Austin FC hopes to continue their stellar start at home against the Portland Timbers

AUSTIN, TX – MAY 18: Austin FC players Jader Obrian (11) and Diego Rubio (right) celebrate a goal during the game between Sporting Kansas City and Austin FC on May 18, 2024 at Q2 Stadium in Austin, TX. (Photo by John Rivera/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

AUSTIN (KXAN) – Austin FC is in the midst of another stretch of three games in eight days and the only home game is Wednesday against Portland, so coach Josh Wolff wants to make sure Q2 Stadium remains a “fortress.”

The Verde and Black have moved up to fifth in the Western Conference with 23 points, having lost just once in their last seven games. A win over the Timbers would push them up to second place, and with a trip to league leaders Salt Lake on the horizon, Wolff wants to make sure his club take home points. A big part of that is bouncing back from Saturday’s 1-1 draw against San Jose.

“We need the right level of freshness and intensity and mentality and using the spirit and support of our fans, which has been incredible,” Wolff said. “It was a good result against San Jose, no matter how it looked at times.”

Wolff said that despite the Timbers’ place in the standings, just outside the playoff line with 16 points so far, they present challenges on the attacking end with a range of scorers plus a physical style of defense under first-year manager Phil Neville . Portland is tied for third in all of Major League Soccer with 27 goals, but they have been prone to defensive mistakes with 30 goals allowed. The Timbers won 2-1 over Sporting Kansas City at home on Saturday with goals from Felipe Mora and Evander.

“They have speed and power and are extremely good in transition and set-up,” Wolff said of the Timbers. “They have some really high-level players in their attack and defensively they are physical and combative. I think there are some weaknesses that we have to try to explore and exploit.”

Wolff said he “hopes” everyone on the roster will be available for Wednesday’s game. He said Sebastian Driussi was in training on Tuesday and John Gallagher has been since Monday. With the thin roster, especially during crowded weeks with midweek games, recovery becomes essential to the team’s success.

“It’s something we have to be mindful of,” he said. “But right now we’ve got some guys who are in a pretty good space mentally and physically. Most of them have recovered well and we cannot have regressions.”

During his playing career from 1998-2012, Wolff said the recovery aspect was, “probably more talked about at the time than actually executed.” He said teams need to invest more in their players when it comes to rebounding, and Austin is at the forefront of doing so.

“You have to look after your assets, and that means a player-first environment and culture,” he said. “This is what we preach and we treat them extremely well. We are accountable with them when we have training and recovery is a big part of that.”

The start is scheduled for 19:30 from the stadium Q2. Austin is one of the league’s best home teams with five wins in eight tries, while Portland is one of the worst road teams with just one win in eight away games.