The Sounders, coming to Austin on Wednesday night, are coming off a 5-1 loss to their Portland rivals. That's putting the squad in a similar existential crisis to the one Verde faced in May.
Austin FC interim head coach Davy Arnaud is proud of what the team has been able to absorb during the World Cup break. They'll get to showcase that with a mostly healthy lineup on Wednesday against the Sounders.
Now that the World Cup is over, our attention turns fully back to Austin FC. Here's what's on the docket over the next two weeks heading into Leagues Cup.
If you missed the third-place game yesterday, you missed 10 goals. Spain and Argentina likely won't have that many when they face off at today's final.
Przemysław Płacheta played before Austin FC fans for the first time on Saturday. Jorge Alastuey was also part of the practice, and looked especially poised.
Saturday brings one last chance to watch Harry Kane and Kylian Mbappé represent their countries. Also, we point to some ideas to improve the World Cup next time around.
Lionel Messi once again willed Argentina over the line, and his reward is facing a stultifying Spain team in the final. Also, MLS (remember that league?) resumes with four Thursday matches, including Dani Pereira's CFM debut.
We know half the equation for both the final and the third-place match. Today, the narrative-rich match between Argentina and England will fill in who plays Spain and who plays France.
France vs. Spain: It promises to be epic, and heartbreaking for whoever loses. But at least one eminently likable star will find his way to Sunday's final as a result.
Soccer is still happening for a team wearing Verde and Black. Though Austin FC II's 10-match win streak and 15-match unbeaten streak ended on Sunday, VerDos is still atop the league.
It took both England and Argentina 120 minutes to do it, but they're back into the semifinals of the World Cup. One of those teams will proceed to the final against the France-Spain winner.
With France and Spain set to play each other, we're looking at one half of the final four settled. On Saturday, it's four teams enter, two teams leave in an intriguing doubleheader.
