With a chance to officially punch its ticket to the Audi 2025 MLS Cup Playoffs, Austin FC fell 1-3 in an away matchup against Real Salt Lake on Saturday.
Coming into the game, Austin had won three of its last four games, all in dramatic, late-game fashion. However, the spark that the Verde and Black had in those games was simply missing against Real Salt Lake.
“We were too conservative and we were feeling comfortable,” head coach Nico Estévez said. “We want to be a team that is not conceding too much of those moments of the opponent. To be honest, with the ball, we were a poor team. We need to be brave in order to beat these teams. … We cannot only think about defending.”
Despite the loss, Austin FC is still in good standing to make the postseason in the Western Conference. Austin is in sixth, but tied on points with the Portland Timbers, who are in seventh with one more game played. The two teams are ahead of Colorado and San Jose, the current wildcard seeds, by at least four points.
Austin FC only needed one win to secure its spot in the playoffs for the second time in club history.
“We wanted to do it today in order to have something that is really important for us and for the club that we haven’t done in the past two years,” Estévez said. “We wanted to clinch it today, to give a good night to the fans and to the people that work really hard in the club.”
While the loss has stalled Austin’s progress to the playoffs, it may provide a substantial benefit on Wednesday. Gearing up for the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup final against Nashville SC, the first in club history, several consistent starters were not in the starting 11 against Salt Lake City.
Midfielder Owen Wolff was on the bench for the first time since July 12, starting in 10 consecutive games beforehand. In that same run of games, he played at least 70 minutes in all of them, including 104 in the Open Cup semifinal against Minnesota United.
“(Wolff’s) playing a lot of minutes this year,” Estévez said. “He usually is a player that repeats games. … He’s a young player, we have to take care of his load.”
Forwards Osman Bukari and Myrto Uzuni, along with midfielder Dani Pereira, were all substituted into the game with Wolff in the 62nd minute. These three players have started in at least two of the last three games in September.
The focus has now shifted to the Open Cup on Wednesday as the Verde and Black come back home for the ever-important game against the Boys in Gold, with kickoff set for 7 p.m. CT.
