As the Verde and Black prepare for their first-round matchup in the MLS Cup Playoffs, the three-game series is a chance at redemption.

Starting the series against LAFC on Oct. 29, it will be just one day before the three-year mark of when Austin FC faced Los Angeles in the 2022 Western Conference finals — where Austin FC lost 0-3.

Despite the many roster changes and Nico Estévez being a first-year head coach, the club will be looking to right the wrongs of the past in its second playoff appearance in a five-year history.

Here are some of the key factors for Austin FC heading into the series:

Adapt to Son Heung-Min

Austin FC has already beaten LAFC this year, although they have not faced one of the team’s best players, forward Son Heung-Min. Since transferring from Tottenham Hotspur in August, Son has scored nine goals and three assists across his 10 appearances.

Fellow forward Denis Bouanga, typically playing to the left of Son, produced the second-best goal tally with 24, only behind Inter Miami’s Lionel Messi.

“It’s a collective effort (to stop Son and Bouanga),” Estévez said. “We feel confident about our talent, our roster and our players, but also a collective game plan that will allow us to do well. We know every time you play against quality players, that they can bring something out of nothing.”

With Brad Stuver producing the second-best amount of saves in the league, he will rely on central defender Brendan Hines-Ike and right-backs Mikkel Desler and Jon Gallagher to stop LAFC’s star duo.

Finding consistency

One of Austin FC’s main struggles during the final stretch of the season was its consistency. The Verde and Black won three of its first four games in September before dropping three straight.

“One thing for me that is really important and we got that throughout the months of June, July, August and half of September is the consistency of performing from the team,” Estévez said. “Before the game against Minnesota in the (U.S.) Open Cup until this last game against San Jose, we haven’t been as consistent as we were in the summer.”

If Austin is to advance past the first round, it will need to play well, hopefully taking the series in two games. If Austin drops one of the first two games and the series goes to a game three, questions will be asked on if it can regain their form.

Estévez’s mindset

Though they lost in the U.S. Open Cup final earlier this month, the Verde and Black’s run in the tournament showed just how hard the team is to beat in a knockout format. A possible reason for this is Estévez’s mindset before such games.

“I said in every competition that we’ve played this year, in order to be champions, you have to put yourself in a position to win,” Estévez said. “In the Open Cup, dancing every round, it put us closer in a position to be one of the candidates to win the Open Cup. Making the playoffs put us in a position to be one of the 18 teams with the opportunity to win it.”

If Austin FC can follow Estévez’s lead and take advantage of the small moments, the team will be primed for a potential playoff run.