At the Whistle: San Jose Earthquakes 2, Austin FC 1
In a season finale of no consequence to Austin's playoff fortunes, Owen Wolff got the visitors the early lead. Then, the hosts, desperate to make the playoffs, scored two goals in four minutes.
On a Decision Day trip to PayPal Park, Austin FC lost 2-1 to the San Jose Earthquakes on Saturday night, with Owen Wolff getting his seventh goal of the season on a middle-of-the-first-half banger, before Josef Martínez and Niko Tsakiris got two dam-burst goals in the second half toward the win to split the regular-season series.
Austin FC also learned, thanks to results from the top four teams in the Western Conference, that it will begin its second-ever playoff journey traveling to LAFC.
Head coach Nico Estévez commenced with what you could generously describe as a rotated lineup, with Robert Taylor getting his first start, Jáder Obrian getting his ninth start of the year, and Nicolás Dubersarsky getting his seventh start of the year.
The Quakes dominated possession in the early going, logging close to a 2:1 advantage in the first 10 minutes. Brad Stuver was forced into a save in the 12th minute, repelling a shot from Martínez, but right into Ousseni Bouda's path, who put his shot wide.
Very much against the run of play, Verde pounced on a counter in the 22nd minute, and on a play in which Taylor fell down at the end of the box, possibly courting a free kick, but the rebound fell to Wolff well outside the 18, who buried his speculative shot to take the lead.
In the 33rd, Bouda — who Austin FC passed over for Kipp Keller in a SuperDraft, I'll remind everyone, looking like the Quakes' second-best attacker during his time on the field — launched a shot toward the goal's top shelf that Stuver had to paw over the bar.
Austin got to halftime still up 1-0, and with San Jose's playoff path looking bleak with the results they needed from other games plus their own deficit.
Estévez made two halftime subs, getting Besard Šabović on for Wolff and Žan Kolmanič on for Mikkel Desler. Shortly after, it's very possible that Mateja Đorđević slapped a ball away from Martínez in the box (as a certain color commentator who seems to have it in for Austin FC made the case), and in the first five minutes of the second half, the Quakes created several nervy moments in front of Austin's goal.
In the 55th, it got even worse, with Benji Kikanovic hitting a shot off Stuver's left post that somehow caromed out to the right for a goal kick.
In the 63rd, Estévez decided it was time for fresh center backs, getting Hines-Ike and Đorđević off for Julio Cascante and Oleksandr Svatok.
After more door-knocking, in the 74th, Martínez finally got his goal, elevating over Dubersarsky to score, and then three minutes later, Tsakiris (who subbed in for Beau Leroux just four minutes earlier) got to take a free kick and beat the Verde wall and Stuver to take the lead.
Verde's best hope for an equalizer came in stoppage time, with sub CJ Fodrey getting on a loose ball in front of goal and getting a header off over the bar, but it was not to be.
Austin FC finished with 47 points on the season for its second-best finish in five seasons.
Best Verde moment (that wasn’t a goal)
In the 61st, Dubersarsky and Brendan Hines-Ike shut down an optimal goalscoring moment from Martínez, who was arguably the liveliest of the Quakes attackers throughout the match.
Worst Verde moment (that wasn't a goal allowed)
For a sickening moment just after the half-hour mark, it looked like Verde had let in its worst equalizer ever, which Stuver hitting a goal kick off Chicho Arango's back, with the rebound falling into Martínez's pass for a too-easy goal. Referee Filip Dujic quickly apprised everyone of what actually happened, but had that weird goal counted, it would have been yet another bizarre moment in this bizarre series.
One thing you might have missed
Save for the playoff appearances, this was the last rollout of the Dillo kits, arguably the best of the team's away jerseys ... with a possible case to be made for best Verde jersey ever. (I will entertain arguments for the current home kits and the OG home kits and nothing else.)
One nerdy tidbit
Verde's first shot of the game went in. But in the first half, Verde only had one additional shot (not on target), to the Quakes' 11.
That would finish with a 26-4 shot advantage for the hosts.
Where this fits into the season's narrative
Austin was playing what it told itself was a playoff game, against a San Jose team that was actually playing for its playoff lives. The team actually playing for its playoff lives overcame, which perhaps speaks to the urgency it'll need to feel next weekend.
A question we have heading into the press conference
Verde kept strong defensive form for 73 minutes and then yielded two goals in the following four minutes. Should this be a concern heading into the playoffs?
Verde All Day is a reader-supported online publication covering Austin FC. Additional support is provided by Austin Telco Federal Credit Union. For more coverage, check out Emergency Podcast! (an Austin FC Podcast) wherever you get your podcasts.
