An attacking mentality: Don't expect Austin FC to just sit back and defend against Inter Miami

Given what Inter Miami does to defenses — nine goals in five matches thus far in 2026 (with an opening 3-0 loss at LAFC that certainly seems an outlier), and 81 goals last season en route to an MLS Cup title — it's tempting to think about defending.

But as Austin FC head coach Nico Estévez shared with media on Thursday, he believes there's opportunity to attack (given that they're playing a team that let in eight goals this season so far, and let in 55 last season), and that this could be critical to Verde's success on Saturday night to spoil the venue-opening party at Miami's Nu Stadium.

"We are playing against the champions, the actual champions of MLS, and we know it's going to be difficult," Estévez granted. "We also know that is a team that scores goals, but also concedes goals. And then this has to be our mentality. We can go there thinking that just defending well is going to be enough. because they have tools to score goals ... we need to have the mentality to attack them.

"I think, against big teams, what they don't want is to not have the ball. They don't want to run behind the ball. And we showed against LAFC, and we show against good teams, when we have the right mentality and we approach the game, going also to attack them, is when we can have more chances to to win the game. Obviously, we know the quality that they have, but we also feel very confident about the quality that we have in our team."

However ...

That quality continues to be compromised, though, as the breakup of the Frail Four is slower and more protracted than the Verde faithful would want.

Most notably, Owen Wolff — who Estévez previously anticipated would be making his return from sports hernia surgery in this match — is still compromised in his training and is likely out several more weeks.

"His type of recovery is a little bit different because he is still feeling some additions from the surgery. And then he trained two days really well. And then one day, we had to give him off. And then now [on Friday} he will train again ... if everything goes well, he could have a full week of training next week with the team. But right now, there is a lot of improvement [with] him, and he's feeling good also, and I think it's important that we can have him back soon, but I don't think he will be ready for this weekend."

It does sound like Jayden Nelson will be roster-ready on Saturday, and Robert Taylor could appear on the roster to face his former team with at least some sub minutes, with the decision on that to be made Friday.

For Brandon Vázquez, though, to quote NSYNC, "It's gonna be May."

"In three weeks, he has the appointment with the doctor to see the last test, to see if we've they can clear him on game time. Right now he is clear[ed for] training. He's training with the team full[y], and I think in around three weeks, or four weeks, he will have the last meeting with the doctor to see if he can [be] clear[ed] for game time."

Dani Pereira is already back in training, though not the full training that precedes game play. Based on the tea leaves Estévez laid down, he could return in late April, but given Austin's injury situation this season, Pereira could also be on the Justin Timberlake timetable.

It's a full team, but ...

Inter Miami has Dayne St. Clair in goal, Germán Berterame and Luis Suarez as strikers, Telasco Segovia and Rodrigo de Paul in the midfield, and Micael and Sergio Reguilón in the back line, making for a formidable MLS team able to mount a title defense with just those pieces alone.

Yet, it's Inter Miami, which means that those players are all spokes around the Lionel Messi central hub, and media questions on Thursday focused on the All-Star who skipped out on Austin's All-Star party last summer.

Estévez has seen Messi play since both of them were in La Liga, and recalls the 2023 Leagues Cup battle in which his FC Dallas went up 4-2 (on a Robert Taylor own-goal) with just over 20 minutes remaining, only for Messi to bring his team back level, with Miami eventually advancing on penalty kicks.

"At the end of the day, he is still doing the same things every single time against every team, and still making the difference," Estévez said. "I'm pretty sure that if we ask every coach that has played against him, they will try different plans, man-marking, zonal [defense], the offside rule, maybe double mark him. And at the end of the day, he's Messi, because what he sees and understands, he adapts to the game. If you are doing something to him, he will find a way to break that."

He went on to say that because of Messi's versatility, it will be important for his team to make the collective effort to stop him, no matter what strategies he employs throughout the match.

Even so, there's no guarantees that Verde will contain him for the entirety of the match.

"He knows the game is 90 minutes," Estévez said. "He doesn't rush. He just stays there. He stays focused, and knows he's going to have a chance. He's going to have an opportunity where he makes a movement, makes a pass. It's about everything — his technical ability to make passes, his finishing is clinical, very clean, like the best ... when he's able to have a chance, he's really good on free kicks, direct free kicks, set pieces for assistance ... he has a very good understanding and vision and playing the balls in behind and and then attacking the box."

He went on to say that he's the best player in part because of his consistency.

"There are other players that can do things that Messi can do," Estévez said, but then asserted, "Every year he has a good year, and this is very, very difficult."

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