Julio Cascante won't play Saturday.
That's the most significant news coming out of Thursday's media availability, which was mostly rote fare – with one fun divergence engaging midfielder Dani Pereira being asked about the wave of blond hairdying taking over Verde, with Žan Kolmanič joining the party – and the one non-fun bit of news that skews the center back rotation.
In the continuing early-season trend of we're not going to compare coaches but we find ourselves comparing coaches, Austin FC head coach Nico Estévez not only answered the question about Cascante's health two separate times (once asked in Spanish, then asked in English), but he did so with more specificity than we're used to
"Yeah, Julio has a hamstring [injury], grade 2a, that means in between 14 to 28, days [of recovery] ... he will be out against against Colorado, and then after this, how every player responds to that recovery the next week, we'll know more about when he could join the team." (Notably, I found a site that went hard on the description, and let me tell you, "myofascial tear with hyperintense signal at fascial border extending into muscle" doesn't sound all that fun.)
That puts Leo Väisänen into the rotation with the opportunity to either show what he can bring to Verde or what he can bring to a team that might be interested in acquiring his services, as I mused on earlier this week.
"I think we have four great center backs," Estévez said. "I think it is vital. When he came in, he did an amazing job. I think Leo has had really good precision. He's working really hard, and he fits really well [doing] the things that we are asking.
"You could see him smiling and competing," he said of Väisänen, alluding to a fun competition that they staged for players at the end of today's practice. And I think it's positive; we're lucky to have those four center backs."
(I'm now intrigued about this competition; perhaps this Instagram clip is part of it?)
Respect for Chris Armas
Chris Armas was a bit of a surprise when announced as Robin Fraser's successor as the new Rapids head coach in November 2023, having amassed a solid 33-27-11 record coaching the Red Bulls (for a 1.55 points per game average) from 2018 to 2020, followed by a disastrous 15 matches in Toronto, going 2-10-3 (that's an 0.6 PPG average) during a forgettable stretch of 2021.
After time as an assistant coach at Manchester United and Leeds, Armas returned to coach in MLS and he's about back to where he was with the Red Bulls, at 1.49 PPG after 47 matches.
"Chris is an amazing coach, amazing person. I faced him a lot of times when I was in Columbus and he was at Red Bull, then when I was in Dallas and he was in Colorado," Estévez reflected. "He has changed some things that he was doing in Red Bull at that time. It's a very energetic team. Everyone runs, everyone fights, everyone goes forward.
"They want to create dangerous plays. They get crosses. They're a dangerous team. ... but on the other hand, I think we also can hurt them, because we have a team with a profile of players that can do a really good job against the way they want to defend when they want to attack," he added.
He predicted "a very, very intense and dynamic game," similar to the Decision Day battle they had last season, with the capacity for the same kind of chaos that happened in October.
Uzuni watch
Estévez was also asked what kind of workload Myrto Uzuni might get on Saturday, following his 29-minute, four-touch debut against Portland. "We'll see how he feels ... we saw him very energetic today. It's the way that he is as a player." He hinted that a start could be a possibility, saying that "he's ready to go." But he also didn't commit to that, noting, "If we decide he's coming from the bench, he can have more minutes than the last time for sure."
"He's a top player who was in Europe, at Granada, in La Liga," said Pereira. "He's gonna bring quality. Just how everyone brings quality."
He added, "I don't know who's starting, but if it starts, I'm sure he will give a good game. He's anxious, too. He wants to play. He said he didn't want to sit out the first game, the second game. He wanted to start, just like everyone, and I know he's pumped to get more minutes."
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.
Julio Cascante won't play Saturday.
That's the most significant news coming out of Thursday's media availability, which was mostly rote fare – with one fun divergence engaging midfielder Dani Pereira being asked about the wave of blond hairdying taking over Verde, with Žan Kolmanič joining the party – and the one non-fun bit of news that skews the center back rotation.
In the continuing early-season trend of we're not going to compare coaches but we find ourselves comparing coaches, Austin FC head coach Nico Estévez not only answered the question about Cascante's health two separate times (once asked in Spanish, then asked in English), but he did so with more specificity than we're used to
"Yeah, Julio has a hamstring [injury], grade 2a, that means in between 14 to 28, days [of recovery] ... he will be out against against Colorado, and then after this, how every player responds to that recovery the next week, we'll know more about when he could join the team." (Notably, I found a site that went hard on the description, and let me tell you, "myofascial tear with hyperintense signal at fascial border extending into muscle" doesn't sound all that fun.)
That puts Leo Väisänen into the rotation with the opportunity to either show what he can bring to Verde or what he can bring to a team that might be interested in acquiring his services, as I mused on earlier this week.
"I think we have four great center backs," Estévez said. "I think it is vital. When he came in, he did an amazing job. I think Leo has had really good precision. He's working really hard, and he fits really well [doing] the things that we are asking.
"You could see him smiling and competing," he said of Väisänen, alluding to a fun competition that they staged for players at the end of today's practice. And I think it's positive; we're lucky to have those four center backs."
(I'm now intrigued about this competition; perhaps this Instagram clip is part of it?)
Respect for Chris Armas
Chris Armas was a bit of a surprise when announced as Robin Fraser's successor as the new Rapids head coach in November 2023, having amassed a solid 33-27-11 record coaching the Red Bulls (for a 1.55 points per game average) from 2018 to 2020, followed by a disastrous 15 matches in Toronto, going 2-10-3 (that's an 0.6 PPG average) during a forgettable stretch of 2021.
After time as an assistant coach at Manchester United and Leeds, Armas returned to coach in MLS and he's about back to where he was with the Red Bulls, at 1.49 PPG after 47 matches.
"Chris is an amazing coach, amazing person. I faced him a lot of times when I was in Columbus and he was at Red Bull, then when I was in Dallas and he was in Colorado," Estévez reflected. "He has changed some things that he was doing in Red Bull at that time. It's a very energetic team. Everyone runs, everyone fights, everyone goes forward.
"They want to create dangerous plays. They get crosses. They're a dangerous team. ... but on the other hand, I think we also can hurt them, because we have a team with a profile of players that can do a really good job against the way they want to defend when they want to attack," he added.
He predicted "a very, very intense and dynamic game," similar to the Decision Day battle they had last season, with the capacity for the same kind of chaos that happened in October.
Uzuni watch
Estévez was also asked what kind of workload Myrto Uzuni might get on Saturday, following his 29-minute, four-touch debut against Portland. "We'll see how he feels ... we saw him very energetic today. It's the way that he is as a player." He hinted that a start could be a possibility, saying that "he's ready to go." But he also didn't commit to that, noting, "If we decide he's coming from the bench, he can have more minutes than the last time for sure."
"He's a top player who was in Europe, at Granada, in La Liga," said Pereira. "He's gonna bring quality. Just how everyone brings quality."
He added, "I don't know who's starting, but if it starts, I'm sure he will give a good game. He's anxious, too. He wants to play. He said he didn't want to sit out the first game, the second game. He wanted to start, just like everyone, and I know he's pumped to get more minutes."
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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