Austin FC, going to one of their own personal houses of horror (currently known as Energizer Park), rode Myrto Uzuni's first-ever Austin FC goal to a 1-0 win on Sunday afternoon, making it three straight triumphs with the sun still out at the final whistle.
Austin FC answered the question, "Who wants this ball on the field?" in the affirmative, getting the bulk of possession through the first half hour, though it wasn't until Uzuni's 33rd-minute goal, assisted by an incisively-penetrating Osman Bukari, that Verde got their first shot on target.
Brandon Vázquez got off a quality attempt three minutes later, saved by fill-in St. Louis goalkeeper Ben Lundt, which would be the closest Verde would get to adding to the lead prior to halftime.
St. Louis had a couple of different chances to equalize shortly after halftime, including via a wickedly-curling Marcel Hartel top-corner shot in the 53rd minute that Stuver was able to paw away. St. Louis also engineered a 65th-minute heart-in-throat moment, with Hines-Ike blocking a shot near the goal line and then clearing it.
Verde looked as it they might have doubled the lead in the 59th minute, but that goal was called back for being quite offside in the buildup.
After an unwelcome weather delay, the hosts brought on a pair of impact subs, João Klauss and Tomáš Ostrák, to try to influence the match. That led to some defensive sequences you've become uncomfortably familiar with in recent matches — a lot of danger created by (in this case, Purina Gang) attackers, but with Verde defenders able to hold position and prevent a goal. (Though some of that was admittedly hairy.)
Best Verde moment (that wasn’t a goal)
In the 17th minute; Verde won a corner, and then entered a second and third phase ... and then, save for a few quick turnover blips followed by Verde winning the ball back, kept the ball for most of the next five minutes and then beyond, leading to an off-target header in the 24th minute providing a proper St. Louis reset. Though Verde didn't win the first-half possession battle, they got reasonably close to 50/50 thanks to this sequence.
And, of course, the 53rd-minute Stuver save.
Worst Verde moment (that wasn't a goal allowed)
Less than a minute into the (first) restart, Jannes Horn sent a ball in toward a rushing-toward-goal Conrad Wallem; Brendan Hines-Ike sought to clear it, but Wallem got to the ball just after Hines-Ike, causing a ricochet shot over goal that just as easily could have gone into the goal.
Something you might have missed
Right after the final whistle, we got a few glimpses on the Apple TV stream of the small but hardy group of fans who made the journey to St. Louis.
How this match fits into the season’s narrative
Verde got its third straight win on a weekend afternoon; perhaps this is good and they should play more of these? Sadly, they'll revert back to Saturday night matches with next week's return leg at Q2 vs. Portland, but this win got Verde to 12 points and a 2 PPG average through their first six matches for the first time in club history – even beating out the hot 11-point start in 2022.
One nerdy tidbit
The halftime possession battle was barely won by St. Louis, with Verde getting 48.9% thanks to a late-half St. Louis surge, but won the first-half xG battle 0.66 to 0.18. (That battle would end around 59-41% for the hosts, with the final xG battle going 1.2 to 0.9 for the hosts as Verde only managed two shots on target all match — with the 36th-minute Vázquez shot being the last.)
A question we have heading into the press conference
It's taken six matches into the season, but we've finally got one front-line designated player assisting another on a goal ... how does this follow from Friday's narrative about the team's identity building as they get to know each other's rhythms better?
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, going to one of their own personal houses of horror (currently known as Energizer Park), rode Myrto Uzuni's first-ever Austin FC goal to a 1-0 win on Sunday afternoon, making it three straight triumphs with the sun still out at the final whistle.
Austin FC answered the question, "Who wants this ball on the field?" in the affirmative, getting the bulk of possession through the first half hour, though it wasn't until Uzuni's 33rd-minute goal, assisted by an incisively-penetrating Osman Bukari, that Verde got their first shot on target.
Brandon Vázquez got off a quality attempt three minutes later, saved by fill-in St. Louis goalkeeper Ben Lundt, which would be the closest Verde would get to adding to the lead prior to halftime.
St. Louis had a couple of different chances to equalize shortly after halftime, including via a wickedly-curling Marcel Hartel top-corner shot in the 53rd minute that Stuver was able to paw away. St. Louis also engineered a 65th-minute heart-in-throat moment, with Hines-Ike blocking a shot near the goal line and then clearing it.
Verde looked as it they might have doubled the lead in the 59th minute, but that goal was called back for being quite offside in the buildup.
After an unwelcome weather delay, the hosts brought on a pair of impact subs, João Klauss and Tomáš Ostrák, to try to influence the match. That led to some defensive sequences you've become uncomfortably familiar with in recent matches — a lot of danger created by (in this case, Purina Gang) attackers, but with Verde defenders able to hold position and prevent a goal. (Though some of that was admittedly hairy.)
Best Verde moment (that wasn’t a goal)
In the 17th minute; Verde won a corner, and then entered a second and third phase ... and then, save for a few quick turnover blips followed by Verde winning the ball back, kept the ball for most of the next five minutes and then beyond, leading to an off-target header in the 24th minute providing a proper St. Louis reset. Though Verde didn't win the first-half possession battle, they got reasonably close to 50/50 thanks to this sequence.
And, of course, the 53rd-minute Stuver save.
Worst Verde moment (that wasn't a goal allowed)
Less than a minute into the (first) restart, Jannes Horn sent a ball in toward a rushing-toward-goal Conrad Wallem; Brendan Hines-Ike sought to clear it, but Wallem got to the ball just after Hines-Ike, causing a ricochet shot over goal that just as easily could have gone into the goal.
Something you might have missed
Right after the final whistle, we got a few glimpses on the Apple TV stream of the small but hardy group of fans who made the journey to St. Louis.
How this match fits into the season’s narrative
Verde got its third straight win on a weekend afternoon; perhaps this is good and they should play more of these? Sadly, they'll revert back to Saturday night matches with next week's return leg at Q2 vs. Portland, but this win got Verde to 12 points and a 2 PPG average through their first six matches for the first time in club history – even beating out the hot 11-point start in 2022.
One nerdy tidbit
The halftime possession battle was barely won by St. Louis, with Verde getting 48.9% thanks to a late-half St. Louis surge, but won the first-half xG battle 0.66 to 0.18. (That battle would end around 59-41% for the hosts, with the final xG battle going 1.2 to 0.9 for the hosts as Verde only managed two shots on target all match — with the 36th-minute Vázquez shot being the last.)
A question we have heading into the press conference
It's taken six matches into the season, but we've finally got one front-line designated player assisting another on a goal ... how does this follow from Friday's narrative about the team's identity building as they get to know each other's rhythms better?
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
A successful 'business trip': Reflections following Austin FC's third win in a row
Austin FC got their third straight win on Sunday, and added to its impressive tally of minutes defending a one-goal lead.
A born identity: Austin FC, beginning to define themselves five matches in
Playing in St. Louis on Sunday, Verde have a chance to build on a burgeoning identity and get to double-digit points on the young season.
Foreign Exchange: Justin Horneker helps us make sense of St. Louis City SC
Learn more about Austin FC's opponent on Sunday, who you might remember from some pretty awful losses.
Who wants this ball on the field? Perhaps neither Austin FC nor their Sunday opponent
There's a stat you may have not heard of, and Austin FC's close to leading the league in it ... but that's not automatically good or bad.