Toward the beginning of Saturday’s post-match press conference, Austin FC head coach Josh Wolff admitted that the 3-3-3 record heading into this match is “probably where we deserve to be.”
The 2-0 win over LA Galaxy made it a 4-3-3 record, identical to two other West competitors who finished the night’s action 5th and 6th place — and much better than where this team was just five weeks prior. Then, it was reeling from a loss in Orlando that kept them winless five matches into the season, with a dismal 1-8-7 record in a 16-game span dating back to the restart after Leagues Cup.
In the five games since? Four wins plus a narrow loss at St. Louis have changed the alchemy of the season, possibly stemming the Wooden Spoon talk from certain league pundits convinced Austin’s plagued by a talent deficit.
I asked Wolff, “Is this a validation of what you’re doing, is it ‘ride that wave’ because it’s MLS, or a little bit of both?”
He responded pointedly, latching on “validation” as a de facto dirty word, starting by poking at the media.
