At the outset of Wednesday’s press conference from Florida, following Austin FC’s 1-1 draw against the Philadelphia Union on Tuesday night, Josh Wolff addressed my question about how the depleted striker position is shaping up for Verde — while clarifying something you might have already gleaned from the online roster reveals the club provided at the start of each half.
“Gyasi didn't play,” Wolff said of 32-year-old Gyasi Zardes, the sole striker remaining on the Austin FC first team, following the purging of Maxi Urruti and Will Bruin from the roster at the end of last season. “He had a little bit of calf tightness, so we didn't want to risk it, knowing he's literally our only striker on the roster right now.”
While Wolff’s been able to utilize Austin FC II striker Sébastien Pineau to give the team striker depth during preseason preparations, he was also careful about raising expectations that he’ll rise to MLS quality in the space of an offseason, talking about the gulf between MLS and MLS Next Pro play at other points in the press conference.
When I asked as a follow-up question how Pineau did — since we weren’t able to see the closed-door scrimmage with our own eyes — Wolff said with a hint of reservation in his voice, “He did okay.”
