On a balmy night with the kickoff temperature in the low 90s, Austin FC capitalized on a Brandon Vázquez free kick goal from distance to outlast Atlanta United, 1-0, through 90 minutes at Q2 Stadium on Wednesday night.
But then the fourth official announced six minutes of stoppage time.
The visitors only needed two minutes of those to find a late Jamal Thiaré equalizer to spoil what looked like a home win — ending as a 1-1 draw instead.
While Verde forced a corner just 10 seconds into the match, Atlanta threatened first, with a mishit Jon Gallagher ball triggering a Miguel Almiron breakaway ending in him shooting (blessedly, if you're an Verde fan) straight at newly-bearded goalkeeper Brad Stuver.
The first half hour tipped Austin's way possession-wise (at around 60%), yet the visitors got six shots to just two for the hosts — who finally got their first shot on target in minute 37, where a cross to nowhere ended up getting recycled to Osman Bukari, playing left wing rather than his preferred right wing, who hit a masterful shot forcing Brad Guzan into a leaping save.
On the resulting corner kick, Ilie was on target with his long attempt but it hit an Atlanta defense traffic cone en route to goal, making it easier for Guzan to deal with. Verde would manage a few more attempts after that but the match went into halftime knotted at zero.
Verde looked a bit more lively after the break, and after Vázquez won a free kick getting fouled about 25 yards from goal, he took that free kick and landed it in the top corner of the goal to grab the lead.
Atlanta subbed in four players by the time Austin decided – at minute 79 – to make its first subs, getting Jáder Obrian in for Bukari and Žan Kolmanič in for a gassed Owen Wolff. Two more dry shirts entered the match for Austin in the 85th, with Vázquez and Besard Šabović giving way to CJ Fodrey and Nicolás Dubersarsky.
From there, the hosts went into full clock-milking mode, and that didn't quite work, with Thiaré getting free on a goal in the second minute of stoppage time that appeared to Stuver (and to many in the stadium) to be offside.
Best Verde moment (that wasn’t a goal)
Bukari's 37th-minute attempt forced Guzan into his first save of the game and seemed to shift Verde's offense into a higher gear.
Also, this isn't really a moment per se, but Verde kept the Five Stripes from taking a shot (we'll frame it that way) for more than a half's worth of time, between minute 21 and minute 68. (Not a shot on goal; a shot.)
Worst Verde moment (that wasn't a goal allowed)
While there's no single moment that particularly stood out to me – I believe Myrto Uzuni's close-in miss didn't really happen because of an offside call – the team looked sluggish and uninspired for a lot of the first half. (And still didn't score a goal from open play, for the record.)
Something you might have missed
Head coaches Ronny Deila and Nico Estévez were very "What are you going to wear?" — in matching black T-shirts, black skinny jeans, and black shoes.
One nerdy tidbit
Seven of Austin's nice first-half shots came in the final 10 minutes of the half (including two minutes of stoppage time).
A question we have heading into the press conference
Why the wait until the second-half hydration break to make subs?
Verde All Day is a reader-supported online publication covering Austin FC. Additional support is provided by Austin Telco Federal Credit Union. You can comment here if you’re a subscriber, or reach out via Bluesky.
On a balmy night with the kickoff temperature in the low 90s, Austin FC capitalized on a Brandon Vázquez free kick goal from distance to outlast Atlanta United, 1-0, through 90 minutes at Q2 Stadium on Wednesday night.
But then the fourth official announced six minutes of stoppage time.
The visitors only needed two minutes of those to find a late Jamal Thiaré equalizer to spoil what looked like a home win — ending as a 1-1 draw instead.
While Verde forced a corner just 10 seconds into the match, Atlanta threatened first, with a mishit Jon Gallagher ball triggering a Miguel Almiron breakaway ending in him shooting (blessedly, if you're an Verde fan) straight at newly-bearded goalkeeper Brad Stuver.
The first half hour tipped Austin's way possession-wise (at around 60%), yet the visitors got six shots to just two for the hosts — who finally got their first shot on target in minute 37, where a cross to nowhere ended up getting recycled to Osman Bukari, playing left wing rather than his preferred right wing, who hit a masterful shot forcing Brad Guzan into a leaping save.
On the resulting corner kick, Ilie was on target with his long attempt but it hit an Atlanta defense traffic cone en route to goal, making it easier for Guzan to deal with. Verde would manage a few more attempts after that but the match went into halftime knotted at zero.
Verde looked a bit more lively after the break, and after Vázquez won a free kick getting fouled about 25 yards from goal, he took that free kick and landed it in the top corner of the goal to grab the lead.
Atlanta subbed in four players by the time Austin decided – at minute 79 – to make its first subs, getting Jáder Obrian in for Bukari and Žan Kolmanič in for a gassed Owen Wolff. Two more dry shirts entered the match for Austin in the 85th, with Vázquez and Besard Šabović giving way to CJ Fodrey and Nicolás Dubersarsky.
From there, the hosts went into full clock-milking mode, and that didn't quite work, with Thiaré getting free on a goal in the second minute of stoppage time that appeared to Stuver (and to many in the stadium) to be offside.
Best Verde moment (that wasn’t a goal)
Bukari's 37th-minute attempt forced Guzan into his first save of the game and seemed to shift Verde's offense into a higher gear.
Also, this isn't really a moment per se, but Verde kept the Five Stripes from taking a shot (we'll frame it that way) for more than a half's worth of time, between minute 21 and minute 68. (Not a shot on goal; a shot.)
Worst Verde moment (that wasn't a goal allowed)
While there's no single moment that particularly stood out to me – I believe Myrto Uzuni's close-in miss didn't really happen because of an offside call – the team looked sluggish and uninspired for a lot of the first half. (And still didn't score a goal from open play, for the record.)
Something you might have missed
Head coaches Ronny Deila and Nico Estévez were very "What are you going to wear?" — in matching black T-shirts, black skinny jeans, and black shoes.
One nerdy tidbit
Seven of Austin's nice first-half shots came in the final 10 minutes of the half (including two minutes of stoppage time).
A question we have heading into the press conference
Why the wait until the second-half hydration break to make subs?
Verde All Day is a reader-supported online publication covering Austin FC. Additional support is provided by Austin Telco Federal Credit Union. You can comment here if you’re a subscriber, or reach out via Bluesky.
Read Next
The Thursday Three: Quick quotes from a Wednesday night draw that feels like a loss
Are you wondering why Osman Bukari played on the left again on Wednesday night? There's an explanation for that.
Foreign Exchange: Three questions with the inestimable J. Sam Jones from Five Stripe Final
Atlanta United and Austin FC have quite a bit in common this season, and that's distressing. We lend an ear to J. Sam Jones, who shares some intel on the team coming to Q2 Wednesday night.
Four losses, 12 goals: We analyze film on each one, as we've done before, painfully, to figure out the whys and hows
Verde's opponents have scored 12 matches in their last four league losses. We revisited all those goals in an effort to learn more about why they happened.
Marked is in the eye of the beholder: Assessing a baffling assessment about the latest defeat
What does a literary device used by Edgar Allan Poe have to do with Saturday night's match? We go nerdy so as not to go scorched earth.