At the Whistle: Austin FC 0, New England Revolution 0
Sometimes 0-0 games can be exciting, like this was. But they can also be frustrating, like this was.
Austin FC, coming off an Open Cup match they won without scoring in open play, again failed to score from open play on Saturday night against the New England Revolution at Q2 Stadium — but they also held firm, getting a 0-0 draw that was more exciting than the score might indicate.
Verde got the first shot on goal for either side just past the 15-minute mark, and it was tantalizingly close, with Osman Bukari cutting inside and getting a cross to a waiting Myrto Uzuni, who tried to wrong-foot Aljaz Ivacic and instead sent a shot that Ivacic was able to kick-save away.
Uzuni reacted in the way you might expect him to react.
We've all had moments like this; just not in front of a pretty full stadium (Alex Rubio)
In the 28th minute, Bukari again found space down the right flank, this time feeding to Mikkel Desler running to his outside in parallel, but shooting into the side netting.
Then, Luca Langoni nearly scored in the 30th minute (see worst Verde moment), instead hitting the post past an outstretched Brad Stuver to make things a little more interesting.
Dani Pereira went on a solo run into the final third and the box in the 37th minute, getting off a shot that deflected off a Revs defender Mamadou Fofana — again very nearly a goal.
But then the next two big chances, one each on either side of halftime, belonged to New England, including Langoni beating Desler in the 47th minute to get in a pass to an arriving Thomas Chancalay, who stung Stuver's palms on his quick-reflex shot.
Austin FC head coach Nico Estévez made a rare early triple sub at minute 57 to get Robert Taylor, Besard Šabović, and Oleksandr Svatok into the game.
Bukari had another one of Austin's missed chances in the 67th, getting in on goal once again and trying to fool Ivacic with a near-post shot. (He didn't fool him.)
Owen Wolff got into the match right after that attempt, and in the 75th minute, attempted to reactivate his PK-drawing magic from Tuesday's match, drawing contact in the box from Brayan Ceballos but not getting rewarded by referee Rosendo Mendoza (who you may remember issuing Brendan Hines-Ike two quick yellows in the waning moments of the home match against the Galaxy back in April.
A moment later, another Bukari shot on goal, another Ivacic save — matched two minutes later by Stuver saving against super sub Leo Campana. Two minutes later, Uzuni struck the crossbar with a close-range shot — the last appreciable chance for either side.
Best Verde moment (that wasn’t a goal)
Though it was ultimately fruitless, Bukari's move toward goal to get Uzuni his early chance was one of several fantastic individual efforts from the Ghanaian winger, who is really fun to watch even if it's painful to see this offense squander all the chances they're able to extricate.
Worst Verde moment (that wasn't a goal allowed)
The Langoni shot came with a leading pass from Carles Gil — which is something you should game for when playing the Revs, and because once Langoni received the pass, he burst into the open field with Julio Cascante trailing. Decidedly trailing.
Julio Cascante got beat on this play (OtraXFavor)
One thing you might have missed
At halftime, Ilie Sánchez, in his captain's role, had an extended conversation with Mendoza, accompanied by Žan Kolmanič. Then Stuver got some time with him, as did Guilherme Biro, still wearing his substitute's penny.
Also fun: In the 65th minute, Revs sub Maxi Urruti kicked a ball knocked out back into the field to help his teammates set up for a free kick, and then did a little golf swing miming move that I really didn't expect from him.
One nerdy tidbit
MLS rated Uzuni's missed 16th-minute chance at 0.59 xG, which is three-fourths of what a penalty kick gets.
Where this fits into the season's narrative
A draw was not optimal against a relatively beatable team at home, and now Verde have two remaining July matches on the road with a big Austin-centric All-Star spectacle in the middle of that.
A question we have heading into the press conference
For all the questions that we've asked about offensive production, I'm weary to ask that again, but curious about the triple sub so relatively early, and if it's time to try Taylor as a starter (I think so) or something different formationally that might unlock this still-padlocked offense.
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.
Austin FC announced its first three player exits on Tuesday, including the club's current captain and a three-year starter who helped anchor the defense. The club said it would announce more roster moves later.
