Level on points on Saturday, San Jose and Austin FC faced off in a matchup of the MLS Western Conference’s eighth and ninth seeds, the lowest playoff-qualifying seeds.
Backed by midfielder Nicolás Dubersarsky’s first start since May 31 and forward Osman Bukari’s attacking presence, the Verde and Black beat the Earthquakes 3-1.
“(The win was) really important because we were tied in the table,” head coach Nico Estévez said. “With this win, (we also) have two games in hand against them. It puts us in a really good position.”
Estévez opted for a 4-3-3 formation with Dubersarsky back in the starting lineup and primarily played as a defensive midfielder, allowing his other two midfielders to transition the ball faster to forwards such as Bukari for counterattacking opportunities.
This is exactly what happened in the 12th minute.
After Dubersarsky won a ball in the middle of the pitch, midfielder Owen Wolff recovered it and carried it before playing a through ball to Bukari. The forward rifled the ball across the goal to give Austin an early lead.
“Overall, I think (Dubersarsky) had a really good game,” Estévez said. “He won some important tackles today that (allowed) us to transition and to be dangerous on the counterattack and with the ball.”
The Verde and Black’s early goal was not Bukari’s only contribution to the game. In the 33rd minute, he crossed the ball into the box, and after taking a slight deflection, it landed in forward Myrto Uzuni’s path for an easy goal.
Bukari sealed a Man of the Match performance in the 77th minute after sending another ball into the box resulted in an own goal.
While Estévez’s 4-3-3 formation provided the team opportunities to flourish in transitional and attacking play, he also credited his team’s mentality to stay focused in the game despite San Jose scoring a goal at the start of the second half.
“We talked about if we concede a goal, we cannot get crazy, we cannot panic,” Estévez said. “We cannot get like we did against Houston, just chasing the game, trying to score the third and forgetting about defending and being compact. And in this game, I think we did a good job on maturity in the game and controlling that situation.”
It was the first league matchup for the two teams this season, with the next falling on the last day of the MLS regular season. Previously, Austin FC had only defeated San Jose this season in a U.S. Open Cup quarterfinal, separate from the MLS.
“Hopefully, we can sort out (the playoff race) before that game,” goalkeeper Brad Stuver said. “We know that those games can get a little bit chaotic, and we have six games to go before that. So hopefully, we can get our minds right, get our bodies right and have everything simplified by the time we get there.”
After a Colorado Rapids loss at Sporting Goods Park, Austin FC managed to climb up another place in the standings, now sitting seventh in the conference and in an automatic bid to the playoffs.
The Verde and Black return to the field on Sept. 7 to take on Sporting Kansas City away from home.
