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Austin FC did everything well on Saturday.
Well, almost everything.
From dominating possession – an incredible 66 percent – to creating nearly 20 scoring chances to solid defense, El Tree played an entirely better game than Minnesota United at Q2 Stadium.
But in football it doesn’t matter how dominant you are if you don’t score.
A defensive breakdown in the first half cost Austin FC a 1-0 defeat when the Loons took advantage in the 16th minute when Franco Fragapane was wide open at the second post and Hassani Dotson’s cross easily closed through the penalty area.
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“Statistically, we hammered in every category, the only thing missing was the goal,” said Austin FC coach Josh Wolff. “Our boys performed very well, but we were unlucky not to score a goal. (Loons goalkeeper Tyler Miller) made some good saves and they had some last minute defenses that stopped us. For some reason it shouldn’t be. This is the cruel world of this game and we were at the wrong end. “
The entire game was a missed opportunity for Austin FC.
Be it Sebastián Driussi’s header over the crossbar from close range in stoppage time, the shot by Cecilio Domínguez went in the 78, which he sent to the stands shortly after half-time, El Tree simply did not find the goal.
And those were just a few of several shots that either narrowly missed the post or the crossbar.
“If you’ve watched you know we made more from this game,” said Brad Stuver, Austin FC goalkeeper. “The only chances they had were mistakes we made. That’s how it went this season – just not our way. “
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Austin FC have to pay tribute to their strong performance on the field. Sure, the result wasn’t there, but El Tree continued his form ahead of the recent two-week international break, which should make fans optimistic that 2022 will be a season the club will compete in the postseason.
The combination of striker Moussa Djitté and midfielders Diego Fagundez, Domínguez, Driussi and Alexander Ring as an offensive unit can compete with most MLS teams, while Stuver has emerged as a surprise strength and the defense is starting to show depth.
“I thought we looked fresh and hungry and we tore our ass off tonight,” said Stuver. “We have positioned ourselves to win. For me the performance we did was fantastic and this is what a playoff team looks like. If we could look like this all year round, I think it would be a whole different discussion. “
Still, there were a lot of frustrating moments – and almost from kick-off, as the first half had a number of missed opportunities.
Miller parried impressively in the first 10 minutes after Domínguez and Djitté shots in the penalty area, shortly afterwards Driussi’s attempt just missed the goal.
Tomás Pochettino missed two shots just wide of the post in the 33rd and 35th minutes, then Austin FC had the best half-time chance when his shot went over the crossbar from close range.
El Tree had almost 59 percent of possession in the first half and, unbelievably, it increased significantly in the second half with a solid attack on the right.
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Coupled with Real Salt Lake and Los Angeles Galaxy victories on Saturday, the loss officially eliminated Austin FC from the playoff chase – although realistically that had been a long road for last month as last in the Western Conference.
El Tree has five games left, starting Wednesday in San Jose, and Wolff noted that the coaching team will consider many things in order to start the off-season with positive results.
“We will take advantage of the many good chances we have created and the offensive style of play that we have wished for from tonight to Wednesday,” he said. “The lack of execution cost us. We have to improve on that. But there are many positive things about today. I told our boys to be angry and not be disappointed. “
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