The Verde Report: Relax, Austin FC’s First Month Isn’t as Bad as It Looks

Austin FC captain Sebastián Driussi played his first minutes of the 2024 regular season against the Philadelphia Union last Saturday -Courtesy of Austin FC

From a strictly numerical, results-oriented standpoint, Austin FC is off to the worst four-game start in franchise history. Zero wins, one loss, and three draws trails even the club’s 2021 expansion season, in which two of its eventual nine wins came in during the first month. So why am I left feeling better about the club’s playoff prospects now than I did coming into this season? Well, for some pretty good reasons, actually.

To be clear, there is absolutely no positive spin to be gleaned from the Verde and Black’s dreary, disappointing 2-1 loss to Minnesota United at home to open the year. That poor performance earned a deserved loss against a team coming off almost as bad of a season as Austin’s. (That said, in this week’s installment of MLS Is Really Weird, Minnesota currently leads the Western Conference with 10 points through four games.)

But since then, Austin has faced off against three of the toughest opponents the league can throw its way, and held its own rather admirably. A trio of draws against the likes of the Seattle Sounders, St. Louis City, and the Philadelphia Union has me feeling bullish that wins will start to head El Tree’s way as the club looks to make a return to postseason play in the fall.

Over the weekend, ATXFC shook off another lousy first half – something that’s become a bit of a nasty habit through the early season – against Philadelphia and eventually responded with its best display of attacking soccer thus far in 2024. Austin reversed a 1-0 halftime deficit into a 2-1 second-half lead thanks to well-worked goals from Diego Rubio and Jon Gallagher, and should have closed out its first win of the season against a club that’s made the MLS Cup Playoffs each of the past six years.

Instead, some lax defending and a rare mistake by goalkeeper Brad Stuver (who has otherwise been tremendous this season and leads MLS in saves with 21) allowed the Union to escape with a draw. But those paying attention could clearly see improvements Austin has made since the season opener. Perhaps more importantly, the players can see it too.

“We’ve played three or four of the best teams in the league right now,” Gallagher said after the Philly draw. “We’re putting in performances against really good teams and really good opposition. It’s not like we’re behind the curve. We’re right there.

“We see the progress. We see what we’ve been working on. We see that it’s right there for us to take. We just have to go and take it,” Gallagher added.

Saturday’s match also provided the massive boost Austin FC had been desperately awaiting since the regular season began: the return of Sebastián Driussi. The ATX captain made his 2024 debut in the 71st minute and looked fully engaged – if a little rusty with his finishing – coming off of a hamstring injury. His importance to the club has been well documented over three seasons, and his return could be the change Austin needs to turn some of those draws into wins.

The next four matches will reveal exactly where Austin is, relative to its rivals. Road matches against Orlando and St. Louis bookend a pair of home contests against Dallas and San Jose. There’s points to be earned over that stretch. At least two wins should be more than manageable, but, of course, attempting to predict Major League Soccer is usually an exercise in futility.

Austin FC faces Orlando City on Saturday, March 23, at Orlando’s Inter&Co Stadium, broadcast on Apple TV.