Davy Arnaud will be staying on as an Austin FC assistant coach following his stint as interim head coach. Meanwhile, two players have gone to Instagram to tell fans they're leaving the club.
Austin FC lost its season finale on Saturday, and while one player is already looking to a future with Jim Curtin, one gave a statement that had a certain air of finality to it.
Austin FC came into its final match of the 2026 season hoping for a home win. Instead, the Timbers got their winning goal, punching their playoff ticket, in the match's third minute.
Austin FC, coming off an Open Cup match they won without scoring in open play, again failed to score from open play on Saturday night against the New England Revolution at Q2 Stadium — but they also held firm, getting a 0-0 draw that was more exciting than the score might indicate.
Verde got the first shot on goal for either side just past the 15-minute mark, and it was tantalizingly close, with Osman Bukari cutting inside and getting a cross to a waiting Myrto Uzuni, who tried to wrong-foot Aljaz Ivacic and instead sent a shot that Ivacic was able to kick-save away.
Uzuni reacted in the way you might expect him to react.
In the 28th minute, Bukari again found space down the right flank, this time feeding to Mikkel Desler running to his outside in parallel, but shooting into the side netting.
Then, Luca Langoni nearly scored in the 30th minute (see worst Verde moment), instead hitting the post past an outstretched Brad Stuver to make things a little more interesting.
Dani Pereira went on a solo run into the final third and the box in the 37th minute, getting off a shot that deflected off a Revs defender Mamadou Fofana — again very nearly a goal.
But then the next two big chances, one each on either side of halftime, belonged to New England, including Langoni beating Desler in the 47th minute to get in a pass to an arriving Thomas Chancalay, who stung Stuver's palms on his quick-reflex shot.
Austin FC head coach Nico Estévez made a rare early triple sub at minute 57 to get Robert Taylor, Besard Šabović, and Oleksandr Svatok into the game.
Bukari had another one of Austin's missed chances in the 67th, getting in on goal once again and trying to fool Ivacic with a near-post shot. (He didn't fool him.)
Owen Wolff got into the match right after that attempt, and in the 75th minute, attempted to reactivate his PK-drawing magic from Tuesday's match, drawing contact in the box from Brayan Ceballos but not getting rewarded by referee Rosendo Mendoza (who you may remember issuing Brendan Hines-Ike two quick yellows in the waning moments of the home match against the Galaxy back in April.
A moment later, another Bukari shot on goal, another Ivacic save — matched two minutes later by Stuver saving against super sub Leo Campana. Two minutes later, Uzuni struck the crossbar with a close-range shot — the last appreciable chance for either side.
Best Verde moment (that wasn’t a goal)
Though it was ultimately fruitless, Bukari's move toward goal to get Uzuni his early chance was one of several fantastic individual efforts from the Ghanaian winger, who is really fun to watch even if it's painful to see this offense squander all the chances they're able to extricate.
Worst Verde moment (that wasn't a goal allowed)
The Langoni shot came with a leading pass from Carles Gil — which is something you should game for when playing the Revs, and because once Langoni received the pass, he burst into the open field with Julio Cascante trailing. Decidedly trailing.
One thing you might have missed
At halftime, Ilie Sánchez, in his captain's role, had an extended conversation with Mendoza, accompanied by Žan Kolmanič. Then Stuver got some time with him, as did Guilherme Biro, still wearing his substitute's penny.
Also fun: In the 65th minute, Revs sub Maxi Urruti kicked a ball knocked out back into the field to help his teammates set up for a free kick, and then did a little golf swing miming move that I really didn't expect from him.
One nerdy tidbit
MLS rated Uzuni's missed 16th-minute chance at 0.59 xG, which is three-fourths of what a penalty kick gets.
Where this fits into the season's narrative
A draw was not optimal against a relatively beatable team at home, and now Verde have two remaining July matches on the road with a big Austin-centric All-Star spectacle in the middle of that.
A question we have heading into the press conference
For all the questions that we've asked about offensive production, I'm weary to ask that again, but curious about the triple sub so relatively early, and if it's time to try Taylor as a starter (I think so) or something different formationally that might unlock this still-padlocked offense.
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.
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