Austin FC head coach Josh Wolff said that Saturday night’s performance from newcomers Osman Bukari and Mikkel Desler were about what he expected shift-wise, but he also expressed confidence in their ability to help the team.
Which is good, because following Verde’s 2-2 draw against Charlotte FC, coupled with 9th-place Minnesota’s win over San Jose, the Loons now have a two-point standings advantage for the West’s final playoff spot. With the Leagues Cup caesura now arrived, Verde won’t be able to resume its quest for the playoffs until a match with Nashville that’s more than a month away.
“I think, as we've said all along, you want to be within a shout,” Wolff said, assessing their current 10th-place standing in the West. “We need to get these guys a little bit further up to speed physically, and with some game ideas and then we can go after our first game against Pumas on Friday.”
He added, “I thought the new guys did quite well in their in their introduction, so we're pleased to get them through it and obviously get through it healthy. It’s a tough space hey're coming into with no real preseason, but I thought Mikkel especially gave a good calm to the game and you can see his quality with this ball and positioning right away. Buka is dynamic, there's no doubt about it. His one-v-one [play] is going to be something that causes problems, and it helps unlock some other areas of the field.”
