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Sometimes the MLS referee gives and sometimes the MLS referee takes away.
While Austin FC has had its share of controversial calls against him in his four seasons, he was the beneficiary of one Saturday against Minnesota United FC.
The Verde & Black took full advantage of a first-half red card for Hassani Dotson and, thanks to Diego Rubio’s goal moments later, earned a 1-0 win over the 10-man Loons at Allianz Field in Saint Paul.
Here are some thoughts from the game as Austin FC (7-7-6, 27 points) gets some much-needed rest before playing Kansas City on Saturday:
The result of the herd
It must be said right away that this was Austin FC’s best result of the season. (Please note the important difference between “result” and “performance”.)
Playing without star midfielder Sebastián Driussi due to illness and with just 14 first-team players on the pitch, the Verde & Black came away with three points on the road against a team that entered the race fourth in the Western Conference.
More: Two newcomers join Brad Stuver as Austin FC’s ‘A’ players in our mid-season classes
It was also the club’s third game in eight days, with several players logging the full 90 minutes for the second game in a row and Austin FC II captain Alonso Ramérez – who was on an emergency short-term contract for the competition – played more than 20 minutes . .
Two weeks from now, no one will remember the odd job of referee Drew Fischer or the fact that Austin FC struggled for a long time in the second half despite having a man advantage.
The importance of this result cannot be overstated.
Taking advantage of the situation
Fischer’s wild inconsistencies with the whistle and meaningless yellow cards were a sideshow to the actual game and emblematic of the problems MLS has with poor refereeing.
The second yellow card he gave Dotson within a span of 60 seconds in the 26th minute was highly questionable and while there’s no doubt the call had an impact on the game, Austin FC doesn’t control the referee and just played it with hand. was treated.
Rubio scored six minutes later and the Verde & Black deserve credit for what teams have to do in that situation.
Player of the match: Gyasi Zardes
Forced into the starting lineup with Driuss out, Zardes did all the little things right while making a big impact and playing the complete game.
He may have slightly embellished Dotson’s foul contact that led to the second yellow card. This is debatable as Zardes is not a diver, but if there was a bit of exaggeration here, it was excellent. His challenge on Clint Irwin on a cross into the box forced the Minnesota goalie to punch the ball instead of catching it, which led to Rubio’s goal.
Zardes was also excellent in defensive rebounding and made some key clearances in the second half. In a game where Austin FC needed a gritty performance, Zardes delivered one.
Impressive defense
Guilherme Biro, Leo Väisänen, Brendan Hines-Ike and Jon Gallagher all played 90 minutes in the back line for the second time in four days.
Goalie Brad Stuver only faced one shot, and while some of that was due to subpar shooting by the Loons, little more could have been asked of Austin FC’s defense. Aside from a few games, the defense of the Verde & Black has been excellent and is the main reason the club is staying in the playoff race.
end
After losing 2-0 in Colorado on June 15, Austin FC appeared to be staring at a five-game losing streak with one home game. against league power LAFC and a road game against a strong Minnesota club in the next seven days.
Instead, the Verde & Black drew LAFC — which is that club’s only winless run in their last eight games — and beat the Loons. Instead of trending downward, the club is at least treading water in the Western Conference standings. And it’s doing so with a skeleton list.
Austin FC have four games until new signings Osman Bukari and Mikkel Desler can play for the side on July 20, and possibly return Dani Pereira and Julio Cascante for their final two.
With 14 games to go in the regular season, barring any serious injuries, it appears the worst of the Verde & Black’s limited roster woes are in the rearview mirror.
This article originally appeared in the Austin American-Statesman: Absent Sebastián Driussi, Austin FC still scores on the road in Minnesota
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