then you might have missed the fact that, circling a couple thousand feet above Q2 Stadium for the hour leading up to kickoff, was a small one-man aircraft towing a message directed at Austin FC ownership, apparently crowdfunded by a vocal (and growing) faction of the ATX fan base.
The message: “AUSTIN DESERVES BETTER #WOLFFOUT”
Or, at least, that’s presumably what it was meant to say. Instead, rather hilariously, the banner read: “AUSTIN DESERVES BETTER #WOLFDUT”
This is why everybody needs a copy editor! But never mind the slight clerical error. Couple the aerial stunt with at least two sustained “Wolff! Out!” chants emanating from the supporters’ section during the second half of Saturday’s match, and it’s clear that the lupophobic faction of Austin FC supporters chose July 13 to clearly, loudly, and publicly plant their flag against head coach Josh Wolff.
And that was a mistake.
Look, fans have every right to voice their thoughts about a team they support and spend their hard-earned money on, so long as those thoughts are shared in an appropriate manner. Chanting? Fair game. Hiring sky advertising? Pricey, but also fair game if you’ve got the cash. The issue here isn’t in the actions. It’s in the timing, which was poorly thought through (if it was thought through at all).
First, quickly, the micro scale: On Saturday night, Austin FC was fresh off a win in its previous match against NYCFC, one which vaulted El Tree back into a playoff spot. Calling for the coach’s head immediately after a big win doesn’t make a whole lot of sense.
But, okay, maybe these flights require booking a few weeks in advance. In that case, let’s look at the macro scale, which suggests that mid-July might be the worst moment to make such a boldface statement.
With one-third of the 2024 season remaining, and Austin FC still solidly in contention for the playoffs, the club is set to officially welcome at least two of its three big summer additions – Osman Bukari and Mikkel Desler – to the squad for the upcoming match against Charlotte FC Saturday night (the third, Oleksandr Svatok, likely won’t be ready for action by then).
With so much imminent roster flux, the absolute last thing the club should consider is further upsetting the apple cart with a midseason coaching change.
That’s number one.
Number two: Sporting director Rodolfo Borrell remains hard at work rebuilding the roster further. It’s unclear if any more moves are in the cards for this summer, but what if Borrell is indeed in talks with a player? That player might rightfully get turned off at the sight of a club whose fan base is actively rebelling against its coach in the middle of a transfer cycle.
And finally, number three. What happens if Wolff does lead Austin FC, fueled by fresh top-end talent, on a late-season charge to and through the playoffs? This kind of thing happens regularly in the choppy waters of MLS, and seems to have largely been built into the club’s strategic approach to the 2024 season.
Fans might doubt the likelihood of that outcome, but if it does happen, we’ll all look back at photos of the infamous #WOLFDUT plane laughing at more than just a misspelled hashtag.
This article appears in July 19 • 2024.
