Winning Is Possible? Takeaways From Austin FC @ Colorado Rapids
The winless streak is over. Austin FC finally won an MLS game for the first time since mid-April, but calling that result lucky would be an understatement. At last, the Verde and Black won, but both goals were somewhat fortunate, and Colorado’s xG suggests they should have scored three. There are some pretty mixed feelings from Austin fans. Read here:
Takeaway #1: The Positives
There are maybe 3 or 4 positives to take away from this match. Mikkel Desler was on fire, even without the goal, he was one of if not our best players on the field. The way he won balls deep into our own half and extinguished quite a few Colorado attacks was brilliant, and it’s great to have him back. Stuver was also great, and the other reason why we didn’t concede. Austin finally had some luck going their way last night, as Colorado squandered countless point-blank opportunities, something that has hardly happened so far this season. A lot to build on from this game, as it certainly wasn’t thoroughly deserved, but 3 points is 3 points.
Takeaway #2: The Negatives
I don’t want to spend much time on the negatives this week as I’ve had plenty of time to do that after the last 8 games, but the rest of the match was not so great from an Austin POV, as Colorado probably deserved at least a draw with the amount of point-blank chances they had and chaos they produced in the Austin area. Vazquez also squandered about three huge chances as he continued his frustrating start to his Austin FC career. Aside from that, though, this result was exactly what the doctor ordered; a scrappy result that will hopefully inspire a run of form that will push us back over the playoff line, and maybe even further in the US Open Cup.
Colorado Rapids Takeaways:
Colorado is so damn inconsistent. One moment we're beating and contending with teams at the top, and the next, we're getting smacked around by clubs we really should be competing with. The loss can't even be blamed on anyone but ourselves. We had chance after chance to win and still couldn't so much as find the back of the net. The biggest problem this year for Colorado has been consistently scoring. Now, without some of our best players, it has become increasingly more difficult for us to find the back of the net.
Austin FC Fan Takeaways:
“Our highest scoring league match and it was by a fluke deflection and an own goal. Nico needs to be on the next Greyhound headed out of town. Precourt needs to divorce Berhalter and his coaching tree.” - Martin S.
“Buka on the right continues to generate chances. Vazquez keeps getting into 1v1s but can’t finish, which is getting a little worrying. I love Gallagher, but I forgot how good Desler is. Obviously he scored today, but outside of that, he is ridiculously consistent on defense and combines great with Bukari. Also, I’m very happy that Stuver has finally been given the armband, it’s about time.” - Ethan T.
“All around great win. Bukari is a baller, and Gallagher on the wing is a nice shakeup, my only concern is we allowed too many chances off of set pieces. We had some outstanding chances ourselves and many one-on-ones we just had to finish. Now for the elephant in the room, with our second win without Uzuni, and our only two multi-goal league matches occurring with him out of the squad, does he fit in our lineup anymore?” - Alex K.
“Definitely a good game tonight. Passing was there, shots on frame, and great play from Desler. We had good build-up all over the field. The only bad part was that all this connection and offensive efficiency was without our most expensive DP” - Cameron L.
“Overall, great display of what we can be as a team. There were still some chances we should have converted, but we should just be happy to take our first 3 points since April.” - Maximus R.
“No offense, but our defense has more goals than our forwards. WTF are we doing?” - Jonathan T.
What Lies Ahead?
Austin FC returns home this Saturday to face Western Conference foes, New York Red Bulls. This matchup has only happened twice in competitive meetings, resulting in no wins for Austin FC. Myrto Uzuni will be available for selection after returning from international duty, but with last night’s win, many fans want to see him benched in favor of Jon Gallagher or Robert Taylor.
A big thanks to Rapids Network for writing the Colorado Rapids portion of these takeaways. Check them out here: https://www.instagram.com/rapidsnetwork
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