As the final whistle blew on Saturday, and Austin FC fell to Real Salt Lake, the team’s focus on the MLS shifted to the U.S. Open Cup.
This was a familiar feeling for Austin. Losing to Dallas on Sept. 13, the Verde and Black traveled four days later for a semifinal matchup against Minnesota United.
This time around, though, the focus is on a final.
And while all finals are special, this one is the first-ever in club history for Austin FC and will be at home on Wednesday at Q2 Stadium. However, Nashville SC, its opponent, gets to play for the same stakes.
“Always, the first is memorable. To have the opportunity to host this final and have the opportunity to bring the first trophy to the club, it means a lot (to) everyone around the team,” head coach Nico Estévez said. “It will be something great that we can achieve and something that we are going to work really hard to give to everyone.”
Nashville SC and Austin FC have yet to clash this season, with their only matchup being a February pre-season friendly. While Nashville has 53 points in the MLS, nine more than Austin, both teams are sixth in their respective conferences.
Nashville forward Sam Surridge is third in the league for goals with 22 and will be attempting to score on the Austin defense that has only allowed 40 goals in the league.
“You can see (the players) feeling focused and responsible of this moment in the club’s history. We try to focus on what we can control,” Estévez said. “What we can control is to prepare the game well, have a plan and do the little things that put us in this final that we did before in other games.”
As the cup final excitement runs around Austin, it’s easy to forget that the team’s tournament hopes were almost over within the first 90 minutes of the competition.
Hosting the El Paso Locomotive in the round of 32, a team in the nation’s second division, Austin FC were the favorites coming into the game.
But Q2 Stadium was silenced.
Down 0-2 at halftime, it was not until the 73rd minute that the game would be turned on its head with goals from forward Brandon Vázquez and midfielder Myrto Uzuni to secure a 3-2 win.
“Sometimes these Open Cup games can become somewhat of a trap game. You go into these games, and you might be the favorites, or you might think that you’re the better team,” goalkeeper Brad Stuver said in an Austin FC short film released before the semifinal. “But these competitions, you never know what to expect from the opponent.”
After overcoming the deficit, the road to the final did not get any easier.
The Verde and Black beat Lone Star State rival Houston Dynamo in the following round before facing two away games in the quarter and semifinals. Austin had to overcome San José through a penalty shootout but lost Vázquez to a season-ending injury in the process before defeating Minnesota with a last-minute extra-time goal.
Finally returning home for the final, captain Ilie Sánchez, although new to Austin, knows what this final game could mean for the city and the team.
“I have the best teachers showing me and making me understand what this club means for the city,” Sánchez said. “Very excited about representing this team, this organization, this city on Wednesday night.”
