Life suddenly got very interesting for Austin FC on Friday.
Recording the club’s biggest win of the year and perhaps its biggest since beating Dallas in the 2022 Western Conference semifinals with a 3-2 win over Pumas UNAM in the League Cup opener at Q2 Stadium, the Verde & Black signaled a potential to run a race. in the competition.
But more important than the final result one of the best clubs in Liga MX was the way in which Austin FC accomplished it.
He played the final 55 minutes of the match as a man after midfielder Osman Bukari was sent off for a second yellow card and in the process, he scored twice, with substitute goalkeeper Stefan Cleveland also saving a penalty in stoppage time. end of the second half. .
The overall quality of the Verde & Black’s play never dipped in the competition – which never went away – and the club received phenomenal performances from numerous players.
Alex Ring, Gyasi Zardes and Sebastián Driussi scored for Austin FC, which matched its second-highest offensive output of the season.
Here are some thoughts from the match as Austin FC will look to clinch a place in the knockout round with a draw or win against FC Monterrey on Tuesday:
Man of the match: Alex Ring
From time to time, Ring will talk about why he spent 18 months in the prime of his career playing in the top division in Germany, and Saturday was one of those times.
His eighth-minute goal was perfect – a shot from more than 20 yards into the ground that slid just inside the far post – and his assist on a cross for Sebastián Driussi for the team’s third goal early in the half the second was the same. good. He was also tight in defense as the club played with 10 men.
Another interesting note is that Ring wore the captain’s armband in the game even with Driuss on the field.
Whether he continues to do so for the rest of the season will be something to watch, but if he returns to being the captain he was in his first two seasons at the club, it shouldn’t be a huge adjustment for anyone with the skills his leadership.
Pereira makes the case for a big contract
As he has been in every game since returning from the Copa America, midfielder Dani Pereira was outstanding.
Although Zardes had a nice finish for the second goal, Pereira did it by making a steal and setting it up with a header.
If Pereira continues this high level of play, it will mean good things for the club for the rest of the season, but it could also mean his days at City may be numbered.
Austin FC has control of Pereira for one more year with a club option on his contract, which he will undoubtedly exercise in the off-season. But if a team from Europe or South America can convince the Verde & Black to sell him with a big offer over the winter, it will be intriguing.
Regardless, whether it’s this winter or next, Pereira will receive a significant contract from someone.
Austin FC players motivated
Both Jon Gallagher and Matt Hedges said after the game that the team was energized to face a new opponent.
Each player noted that a match against another MLS team would have felt like just another league game, so they appreciated the chance to play a club from another country with players they hadn’t competed against before.
This attitude showed throughout the team with Austin FC being lean and playing sound, smart football.
Cleveland opens
It was the first time Cleveland, who signed with the club in the offseason as a free agent after spending four years in Seattle, took the field for Austin FC.
His save on Guillermo Martinez’s penalty attempt was excellent goalkeeping in which he thought correctly to the right and stopped a shot that was low and relatively close to the post.
Forward Brad Stuver got a night off for the first time in more than 27 months, and while he is in no danger of losing his spot as the team’s regular goalkeeper, fans should feel good knowing the club has a capable backup.
(In other goaltending notes, this was Cleveland’s first appearance since July 12, 2023 and the first time since May 14, 2022 that someone other than Stuver has played goalie for Austin FC. Andrew Tarbell suited up on that date against Real Salt Lake while Stuver recovered from an injury.)
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The impression of a team winning a game in which they played most of the match with one man and without one of their best players in Bukari cannot be overstated.
And the fact that it came against one of the biggest clubs in Mexico adds to the greatness.
It’s just a result, which is something you don’t get much of in football, and Austin FC are still not guaranteed a spot in the competition’s first knockout round, but it has the potential to give them a what momentum goes into the last three months of the season.
If the Verde & Black can come close to doubling that performance on Tuesday against Monterrey or simply record a draw that ensures progress in the competition, it will be a huge boost for the club.
This article originally appeared in the Austin American-Statesman: Austin FC defeats UNAM Pumas in League Cup opener
