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Austin FC watched more than 200 minutes of football without seeing a goal at Q2 Stadium. It took the 20,000+ spectators in Verde just five minutes to score two goals in a 4-1 win over the Portland Timbers on Thursday evening. It was Austin FC’s first win at Q2 Stadium in three attempts and the club’s first win since May 1, a series of eight games.
Jon Gallagher wrote his name on the record books with a 28th-minute opening goal and eliminated any chance of a third goalless draw in the history of the second quarter when he targeted a pass from Tomás Pochettino.
“I’m happy for the boys, but what I’m most happy about is these fans and this community,” said Josh Wolff, Austin FC head coach. “They stood behind us in such great numbers and with such real authenticity. It was unbelievable. When the goal fell, this place exploded.”
Diego Fagundez, who scored the club’s first goal back in April, added five minutes later to double Austin FC’s lead. Portland would keep it interesting with a goal in added time late in the first half.
Clock: Jon Gallagher scores first goal for Austin FC at Q2
The first-half statistics told a fair story, as Austin FC dominated with 65.9 percent possession, seven shots and ten corners. Austin FC made 249 passes in the first half, up from 132 for Portland. The only shot on goal for the Timbers was Jeremy Ebobisse’s goal in added time.
“We want to be an aggressive offensive team, be entertaining and of course score goals,” said Wolff. “We have learned a lot from our wins, losses and draws. We will learn from this win.”
It was a similar story in the second half when Austin FC increased their lead to 3-1 in the 77th minute when Alex Ring scored his first goal of the season with a header from a direct free-kick from Cecilio Domnguez. Hector Jiménez scored four goals in the game in the 81st minute. It was Austin FC’s most goal in a game, beating the three goals scored in Colorado in the second game of the season in April.
The win put Austin FC in ninth place in the Western Conference with 13 points in 12 games and a goal difference of -2.
Man of the Game – Jon Gallagher
Gallagher will go down in the history books for Austin FC. It was his second goal of the season and the first since his goal on May 9 at Sporting Kansas City. Gallagher threatened all night and positioned himself perfectly to score a goal in the penalty area.
“It was a surreal moment,” said Gallagher after the game. “I’ll never forget it. It still hasn’t really arrived. I kept thinking about it for a couple of weeks because I haven’t scored a goal in a while.”
Live blog:Austin FC drove 4-1 past Portland Timbers
Wolff wanted more recklessness and aggression from his front-line players and Gallagher exemplified that mentality by being in the right place at the right time to cement his legacy at Austin FC. He was removed from the field at halftime after suffering a couple of knocks in the first half with a foot injury and was on crutches after the game.
Next up
Austin FC will continue their four-game home game against Los Angeles FC on July 7th. Austin FC lost 2-0 to LAFC in the season opener in April. The LAFC plays at Real Salt Lake on Saturday before heading to Austin for a short break. Injuries slowed the LAFC early in the season, but talented offensive stars like Carlos Vela are getting back in shape.
“The team played really well. Now that we know we can score goals like this against a team like Portland that will give us a lot of confidence,” said Gallagher. “The boys are happy and are obviously trying to focus on Wednesday (against LAFC).”
The opening win over Austin FC is one of only three wins of the season for an LAFC squad that ranks ninth in the Western Conference with 12 points in 10 games.
Meal of the Game – Bao’d Up
The order: A juicy pork, a brisket
Confession time: I had no idea what Bao was until 10 minutes before I soaked my first bite of Juicy Pork Bao with a sweet and spicy red sauce. The idea is huge. A Chinese staple for street food and breakfast, a bao or baozi, is a soft, steamed bun with a savory or sweet filling. Think kolache with Asian flavors. Add in some traditional Texan flavors like juicy pork or brisket and Chef Ting Lin has something interesting and flavorful behind the fan section on the south side of Q2 Stadium. Bao’d Up was founded in 2017 and has five locations in Austin.
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