Let me start this by saying I like Matt Doyle.
I’m not just saying this as someone who reads his work. In my six years working for the MLS site as a sometimes writer and sometimes editor, I’ve edited his work (including taking on some brutal convert-from-Google Doc formatting assignments), Slacked with him, and largely enjoyed his observations about this league we love.
But I got a chance to look at his recent midseason grades article, in which he assesses Austin FC’s performance 17 matches into its 2024 season, and determines that the performance is worthy of a B-minus, conditionally, and that he expects some kind of drop off with this next set of games.
While it’s an interesting take, it might possibly be fed a bit by confirmation bias (as he projected that Austin was going to be one of the league’s worst teams, a possible Wooden Spoon winner). Given the thin roster that the team will certainly be fielding in June, it’s not a stretch to project that Verde’s next matches will be tough regardless of who Verde plays.
Let’s look at his analysis and fill in the gaps as only a local can.
