At the Whistle: Sporting Kansas City 1, Austin FC 2
Coming from behind has not been a hallmark for Verde in 2025, but they did in on Sunday to edge closer to securing a playoff place.
In what Sporting Kansas City fans like to depict as the "Blue Hell," Austin FC persevered on the road on Sunday night, with Dejan Joveljić getting a first-half PK on a questionable call, Owen Wolff answering with an artful goal, and CJ Fodrey completing the rare (in 2025) comeback for a 2-1 win.
The story of the first half was whistles, starting with Owen Wolff drawing a foul from Jake Davis in the 4th minute that led to a wayward Diego Rubio free kick just outside the 18.
The real consequential one, however, came in the 12th, when Shapi Suleymanov weaved into the box, drawing minimal contact from Nicolás Dubersarsky. It initially appeared it would slip past the powers that be, but it went to VARlington, where Ismail Elfath determined the barest of contact was made.
Joveljić then stepped to the spot and did what Joveljić does, for his 17th goal of the year.
Wolff answered back in the 37th, making a smart run to meet Guilherme Biro's pass, taking a high degree of difficulty touch to move it into an open spot, and finishing well.
After halftime, the activity level of the match ebbed a bit for Austin; SKC did end up making the match's first two subs at the hour mark, getting Mason Toye and Logan Ndenbe into the mix. In the 67th minute, Nico Estévez finally activated needed subs, getting Fodrey in for a largely ineffective Jáder Obrian, and Robert Taylor for a largely ineffective Jon Gallagher.
Fodrey very nearly got his first MLS goal in the 73rd minute, getting his head on a ball sent far post (I believe, as you might expect, by Wolff) and heading it off the crossbar. Taylor also had an opportunity in front of goal three minutes later, but managed to crumble into a small pile of flesh and bones in front of the wanting ball, stopping its momentum and then not being able to get any body part on it to send it goalward.
But then, to cap off 10 of the best minutes of his life, Fodrey got that elusive first goal on a corner in the 82nd minute, off a Wolff assist. (Just moments before, Fodrey nearly got an assist after a mammoth downfield run, sending a ball to Taylor, who called for it. John Pulskamp laid out for a solid save to temporarily preserve the draw.)
Ervin Torres also made his 2025 MLS debut, getting in for Rubio in the 83rd minute. Ilie Sánchez also got in against his former team, along with Torres, to help in preserving the lead.
Best Verde moment (that wasn’t a goal)
Before Fodrey scored, he almost scored on a header perhaps even more beautiful than the goal he actually scored.
Worst Verde moment (that wasn't a goal allowed)
Dubersarsky is young and will make mistakes at this phase of his career. Getting whistled on VAR for tapping his foot against Suleymanov's heel was a mistake, but a very soft way to get whistled for a penalty kick. (We'll call it a lesson in MLS.)
One thing you might have missed
There was some funny banter about former SKC captain and Austin FC player Matt Besler advising Daniel Salloi, upon winning the SKC captaincy, to shave a mustache that makes him look a bit like Freddie Mercury.
One nerdy tidbit
With Wolff's goal, he's scored five in his last seven (which are, incidentally, his first five goals since scoring the dreamy one against Toronto FC in September 2024).
Where this fits into the season's narrative
With the win, Austin gets up to 41 points, just a point removed from their second-best finish in their history. Also, it's a second straight win after three winless. Peaks and valleys.
A question we have heading into the press conference
Since Estévez has been forthcoming about penalty calls against his team, curious to get his take on the one that allowed SKC to take the early lead. I also might ask about Obrian as a target center forward, which was a choice.
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.
Dejan Joveljić has 16 goals for an SKC team no longer coached by Peter Vermes. That's the tip of the intel iceberg we've gathered ahead of Sunday evening's match.
We learned a little bit more about Nicky Beloko's brief sojourn in Austin, and quite a bit about why Austin FC's sporting director didn't bring in more players during the summer transfer window.
In what Sporting Kansas City fans like to depict as the "Blue Hell," Austin FC persevered on the road on Sunday night, with Dejan Joveljić getting a first-half PK on a questionable call, Owen Wolff answering with an artful goal, and CJ Fodrey completing the rare (in 2025) comeback for a 2-1 win.
The story of the first half was whistles, starting with Owen Wolff drawing a foul from Jake Davis in the 4th minute that led to a wayward Diego Rubio free kick just outside the 18.
The real consequential one, however, came in the 12th, when Shapi Suleymanov weaved into the box, drawing minimal contact from Nicolás Dubersarsky. It initially appeared it would slip past the powers that be, but it went to VARlington, where Ismail Elfath determined the barest of contact was made.
Joveljić then stepped to the spot and did what Joveljić does, for his 17th goal of the year.
Wolff answered back in the 37th, making a smart run to meet Guilherme Biro's pass, taking a high degree of difficulty touch to move it into an open spot, and finishing well.
After halftime, the activity level of the match ebbed a bit for Austin; SKC did end up making the match's first two subs at the hour mark, getting Mason Toye and Logan Ndenbe into the mix. In the 67th minute, Nico Estévez finally activated needed subs, getting Fodrey in for a largely ineffective Jáder Obrian, and Robert Taylor for a largely ineffective Jon Gallagher.
Fodrey very nearly got his first MLS goal in the 73rd minute, getting his head on a ball sent far post (I believe, as you might expect, by Wolff) and heading it off the crossbar. Taylor also had an opportunity in front of goal three minutes later, but managed to crumble into a small pile of flesh and bones in front of the wanting ball, stopping its momentum and then not being able to get any body part on it to send it goalward.
But then, to cap off 10 of the best minutes of his life, Fodrey got that elusive first goal on a corner in the 82nd minute, off a Wolff assist. (Just moments before, Fodrey nearly got an assist after a mammoth downfield run, sending a ball to Taylor, who called for it. John Pulskamp laid out for a solid save to temporarily preserve the draw.)
Ervin Torres also made his 2025 MLS debut, getting in for Rubio in the 83rd minute. Ilie Sánchez also got in against his former team, along with Torres, to help in preserving the lead.
Best Verde moment (that wasn’t a goal)
Before Fodrey scored, he almost scored on a header perhaps even more beautiful than the goal he actually scored.
Worst Verde moment (that wasn't a goal allowed)
Dubersarsky is young and will make mistakes at this phase of his career. Getting whistled on VAR for tapping his foot against Suleymanov's heel was a mistake, but a very soft way to get whistled for a penalty kick. (We'll call it a lesson in MLS.)
One thing you might have missed
There was some funny banter about former SKC captain and Austin FC player Matt Besler advising Daniel Salloi, upon winning the SKC captaincy, to shave a mustache that makes him look a bit like Freddie Mercury.
One nerdy tidbit
With Wolff's goal, he's scored five in his last seven (which are, incidentally, his first five goals since scoring the dreamy one against Toronto FC in September 2024).
Where this fits into the season's narrative
With the win, Austin gets up to 41 points, just a point removed from their second-best finish in their history. Also, it's a second straight win after three winless. Peaks and valleys.
A question we have heading into the press conference
Since Estévez has been forthcoming about penalty calls against his team, curious to get his take on the one that allowed SKC to take the early lead. I also might ask about Obrian as a target center forward, which was a choice.
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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