SAN JOSE, CA – MAY 25: Austin FC head coach Josh Wolff watches play on the field during a game between Austin FC and the San Jose Earthquakes at PayPal Park on May 25, 2024 in San Jose, California. (Photo by Bob Drebin/ISI Photos/Getty Images).
AUSTIN (KXAN) – LAFC forward Denis Bouanga made a turnaround look easy in celebration after scoring a stunning goal against Orlando City to seal his club’s sixth straight win on June 15. When he comes to Q2 Stadium on Wednesday, Austin FC hopes his creativity takes a turn.
“He’s a guy who came here last year and got into our field,” midfielder Ethan Finlay said. Bouanga, the league’s leading striker this season with 89 goals, scored twice against Verde and Black on October 7 the last time he came to town. Finlay said it will take a collective effort to slow him down. Bouanga is third in Major League Soccer with 12 goals, tied with international superstar and Inter Miami striker Lionel Messi.
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“He wrapped up the Golden Boot with that performance, but for me, it’s a big challenge,” Finlay said. “You’re going to have to go down and double a guy like that, but we’re going to have to be good all over the field.”
LAFC is one point out of first place in the Western Conference, while Austin sits in eighth position in the playoff race, and now the teams are headed in different directions. LAFC is the hottest team in the league with their winning streak and Austin has lost their last two games by a combined score of 7-1. After a 2-0 road loss to Colorado, coach Josh Wolff had some tough conversations with the players about seizing an opportunity in front of them.
“I was pretty honest with some of our players,” he said. “There’s no way we can compete like we did or stay in advanced positions like we did against Colorado and let them have a numbers situation that causes problems in the midfield and back line. We have built our clubs on the roots, the foundation of hard work, collectivity and the ability to grind and compete. We lost him with some players in the first half and certainly in the second half.”
Those “looking in the mirror” moments, as Finlay put it, are annoying, but also necessary.
“The last two shows weren’t up to the standard we’ve established in Austin,” Finlay said. “It resonated with a lot of guys, and I think guys take personal responsibility in different ways.”
Finlay is getting back into action after recovering from a hamstring injury which he said was “a bit slower than I would have hoped”. He said it was the first muscle tissue injury he had in his 13-year career, but now he feels strong and ready. That’s a good thing because Austin is in the midst of another three-game-in-a-week stretch and they’re shorthanded with a thin roster plus international duty.
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Fortunately for Austin, they face LAFC at home – and they’ve been much better there. Verde is 5-2-2 at Q2 Stadium and that is not lost on Wolff. He knows that when the home fans get into a fever pitch, his boys respond accordingly.
“We have an amazing fan base and the energy will be there,” he said. “The game will be played, like most games in this league, with a small margin.”
Wednesday’s game kicks off at 7:30 p.m. and is free to watch on AppleTV’s MLS Season Pass.
