When the final whistle sounded, Austin FC fans were already leaving Q2 Stadium on Saturday. With most of the fans gone, all that was left was disappointment from a 1-3 defeat against St. Louis City SC.

It was the third straight loss for the Verde and Black, all within eight days. Austin FC failed to win at Real Salt Lake two Saturdays ago and lost the U.S. Open Cup final to Nashville SC on Wednesday.

A win against either Salt Lake or St. Louis would have clinched the playoffs, but the wait for Austin’s second-ever playoff berth in its five-year history continues.

“It’s a horrible week for us. It’s terrible,” head coach Nico Estévez said. “Playing two competitions, it’s really difficult. I don’t think we were ready. We did a good job in the summer and put a lot of points on the table, and we just can make the playoff by winning or making points.”

The fatigue from the midweek final was on display, even around the half-hour mark. After winning a corner in the 36th minute, midfielder Owen Wolff — who logged 90 minutes against Nashville — took his time to retrieve the ball to take the set piece.

The Verde and Black faithful in the very same corner rallied behind the homegrown talent, cheering him on as he stepped up to cross the ball. The fans watched the curling ball find the head of defender Oleksandr Svatok, redirecting the ball into the back of the net for an equalizing goal. The goal was Svatok’s first for Austin FC and Wolff’s eighth assist of the season.

The tie was short-lived, though, as Austin FC conceded nine minutes later at the end of the first half and again in stoppage time of the second half, producing the 1-3 scoreline.

“We had good control in the first half, defensively and everything, but we (were) just lacking a little bit on having that composure, that calm,” Estévez said. “Probably, we had a lot of pressure today, because the guys wanted to win, and the guys wanted to clinch. You could see some of rushing balls, loose passes, missed controls. Also with the fatigue, mentally and physically from the game on Wednesday.”

While Estévez’s team did not clinch the playoffs, they still have a chance to have an official playoff berth before they even return to the field.

Since the Colorado Rapids also lost Saturday night, if the Vancouver Whitecaps defeat the San Jose Earthquakes in a Sunday game, Austin FC will claim a spot in the playoffs.

Regardless of the Vancouver and San Jose results, Austin will have to return to the field on Sunday at Q2 Stadium against Los Angeles FC before traveling to San Jose the following week.

“It’s our last game in the regular season at home and we want to give the fans a win and also celebrate the clinch of the playoff,” Estévez said. “We’ve already shown that we can beat LAFC this year, and then we just have to prepare really well this game, in order that we can be here with our fans and have a night that we all remember.”