'Small margins': Austin FC head coach Josh Wolff thinks Saturday night's loss wasn't so far from a win

Austin FC lost 1-0 on Saturday night to move below the playoff line (for now), but with better execution, could they have won?

Austin FC head coach Josh Wolff, facing questions from the media not so long after some of the fans inside Q2 Stadium chanted “Wolff out,” acknowledged that his team lost 1-0 to Seattle Sounders FC on Saturday night but felt that the final scoreline was attributable to “small margins.”

“The game is about small margins, and they didn't create a whole lot, we didn't create a whole lot, but it's about making some plays,” he assessed. “I think we did a decent job pinning them in, we created a lot of shots,” but then noted, “the decision making and execution in the final third were lacking. It's not to say that we're not doing a good enough job, but when it comes to those critical moments, it's not.”

But in his answer, which was in response to an initial question about Sebastián Driussi’s lack of effectiveness, he noted, “I think Seba is an extremely important player in our team and that's stating the obvious. Obviously, we need him to give more and to score more. The entire group needs to.”

Verde did get off 13 shots in the match per FotMob’s count, reaching that threshold for the seventh time this season. (Strangely, the team’s 3-3-1 in those matches.) It also had four shots on goal, a threshold also achieved the seventh time this season, but only cobbled together an xG of 0.6 from all those shots.

It’s not the first time Wolff has mentioned final-third issues from the players, but again, I had to ask a different-but-similar way if coaching can help players adjust their tendencies in front of goal or if this is what to expect from these players. Specifically, I wondered, “Do they have capacity to do better?”

He said, “We're bringing in players that can help them, bringing in players with a little more quality, and that helps give continuity to the game. It’s not to say [Jáder] Obrian doesn't arrive in good spots. How can we pick guys up in front of goal and vice versa? Owen [Wolff], when he gets around the edge, can we find the final actions that bring us clear-cut chances. The good part was we got behind a lot a lot. We put balls in front of goal. We also have to arrive in those positions to complete.”

Jáder Obrian arrived in good spots, according to Josh Wolff. So why wasn’t it enough last night? (OtraXFavor)

I asked Alex Ring about Wolff’s comments after the match, and he said, “I would put in on the players, obviously. I think sometimes the ball is good, and we were not there. Sometimes we we pick the wrong ball more than make the wrong decision in the final third. And I think that's the difference.”

Wolff seemed to hint in his comments that new players — especially new designated player Osman Bukari — will make a difference on offense. But Ring said, “I don't think we should put too much pressure on one player being able to fix something that's been hard for us this year.” I asked about what he’s seen from Bukari that might be encouraging, and Ring deadpanned, “I’ve only trained with him once.”