AUSTIN, Texas β Austin FC kicks off its eleventh match of the 2021 Major League Soccer (MLS) season on Sunday, June 27, against Columbus Crew SC.
Final: Austin FC 0, Columbus Crew 0
Austin FC entered the match on a seven-game winless streak. Make that eight matches now. Austin FC could not find the back of the net for the first time at home with another home scoreless draw.
Despite the scoreless result, drama was plentiful. Austin FC registered a season-high 17 shots with five of those on goal, and the Crew combated that effort with 15 total shots and six on goal.
Austin FC has struggled to score goals for more than a month-and-a-half now, only scoring once in the last eight matches. The match will mark Austin FC's fourth shutout of the season.
βItβs a solid performance; I think it was pretty good execution with the things we talked about. We had some flexibility in our offensive structure," Austin FC head coach Josh Wolff said. "We needed to get a little more pressure on them as they started to get a foothold on the game at times. We also changed our defensive structure, but overall Iβm never going to fault the effort. Our guys kill themselves, they bust their asses, and they work tirelessly. It was nice to be home. The fans pushed us. Itβs an unbelievable atmosphere, it really is.β
PHOTOS: Austin FC vs. Columbus Crew
Wolff said this match was two points dropped as opposed to one point earned. Wolff said it's not acceptable to have shutouts week-to-week and not get wins.
Alex Ring, the team's captain, said the team played well, but the end product was not where it needs to be. Ring said how the club works on decision-making in the final third is going to be a key component to the success for the rest of the season.
βAlex is a warrior, heβs an absolute beast, and I said last week when he went out before the game, and then [Nick Lima], another one of our quiet leaders, went out it affects the team," Wolff said on having Ring out on the field and his impact on the midfield. "It unsettled them clearly and it affected our ability to play the way we typically do. He helps drive guys, and he helps with TomΓ‘s [Pochettino] and Diego [Fagundez]. Again, Diego has been such a strong player for us, so consistent, but when you have those guys in the middle of the field working together it becomes infectious around the field β¦ Heβs a great leader for us and we have a number of quiet leaders so heβs been solid and heβs been strong.β
Next up, Austin FC will host the Portland Timbers on Thursday, July 1.
STATS
- Possession: Austin FC 57%, Columbus 43%
- Shots (on goal): Austin FC 17(5), Columbus 15(6)
- Fouls: Austin FC 13, Columbus 7
- Yellow Cards: Austin FC 1, Columbus 1
- Red Cards: Austin FC 0, Columbus 0
- Offsides: Austin FC 0, Columbus 2
- Corner kicks: Austin FC 6, Columbus 6
- Saves: Austin FC 6, Columbus 5
Second half
Austin FC 0, Columbus Crew 0
90' + 6: Match ends. Austin FC and Columbus draw.
90': + 4: Austin FC yellow card: Diego Fagundez is shown a yellow card for a bad foul.
90' + 4: Austin FC corner: Cleared by Columbus.
90' + 3: Austin FC corner: Cleared by Columbus.
90' + 2: Austin FC sub: Manny Perez replaces Tomas Pochettino.
86': Harrison Afful (Columbus Crew) left-footed shot from outside the box is high and wide to the left following a corner.
85': Columbus corner: Cleared by Austin FC.
83': Columbus sub: Alexandru Matan replaces Pedro Santos.
81': Tomas Pochettino right-footed shot is blocked.
79': Austin FC corner: Cleared by Columbus.
74': Gyasi Zardes (Columbus Crew) left-footed shot from the center of the box is saved in the center of the goal.
74': Austin FC sub: Daniel Pereira replaces Jon Gallagher.
72': Lucas ZelarayΓ‘n (Columbus Crew) right-footed shot from outside the box is saved in the center of the goal.
71': Diego Fagundez (Austin FC) right-footed shot from outside the box is saved in the bottom right corner.
70': Columbus sub: Aboubacar Keita replaces Vito Wormgoor because of an injury.
63': Diego Fagundez (Austin FC) header from very close range is high and wide to the right.
61': Cecilio DomΓnguez (Austin FC) right-footed shot from the center of the box misses to the left.
60': Austin FC sub: Kekuta Manneh replaces Jared Stroud.
57': Lucas ZelarayΓ‘n (Columbus Crew) right-footed shot from outside the box is saved in the bottom right corner.
55': Columbus sub: Derrick Etienne replaces Kevin Molino.
55': Gyasi Zardes (Columbus Crew) right-footed shot from the right side of the box misses to the left.
50': Austin FC corner; Cleared by Columbus.
47': Columbus corner: Cleared by Austin FC.
47': Lucas ZelarayΓ‘n (Columbus Crew) right-footed shot from outside the box is saved in the top left corner.
45': Columbus sub: Marlon Hairston replaces Liam Fraser. Waylon Francis replaces Milton Valenzuela.
45': Second half kicked off.
Halftime: Austin FC 0, Columbus Crew 0
All the hype of this Austin FC versus Columbus Crew match is well worth it. It has been exciting and nail-biting on both ends of the pitch. The match started out with a good goal-scoring opportunity for Diego Fagundez 20 seconds after the first kick. Fagundez hit a first touch shot with no defenders on him in the box, but the shot sailed wide.
Jared Stroud and Tomas Pochettino both had solid looks at the goal as well, but their shots were both saved.
For Columbus, Gyasi Zardes has been dangerous in the final third, registering a number of shots in the first half.
