What was perhaps most striking in the post-match media availability after Austin FC’s dramatic 4-3 win over the San Jose Earthquakes, from both Austin FC head coach Josh Wolff and the players in the locker room who hung around, was how measured everyone was.
It was a great emotional comeback win that showed resilience and possible evidence of a team with a few new players finally coming together. It was a game in which Sebastián Driussi, showing flashes of his MVP self with an incisive assist, got two goals to (finally) get in the scoring column for 2024, including a last-gasp winner that will certainly add to his already growing lore.
Look at the Western Conference standings today, and you’ll see Austin in 8th, two points from the third and fourth-place teams. Expect a lot of movement up and down the West table this year, but also appreciate that after seven matches, Austin’s at 2-2-3 on the season and on a current points per game clip that might squeak them into the playoffs — after what we still believe to be a tough slate of early matches.
But also, look again at those same standings, and the last two opponents Verde got comeback wins on are sitting on the last two rungs of the table. And while Wolff praised his team’s performance as he did in the last match, he’s also aware of the defensive lapses that opened the door for the Quakes in the first place. (You can’t have a comeback win, after all, without falling behind.)
