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It took Austin FC years of planning and 18,600 frequent flyer miles to start a club and complete an eight-game road trip to kick off the 2021 Major League Soccer season and bring Major League sport to Austin.
The wait and travel ends on Saturday when El Tree hosts the San Jose Earthquakes at 8 p.m. at the home opener at Q2 Stadium. The venue made its debut on Wednesday night with a sold-out crowd watching the US women’s national team beat Nigeria 2-0.
The players are ready. Fans of fan groups like Austin Anthem and Los Verdes have been loyal to Austin FC across the country, including more than 200 attending games in Colorado and Nashville. Their presence was palpable and the anticipation grew as the Verde and Black played in front of 20,500 fans singing “Dale, Dale, Dale, ATX”.
“Every time we’ve been out, hundreds of Austin FC fans have come to support us and we have felt it,” said Matt Besler, Austin FC center-back, on Thursday. “We appreciate this love and can’t wait to return this love in front of everyone else on Saturday. We look forward to it and thank you. ”
Austin FC spent pre-season and the first few weeks of the road trip downplaying the effects of so much travel. After all, these are professional athletes at the peak of their strength. Guys who run 6 miles each game can certainly do eight round-trip flights over nine weekends, right? Well, something like that.
Austin FC started the season with two wins in their first three games and was 10 minutes to go in their fourth game. The wear and tear began to materialize on the second trip to Los Angeles, when the Galaxy hit a weak Austin FC roster with relative ease. The crime was anemic in Nashville for the next week. That trend continued when Austin FC played three full games without goals before they drew 1-1 at Sporting Kansas City last weekend.
“I’ve learned that it’s a lot harder than I thought,” said Austin FC head coach Josh Wolff after the last game of the eight game days. “It was another tough opponent. It’s a tough schedule against good teams. I also learned that we are ready to fight and compete.”
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The trip is just one of many reasons Austin FC struggled in the second half of the trip. Austin FC faced the four best teams in the Western Conference during this period and ended in a draw against Seattle and Kansas City, currently in first and second place. And Nashville ranks seventh in the Eastern Conference with 11 points and no losses.
Austin FC’s biggest concern is in the final third. Verde and Schwarz hold up defensively despite many allowed shots thanks to the high-class game of goalkeeper Brad Stuver. Only two teams in the conference have conceded fewer goals in eight games than the nine Austin FC allowed. Meanwhile, Austin FC’s offense has scored six conference-level goals.
“After COVID, there is only one greater natural energy, and the atmosphere will be significant. For us, it’s about staying calm in advance, ”said Wolff. “We want to use this energy to catapult ourselves onto the field. We work systematically through the week so that we feel ready and confident. ”
“He played phenomenally”:How Austin FC became the right choice for goalkeeper Brad Stuver
Game on saturday
San Jose Earthquakes at Austin FC, 8pm, Q2 Stadium
TV / radio: CW-Austin / 97.5 FM (English) or Univision / Unimas / KLQB 104.3-HD2 (Spanish)
About the series: This is the first of three meetings between Austin FC and the San Jose Earthquakes in the 2021 MLS regular season … San Jose is the seventh of 13 roster in the Western Conference to face Austin FC. … The Verde and Black will be welcomed back to San Jose on September 18th before traveling to the west coast on October 20th to face the earthquake.
About Austin FC: El Tree played the first eight games of the 2021 season on the road when construction of the Q2 stadium was completed. … Austin FC scored eight points in eight games during the road trip and ended up drawing in a row in Seattle and Kansas City, the two best teams in the Western Conference. … Austin FC ranks 10th in the Western Conference. The best seven teams reach the playoffs.
About San José: The Earthquakes hobble into Q2 Stadium after a streak of four games that fell on the 12th. This was followed by losses to Portland, Sporting Kansas City and the LA Galaxy. … A quick start to the 2021 season gave San Jose nine points, good enough for sixth place in the Western Conference. … Austin FC right-back Nick Lima spent the last four seasons at San Jose before trading for $ 500,000 in general allotment money on December 15th.
The heartbeat of Q2:Austin Anthem, Los Verdes support groups ready for Austin FC kick-off
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