STATS
- Possession: Austin FC 59%, Columbus 41%
- Shots (on goal): Austin FC 12(4), Columbus 7(1)
- Yellow Cards: Austin FC 0, Columbus 1
- Red Cards: Austin FC 0, Columbus 0
- Offsides: Austin FC 0, Columbus 2
- Corner kicks: Austin FC 1, Columbus 3
- Saves: Austin FC 1, Columbus 4
First half
Austin FC 0, Columbus Crew 0
45' + 5: First half ends.
45'+ 4: Julio Cascante (Austin FC) header from the center of the box is too high.
45' + 3: Austin FC corner: Cleared by Columbus.
45' + 3: TomΓ‘s Pochettino (Austin FC) right-footed shot from outside the box is saved in the bottom left corner.
45' + 2: Jared Stroud (Austin FC) right-footed shot from the right side of the box misses to the left.
45': Jon Gallagher (Austin FC) header from the center of the box is high and wide to the left.
41': HΓ©ctor JimΓ©nez (Austin FC) right-footed shot from outside the box is saved in the center of the goal.
37': Columbus corner: Cleared by Austin FC.
37': Lucas ZelarayΓ‘n (Columbus Crew) right-footed shot from outside the box is blocked.
34': Columbus yellow card: Harrison Afful is shown a yellow card for a bad foul.
32': Jared Stroud (Austin FC) right-footed shot from the right side of the box misses to the left.
29': Gyasi Zardes (Columbus Crew) header from the center of the box misses to the right.
19': Jared Stroud (Austin FC) right-footed shot from the right side of the box is saved in the center of the goal.
17': Pedro Santos (Columbus Crew) left-footed shot from outside the box is high and wide to the left.
17': Jon Gallagher (Austin FC) right-footed shot from the left side of the box is blocked.
15': Lucas ZelarayΓ‘n (Columbus Crew) left footed shot from outside the box is blocked.
14': Gyasi Zardes (Columbus Crew) left-footed shot from the right side of the box is saved in the bottom right corner.
14': Pedro Santos (Columbus Crew) left-footed shot from outside the box is blocked.
13': Columbus corner: Cleared by Austin FC.
9': HΓ©ctor JimΓ©nez (Austin FC) right-footed shot from outside the box misses to the left.
9': Jared Stroud (Austin FC) right-footed shot from outside the box is blocked.
8': Gyasi Zardes (Columbus Crew) header from the center of the box is high and wide to the left.
8': Columbus corner: Cleared by Austin FC.
2': Cecilio DomΓnguez (Austin FC) right-footed shot from outside the box is saved in the bottom right corner.
1': Diego Fagundez (Austin FC) right-footed shot from the center of the box misses to the left.
1': Game is kicked off.
Pregame
At the conclusion of the National Anthem, the supporters section held up individual pieces of colors that collectively displayed an "ATX Pride" flag, donning all the colors of the rainbow.
Austin FC announces its starting XI:
Columbus Crew announces its starting XI:
How to watch
- FS1
- Fox Deportes (Spanish)
- AustinFC.com and the Austin FC & Q2 Stadium app (click here for availability)
- iOS: http://austinisverde.co/ios.
- Android: http://austinisverde.co/android.
- Note: iOS devices can cast the livestream to Apple TV, and Android to Chromecast.
How to listen
- ALT 97.5 FM (radio)
- Spanish: TUDN Radio Austin (104.3-HD2, KLQB)
Where to watch: Austin FC Pub Club
Preview
Austin FC returns home for its second match at Q2 Stadium in the club's inaugural Major League Soccer (MLS) season. This time, the Verde take on Columbus Crew SC, the club formerly-owned by Austin FC owner Anthony Precourt.
Austin FC enters the match on a seven-game winless streak, nine points (11th in Western Conference) in the MLS standings with a 2-5-3 record (win-loss-draw) and have only scored one goal in the past six matches. Columbus Crew SC are the defending MLS Cup champions and hold 14 points in the MLS standings with a 4-3-2 record (win-loss-draw), sixth-best in the Eastern Conference.
Rivalry talks have been the topic of conversation leading into the match. There are many ties between the two clubs, not just in ownership, but within the coaching staff and players, too. Austin FC head coach Josh Wolff was an assistant coach for the Crew under current USMNT head coach Gregg Berhalter, and Berhalter's son, Sebastian Berhalter, played for the Crew before rooting himself on the Austin roster. Brad Stuver, Hector Jimenez, Ben Sweat, Kekuta Manneh, Andrew Tarbell and Aaron Schoenfeld all played for the Crew under Wolff's tenure as an assistant coach there, as well.
KVUE spoke with Sebastian Berhalter on the VerdeVUE Pod earlier this month, where he said he foresaw the matchup turning into a contested rivalry. KVUE also spoke with Jon Gallagher this week prior to the match with the Crew, where he said it seemed the rivalry was "one-sided."
To note: someone paid for a plane to fly over Q2 Stadium on Austin FC's home opener versus the San Jose Earthquakes with the message saying "Precourt is a snake."
Austin FC has a multitude of injuries leading into this match, so the starting XI may look very different than it did last weekend against San Jose. Alex Ring was a late scratch in Wednesday's match versus Minnesota United FC. Nick Lima went down with a hamstring injury minutes into that Minnesota match, too.
Austin FC's "Mascot of the Match" is Legacy. APA! describes Legacy as a happy, good boy who will always be by your side. According to his profile on APA!βs website, he βhas a very wobbly bubbly energy and will waggle his tail every time he sees you!β You can learn more about Legacy here.
For the latest Austin FC news, visit kvue.com/austinfc. And to get the latest Austin FC news straight to your phone, text "SOCCER" to 512-459-9442.
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