Usseglio: Austin Showdown Ends in Draw

Familiar story for Revolution

Photo Courtesy of New England Revolution

It has been a difficult couple of weeks for the people of central Texas. The loss of life from the flash flooding that has inundated the region has been devastating. Whole areas went completely underwater in the span of a few hours.

The natural disaster has impacted not just the local communities but also the football club. Austin FC’s game scheduled for last weekend against LAFC was postponed.

There is a saying that while soccer is never the most important thing in life, it is the most important of the unimportant things. Unfortunately, but understandably, the postponement meant fans were not able to cheer on their Verde and Black and get a respite from everything going on.

Austin returned to action this past Tuesday against the San Jose Earthquakes at PayPal Stadium in the quarterfinals of the U.S. Open Cup. The Verde won the game, bringing much-needed joy to their fans when they defeated the Quakes in penalty kicks to advance to the semifinals.

Sadly, that joy came with a heavy dose of disappointment at the loss of star striker Brandon Vázquez, who tore his ACL and is out for the rest of the season.

This was the backdrop for the Revs trip to Austin, their first ever to the capital of the Lone Star State. The Austin FC players, wearing their home green kits, sported a patch that read, “Texas Together” in solidarity with the folks in their communities.

While Austin’s attack was certainly downgraded due to the loss of Vázquez, you would not have known it watching the game. The Verde were immediately on the front foot, unlucky not to score in the 10^th minute on a turnover from Revolution defender Will Sands. Sands was bailed out by central defender Brayan Ceballos, whose tremendous block prevented a goal.

The left side of defense continued to be a struggle for the Revs. They were broken down very easily on a pretty standard play from Austin. Goalkeeper Brad Stuver played a ball to one of his midfielders, who turned and played a ball down his attacking right wing into space behind the Revs backline. Two very simple passes and Austin was in on the attack. The defense scrambled to get back and were bailed out when Revolution keeper Aljaž Ivačič made a phenomenal save to deny Austin their first goal.

For some reason, Revs central defender Mamadou Fofana stopped marking Austin’s striker when the winger crossed the ball into the box. The striker was literally wide open and should have put Austin ahead if not for the incredible work of Ivačič.

Here we were again, 17 minutes into a game and the Revs should have been losing 2-0.

When I’ve watched the Revs play this season, there have been moments when it felt like I was watching an episode of the Twilight Zone, where the same story keeps playing out over and over again. The Revs were desperate for three points going into this game. They knew the boneheaded mistakes they had made against Miami and that to win games, they had to clean things up.

And yet, they kept making similar mistakes and putting themselves in a bad position. If Brandon Vázquez were healthy, or the Revs were playing a more clinical team than Austin, they would have found themselves climbing out of yet another hole just to get a point out of the game.

It was not until the 20^th minute that the Revs got their first shot on target, a glancing header from Ceballos on a Tomás Chancalay corner kick. Despite needing to get a win, the Revs did not generate much offensively in the first half. Carles Gil barely got on the ball in the first 20 minutes, and so had to drop deep into the Revs defense to start getting involved in the play.

Eventually, the Revs were able to create a dangerous chance from Gil to midfielder Alhassan Yusuf, but Yusuf’s subsequent pass found an offside Chancalay.

The best chance the Revs had in the first half came from a long clearance by Ceballos into the midfield. Chancalay did excellently to hold up the ball, playing a sweet backheel pass to Carles Gil. The captain then played a nice through ball to Luca Langoni, who fired a low shot to the far post that hit the woodwork and bounced wide for a goal kick. It was a great opportunity that came out of nowhere and could have seen the Revs take the lead.

At the end of the half, I had two overarching thoughts.

First, Austin was on the front foot. Multiple times it was able to get the ball behind the Revs’ backline and cause the defense to scramble. The only chances the Revs had been able to generate were against the run of play, not through sustained possession.

Second, what an incredible stadium and atmosphere in Austin. I am always reminded of what is possible whenever the Revs travel to a soccer-specific stadium in an urban center. I cannot wait until that becomes a reality for the Revolution.

Whatever Head Coach Caleb Porter said to the team at halftime got them going. They came out playing much more aggressively in the second half. The Revs were on the attack early and often, with Luca Langoni often playing a critical role. He really impressed me in the second half, with his work rate and dribbling into the attacking third.

Carles Gil had a great opportunity on goal from a free kick just outside Austin’s penalty area in the 53^rd minute. His shot was on target but was saved by Stuver. Despite not being able to convert on the set piece, it was clear that the game was becoming more open and even than it was in the first half.

Revs striker Leo Campana came on in the 61^st minute to replace Chancalay, and I thought at first he struggled to connect passes. The uncharacteristic turnovers showed the rust he is still trying to shake off.

As the Revolution continued to build and try to find the go-ahead goal, keeper Aljaž Ivačič had to bail out his team again when a poor turnover by Matt Polster in the midfield led to a counterattack by Austin.

The last great opportunity the Revs had in the game came in the 79^th minute, when a nice combination play from Carles Gil to Alhassan Yusuf led to a through ball for Campana on the right side of the box. Campana made a nice run to get into the dangerous area, but his shot was saved by Stuver.

Austin immediately went on the counterattack after Campana’s shot. Forward Myrto Uzuni unleashed a rocket that banged off the crossbar after some great combination play saw the Verde transition from defense into attack in a matter of seconds. The Revs are still struggling in the defensive transition phase of the game, a weakness they will need to continue working on.

Another game, another draw.

It has now been six games since the Revs have gotten a win, which was in Montréal on May 31^st. To put that another way, it has now been a month and a half since the Revs have taken 3 points. While there is no denying that a clean sheet and point on the road in MLS is a good result, the Revs need to win.

Next up will be a trip to New Jersey to take on the Red Bulls at the stadium formerly known as Red Bull Arena. While their New York area rivals have not had a great season so far, currently sitting in 8^th place in the Eastern Conference, they have a solid record at home. The Revs will have to play their best to get a win and bring 3 desperately needed points home to Foxborough.