Austin FC vs Real Salt Lake: 4 takeaways as Verde fall in MLS match
· Yahoo Sports
Austin FC’s first substitution Saturday summed up its current roster situation.
Jorge Alastuey, a player on the club’s second team who was signed to a short-term contract Friday afternoon, made his MLS debut in the 59th minute of the team’s 2-1 loss to Real Salt Lake at America First Field.
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And while the 22-year-old Spaniard had a respectable performance — though he did hesitate on a wide-open shot in the box — it speaks to how slim the Verde & Black’s options off the bench are.
Jon Bell gave Austin FC a brief lead with his first-half header on a set piece, but an own goal by Oleksandr Svatok and Stijn Spierings’ brilliant shot from 25 yards out eventually gave the hosts the win.
Here are some key takeaways from the match as the Verde & Black (1-2-1, 4 points) return home Saturday to face LAFC.
Austin FC hindered by injuries
Austin FC may be in a “treading water” mode until it starts to get healthy.
The Verde & Black played without starters Guilherme Biro, Mikkel Desler, Owen Wolff and Dani Pereira. Winger Jayden Nelson also isn’t 100%, which is why Alastuey came in for him early in the second half.
It’s a set of circumstances that isn’t conducive to getting points on the road or against good teams.
And while Austin FC wasn’t necessarily poor Saturday, outside of a couple of stretches, it certainly wasn’t impressive, either.
Biro, who missed the game due to drawing a red card March 7 against Charlotte, should return against LAFC. But Pereira is out at least until mid-April, Wolff seems unlikely to play before the international break later this month and it’s unclear when Desler will return.
Until Austin FC gets to a point where it isn’t missing multiple major contributors, just avoiding a disastrous first seven or eight games of the season might need to be the goal.
Sabovic subpar
The absence of Wolff and Pereira hurt Austin FC the most, as it forces the club to give Besard Sabovic significant playing time.
It was a puzzling offseason move by the club to bring back Sabovic and not use one of its two available contract buyouts on him. (Austin FC used one on Jader Obrian.)
Sabovic was poor most of last year and offered little after entering the match in the 70th minute.
When Wolff and Pereira are healthy, Sabovic will rarely see the field as the fifth option in the central midfield. But until then, he’s likely to see the same amount of minutes he did Saturday.
For the club’s sake, he needs to improve significantly and quickly.
Austin FC’s attack was lacking
Austin FC coach Nico Estévez lamented missed chances by the team in the first half.
Both Myrto Uzuni and Facundo Torres had opportunities just before halftime they could have done better with, while in the second half, Joseph Rosales had a phenomenal shot hit the post.
But apart from those chances and Bell’s goal, Austin FC’s attack didn’t threaten Real Salt Lake goalie Rafael.
“We need to be braver in our pressing,” Estévez said. “And we need to be (more aggressive) with the ball. … We didn’t do a good job with the ball in the second half. We didn’t have the patience and (creativity), and that punished us.”
Both Estévez and Bell said postgame they thought the club deserved a point out of the match, but it’s difficult to agree with that considering how little the attack did, especially in the second half.
Conservative move doesn’t pay off
Estévez went with a five-man backline for the final 20 minutes of the match. It was a conservative move that limited Austin FC going forward and something that probably came 10 minutes too early.
(In Estévez’s defense, both he and Bell stated the altitude was affecting the team in the second half.)
The Verde & Black were on their heels most of the game’s final moments, and Spierings’ goal was something that felt inevitable.
Bell excels in first start
Aside from his impressive goal, Bell was solid at left back filling in for Biro.
Bell is capable of playing either center back or outside back, which is a versatility Austin FC needs if injuries continue to be a problem.
Austin FC man of the match: Brad Stuver
Stuver’s heroics in goal prevented Austin FC from a 4-1 or even 5-1 loss. The veteran received a new contract in the offseason with presumably a raise, something which he earned Saturday with several highlight-reel saves.
Bottom line
It’s hard to be judgmental of Austin FC when it’s missing so many key personnel. And from a glass half-full perspective, if Rosales’ shot is an inch farther inside, the Verde & Black come away with a draw.
A hot start may be out of the question for Austin FC, but in the marathon MLS season, excelling in March is rarely remembered and not often rewarded.
Still, Austin FC would do itself a favor in the fall by not spending most of the spring near the bottom of the table.