All brakes, no gas: Austin FC plummets to bottom of the West in 3-0 loss to Houston Dynamo

By Betty Freeman Last updated Oct 30, 2021

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Austin FC suffered their biggest defeat to date on Saturday 3-0 against bottom-bottom Houston Dynamo.

Both teams were last in the west before the game, but Dynamo stole the show in the “battle for the basement” when Houston star Darwin Quintero scored in the first minute of the game. The goal proved fateful for a stuttering team from Austin as they gave up their fastest goal yet.

While Austin did not shoot on goal in the first half, a quick offense from Houston ran in a circle around Verde’s defensive line. Dynamos’ Fafa Picault beat Austin defender Julio Cascante in the 24th minute, forcing keeper Brad Stuver out of the box to double the lead. He would strike again with a quick break and a similar shot into the lower right corner in the 64th minute to end the game 3-0 for Houston.

Austin lacked the fire needed for Texas Derby rivalry games for much of the game. Center-back Julio Cascante and midfielder Daniel Pereira both saw mistakes that resulted in goals and Pereira was swapped for defensive midfielder Sebastian Berhalter to end the game.

Austin FC head coach Josh Wolff said he was disappointed with the reactions from Pereira and other players to the ball, hinting that more help was needed to sort out the team’s problems.

“That is unacceptable, completely unacceptable,” said Wolff. “It’s never been easy, but it doesn’t have to be so damn hard.”

His midfielder and captain Alex Ring saw the club’s first shot on goal in the 53rd minute, but both he and designated player Cecilio Dominguez were thwarted as Houston home side ended their 16-game winning streak.

The defeat comes as cracks emerge in Austin FC’s midfield and defensive line, ending a minor series of goals for the team. With the defeat, Austin falls back to penultimate place in the MLS classification.

Austin FC will put the ship back in order on Wednesday at 8 p.m. with a home game against West Coast giants LAFC.

64 ‘Fafa scores a second goal

FAFA IS ON FIRE, YOUR DEFENSE IS AFRAID pic.twitter.com/m6rZdQB7iU

– Houston Dynamo FC (@HoustonDynamo) September 12, 2021

Just as Austin seemed to be regaining confidence, Picault finished it off again with a quick pause that ended in another Houston goal. The goal came just seconds after Cecilio Dominguez’s shot that nearly scored Austin FC’s first goal of the game, but the ball went straight past Stuver’s hands instead. Austin are now 3-0 down with less than 30 minutes to go.

46 ‘Wolff changes the line-up

46 ‘| A couple of # AustinFC substitutions.

➡️ Sebastian Berhalter
⬅️ Dani Pereira

➡️ Rodney Redes
️ Tomás Pochettino pic.twitter.com/8MgN5IG5Fp

– Austin FC (@AustinFC) September 12, 2021

The team wants to take on a completely different tone for the second half, Wolff has made a few changes in the line-up to ignite this spark.

Paying for his lack of rush on this fateful goal in the first minute, midfielder Dani Pereira is replaced by young Sebastian Berhalter who takes on a role as defensive midfielder. He will try to tame players like Darwin Quintero and Fafa Picault on the pitch.

A more interesting decision by Wolff was to take DP Tomas Pochettino off the pitch despite producing some of the game’s closest shots on the pitch. He will be replaced by Rodney Redes, who will try to prove himself with his first goal of the regular season.

24 ‘Austin gives up second goal

THE GAZELLE MAKES IT AGAIN.

2-0 to the good guys 🤘 pic.twitter.com/LZYrVRVfem

– Houston Dynamo FC (@HoustonDynamo) September 12, 2021

Austin hits a new low in the game, and that comes after a 5-3 loss to FC Dallas and a lackluster performance in Vancouver.

Houston’s Fafa Picault beat Verde and black defender Julio Cascante, forcing Stuver out of the box for a light shot into the bottom right corner of the goal. The goal continues a pattern of slow reactions in Austin’s defense as they are repeatedly left alone in the game.

Austin must find his spark if he is to maintain his dignity against the bottom-ranked team in the league.

1 ‘Houston scores first

pic.twitter.com/JPNDGcEiGO

– Eric Goodman (@Goodman) September 12, 2021

Much to the chagrin of Austin FC head coach Josh Wolff, it was Houston who scored the first goal back home. Austin FC gave up their fastest goal of the season despite the best efforts of keeper Brad Stuver when Houston’s Darwin Quintero and Griffin Dorsey each scored a goal in the first minute of the game. Stuver deflects Dorsey’s ball, but the block lands in the gate itself as Austin falls back to 0-1.

Starting grid

Ready to play the field against Houston. #AustinFC x @YETICOolers pic.twitter.com/Q3j8Xn9GhA

– Austin FC (@AustinFC) September 11, 2021

Veteran center-back Matt Besler is on concussion log, and in his place is the young powerhouse Jhohan Romana. While Romana had some brilliant moments in his first MLS season, he and his back mate Julio Cascante had to face some stumbling blocks as the team gave up more goals than usual in that first game.

Daniel Pereira is back in midfield, while team-mate Diego Fagundez has been promoted to the wing alongside newcomer Sebastian Driussi. Similar to before Driussi’s debut, player-designate Cecilio Dominguez will lead the line-up in the front position this evening.

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