At the Whistle: Austin FC 2, San Diego FC 1

It finally happened, friends.

After 370 minutes, Austin FC got a goal from open play for the first time in 2025. That goal, on a Diego Rubio-assisted throughball that Brandon Vázquez put away – how I've been waiting to write about a Vázquez goal — led to Verde getting a 2-1 win against San Diego FC at Q2 Stadium in a "Sunday Night Soccer" match that started in the bright sunlit 3 p.m. hour.

When Rubio challenged SDFC keeper CJ dos Santos on a long Brad Stuver pass just a shade over 10 seconds into the match, it looked as it might be the sort of Austin-on-the-front-foot game you'd expect in a matchup against an expansion team, though San Diego did start the season with a four-match unbeaten streak.

Then, when young center back Ian Pilcher got a yellow card in the third minute for a foul on Vázquez that had a good DOGSO argument connected to it, it gave Verde even more opportunity to pressure a back line that was also reconstituted due to injuries and international duty.

Vázquez's goal was the first from open play all season, yet the second goal nine minutes later was Verde returning to its set piece ways, albeit on a quick kick by Owen Wolff after a San Diego foul. While opponents near Wolff has their backs to the play, absorbing the injustice of the whistle, Wolff deftly found Jon Gallagher with an outlet pass that he then controlled and took to the house for what would ultimately stand as the match winner.

It wasn't all perfect in the first half, though; Verde gave one back in the 27th minute, letting SDFC's offense work it around to Luca de la Torre to make good on a shot. (Hilariously, from the press box, we heard a single, isolated "Yeah!" from a lone fan who cut through the silence.)

Five minutes after the restart, Rubio nearly got Verde back up to a two-goal lead, getting free on the right flank but getting his shot just wide of the far post.

Then there was a lot of Vázquez almost getting a second goal, including a 57th-minute attempted chip and a 59th-minute shot that sailed just over the bar. Then sub Osman Bukari got into the almost party with his own flubbed high-percentage chance which owes to dos Santos making an excellent last-ditch attempt on the ball.

In the final half hour of the match, Verde had to play more defensively to deal with the San Diego momentum shift, which included an 86th-minute corner kick header from SDFC captain Jeppe Tverskov that glanced off the corner of the crossbar. But they held on for their third win of the season and now, suddenly, Verde find themselves second in a crowded West race.

Best Verde moment (that wasn’t a goal)

It wasn't just one moment, per se, but in my head, I'm celebrating a delightful montage of all the passes getting Verde players into enticing one-v-one situations, even if many of them were frustrating in their finishes.

Worst Verde moment (that wasn't a goal allowed)

The Brendan Hines-Ike foul on Luca Bombino on the 45th-minute free kick took away what looked like it would be another set-piece goal, four minutes after Vázquez went too hard and too high with a shot where he again was led to goal by a precise Wolff long ball. Being up 2-1 isn't a bad way to go into halftime, but being up 3-1 would diminish hope for the visitors just that much more.

Something you might have missed

Yes, that was Andrew Wiebe, in Western wear appearing like it only recently made it into his closet, interviewing Austin FC head coach Nico Estévez as the teams headed into the locker room for halftime.

How this match fits into the season’s narrative

By hanging on for the win, Verde has vaulted to second in the West (!) just five weeks into the season. The goals aren't yet coming in "bags and bunches," as Gallagher alluded to on Thursday, but you can see the progress from week to week. And, for the first time this season, a pair of goals in a match!

One nerdy tidbit

At halftime, Verde was losing the possession battle 71% to 29% but winning the xG battle 1.64 to 0.47.

A question we have heading into the press conference

We're curious about this strategy to let San Diego have so much of the ball and yet getting the bulk of the true scoring opportunities. The finishing still needs some polish, but Estévez has to be happy with the ideas manifesting on the field five weeks in.

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