You'll know by around 10 pm Saturday night who Austin will face in the 2025 MLS Playoffs. You'll be better prepared to watch Saturday's matches after reading this guide.
As the maxim goes, it's a marathon, not a sprint. Here are some of the best milestones along the way en route to Verde's second-ever playoff appearance.
On a Decision Day trip to PayPal Park, Austin FC lost 2-1 to the San Jose Earthquakes on Saturday night, with Owen Wolff getting his seventh goal of the season on a middle-of-the-first-half banger, before Josef Martínez and Niko Tsakiris got two dam-burst goals in the second half toward the win to split the regular-season series.
Austin FC also learned, thanks to results from the top four teams in the Western Conference, that it will begin its second-ever playoff journey traveling to LAFC.
Head coach Nico Estévez commenced with what you could generously describe as a rotated lineup, with Robert Taylor getting his first start, Jáder Obrian getting his ninth start of the year, and Nicolás Dubersarsky getting his seventh start of the year.
The Quakes dominated possession in the early going, logging close to a 2:1 advantage in the first 10 minutes. Brad Stuver was forced into a save in the 12th minute, repelling a shot from Martínez, but right into Ousseni Bouda's path, who put his shot wide.
Very much against the run of play, Verde pounced on a counter in the 22nd minute, and on a play in which Taylor fell down at the end of the box, possibly courting a free kick, but the rebound fell to Wolff well outside the 18, who buried his speculative shot to take the lead.
In the 33rd, Bouda — who Austin FC passed over for Kipp Keller in a SuperDraft, I'll remind everyone, looking like the Quakes' second-best attacker during his time on the field — launched a shot toward the goal's top shelf that Stuver had to paw over the bar.
Austin got to halftime still up 1-0, and with San Jose's playoff path looking bleak with the results they needed from other games plus their own deficit.
Estévez made two halftime subs, getting Besard Šabović on for Wolff and Žan Kolmanič on for Mikkel Desler. Shortly after, it's very possible that Mateja Đorđević slapped a ball away from Martínez in the box (as a certain color commentator who seems to have it in for Austin FC made the case), and in the first five minutes of the second half, the Quakes created several nervy moments in front of Austin's goal.
In the 55th, it got even worse, with Benji Kikanovic hitting a shot off Stuver's left post that somehow caromed out to the right for a goal kick.
In the 63rd, Estévez decided it was time for fresh center backs, getting Hines-Ike and Đorđević off for Julio Cascante and Oleksandr Svatok.
After more door-knocking, in the 74th, Martínez finally got his goal, elevating over Dubersarsky to score, and then three minutes later, Tsakiris (who subbed in for Beau Leroux just four minutes earlier) got to take a free kick and beat the Verde wall and Stuver to take the lead.
Verde's best hope for an equalizer came in stoppage time, with sub CJ Fodrey getting on a loose ball in front of goal and getting a header off over the bar, but it was not to be.
Austin FC finished with 47 points on the season for its second-best finish in five seasons.
Best Verde moment (that wasn’t a goal)
In the 61st, Dubersarsky and Brendan Hines-Ike shut down an optimal goalscoring moment from Martínez, who was arguably the liveliest of the Quakes attackers throughout the match.
Worst Verde moment (that wasn't a goal allowed)
For a sickening moment just after the half-hour mark, it looked like Verde had let in its worst equalizer ever, which Stuver hitting a goal kick off Chicho Arango's back, with the rebound falling into Martínez's pass for a too-easy goal. Referee Filip Dujic quickly apprised everyone of what actually happened, but had that weird goal counted, it would have been yet another bizarre moment in this bizarre series.
One thing you might have missed
Save for the playoff appearances, this was the last rollout of the Dillo kits, arguably the best of the team's away jerseys ... with a possible case to be made for best Verde jersey ever. (I will entertain arguments for the current home kits and the OG home kits and nothing else.)
One nerdy tidbit
Verde's first shot of the game went in. But in the first half, Verde only had one additional shot (not on target), to the Quakes' 11.
That would finish with a 26-4 shot advantage for the hosts.
Where this fits into the season's narrative
Austin was playing what it told itself was a playoff game, against a San Jose team that was actually playing for its playoff lives. The team actually playing for its playoff lives overcame, which perhaps speaks to the urgency it'll need to feel next weekend.
A question we have heading into the press conference
Verde kept strong defensive form for 73 minutes and then yielded two goals in the following four minutes. Should this be a concern heading into the playoffs?
Verde All Day is a reader-supported online publication covering Austin FC. Additional support is provided by Austin Telco Federal Credit Union. For more coverage, check out Emergency Podcast! (an Austin FC Podcast) wherever you get your podcasts.
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