'We knew we had to adjust': Josh Wolff reflects on one of the greatest games in Austin FC history
If you missed Friday night's win against Pumas, you missed something special. Here's how Verde overcame a red card and other adversity to persevere.
Down to 10 players for most of the match. Eyebrow-raising refereeing. Reliant on a goalkeeper who hasn’t played all season. And, of course, facing a Liga MX team that’s currently in second place in that league’s standings.
The task Austin FC faced on Friday night was daunting when the ball was rolled out, despite Pumas going with a somewhat rotated lineup. It became even more so when Osman Bukari got a second yellow card in the first half.
But Verde generated two goals down a man, weathered a barrage of shots from the Mexico City side, and even survived a late-game penalty kick unscathed thanks to Stefan Cleveland’s timely save, delivering a 3-2 win in the Leagues Cup opener that vaulted into the top five matches in club history.
Yes, there were the two playoff wins. The August 2022 win over LAFC is still a signature win that remains the apex of the club’s best season. You could point to the 4-1 dam burst in August 2021 when Jon Gallagher scored the club’s first goal at home after several weeks of mounting scoreless frustration in the then-new stadium.
But as far as wins and in-game narratives go, this one’s up there.
Wolff began by assessing the win as a positive indication of where the team is. “We had adversity that we faced in many, many ways, and the players put in a big, big effort and got rewarded. They were fantastic today; the fans were also incredible, as always, to help push and keep steering these guys in a good direction. The energy from the guys on the field, the energy from the guys off the field, it shows who they are, the character. Our performances in the last four or five games have been solid. We've been down a guy probably a little bit too often, but you know these guys hung in there; they grinded and got a much-deserved result.”
He also shared insights into a crucial adjustment at halftime that allowed Verde to deal with a Pumas team that grew stronger with the introduction of César Huerta in the 42nd minute.
“They were putting a lot of balls in, they got into half spaces, were dumping balls on top of the backline. So we knew we had to adjust and get a little more pressure in those wide areas while also protecting the central areas. So we knew right away, we needed to get to a five[-man backline], and that's why we brought in Owen,” referring to the younger Wolff. “Now, we flattened out with three center mids, and had Seba still on the field because at the end of the day, we need quality. We needed Seba to be out there.”
“Gyasi [Zardes] put in a good shift, but when you have Alex, Pepe, and Owen,” nodding to Alex Ring and Dani Pereira as well as the aforementioned Wolff, “you have the ability to get out and get pressure on balls in wide areas. When you can transition, you have Pepe and Owen, who can also dribble, and now you can have [Guilherme] Biro and Jonny [Gallagher] join as necessary, and Seba does a great job holding balls up. It was always going to be a grind and a battle; now we know we're not going to have a ton of possession, but when you get chances to transition, when you get chances to get set pieces, you have to make them count and I thought the guys did a really good job with that.”
Gallagher, discussing the halftime move after the match, said, “I think it was a necessary adjustment. And give credit to the staff, because it's not easy doing that on the fly. They saw that the 4-4-1, with Gyasi up top, was a lot of work for him, and wasn't really working for us to get pressure out wide, and so [we] made the adjustment.”
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