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KANSAS CITY, Kansas – For the second time in five weekends, Austin FC failed to hold their 1-0 lead away to Sporting Kansas City in the first half. An injured and street weary team scored the first goal in the 26th minute before Sporting rose to a 1-1 draw in the 71st minute.
Austin FC, who play their eighth street game in a row, now hold eight points in eight games after their second straight draw, good enough for a ninth of 13 in the Western Conference. The top 8 will reach the playoffs after the end of the regular season on November 7th.
“Eight points in eight games away – we’re pretty happy with that,” said Wolff. “There’s a lot to do, but we’re looking forward to coming to Q2 and playing in front of our fans for the first time.”
A three-game draft for El Tree ended in the 26th minute when center-forward Cecilio Domínguez fired a shot to the right of the goalkeeper. It was the first goal since Jon Gallagher scored in the seventh minute against the same Sporting Kansas City side on May 9th.
For Domínguez, one of two designated players on the team, it was his third team goal of the season. Austin FC have only scored six goals in eight games.
The game turned against Austin FC on May 9 when captain Alex Ring’s second yellow card resulted in a red card and disqualification. Sporting Kansas City scored two goals in the last 10 minutes plus stoppage time for a 2-1 win and three points. The rematch followed a similar script, with Austin FC leading 1-0 until an injury to Domínguez head coach Josh Wolff forced his line-up and structure to change completely.
Kansas City hit Austin FC’s goal in the last 20 minutes plus stoppage time. Austin FC goalkeeper Brad Stuver saved Verde and Schwarz by stopping shots in front of the net at close range. Austin FC were also late for a second goal and three points, but substitute wingers Manny Perez and Rodney Redes missed open chances.
“That was a hard-earned point,” said Wolff. “We may have got away with a point that we didn’t deserve, but I appreciate the guys’ performance. The heat definitely challenged both teams.”
Man of the game: Brad Stuver
The Austin FC goalkeeper came into town with little fanfare and even less expectation. In eight games, Stuver is the club’s best candidate to earn an All-Star title after another 90 minutes between the posts and to record nine saves in his career.
Stuver had one save after another to maintain Austin FC’s lead and then made more stops after Sporting equalized to save a point for the second game in a row. Sporting Kansas City finished the game with 32 shots, 11 on target. Austin FC took nine shots with just two on target. Sporting recorded an expected total of four goals against 1.6 for Austin FC.
“(Stuver) did his part to keep us there, and we are very grateful for that,” said Wolff. “He’s a great person, a calm leader, and his accomplishments don’t go unnoticed.”
Stuver was only named a regular in the week of the opening game against Los Angeles FC and is the second highest paid goalkeeper in the squad behind Andrew Tarbell. Stuver and Domínguez are the only two Austin FC players to each play in their first eight games. Stuver has removed any concern over a goalkeeper controversy by playing for the club every single minute.
Next
Austin FC will play the San Jose Earthquakes at home for the first time in franchise history next Saturday with a 8pm game. The Q2 stadium will open three days early when the US women’s national team face Nigeria in the Summer Series ahead of this year’s Olympics.
Next Saturday’s game will be a welcome respite for an Austin FC squad tired of travel. El Tree played eight consecutive games on the road to kick off its inaugural season. San Jose was last seen on May 29 in a 1-0 loss to LA Galaxy. The Earthquakes enter the game in sixth place in the Western Conference with nine points in eight games.
“I’ve learned that it’s a lot harder than I thought (playing the top eight away),” said Wolff. “It was another tough opponent. It’s a tough schedule against good teams. I also learned that we are ready to fight and compete.”
Austin FC have had the toughest part of the 2021 schedule. Four of the next five and seven of the next nine are in the Q2 stadium. After leaving the state eight times in nine weeks, Austin FC will only travel outside the Lone Star State five times in the regular season. A trip to Minnesota United on June 22nd will be the only road trip until July 28th against the Vancouver Whitecaps, who are playing in Salt Lake City due to travel restrictions in Canada.
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