Nico Estévez started his Thursday media availability, prefacing the first road match of 2025, with some fairly obvious and benign comments spun from getting a win in its home opener.
We'll share them all the same, just because we haven't had a quote like this after an opening match since the only other time Verde won one, back in 2022.
"I think after the first game, and all the expectation and waiting and hard work throughout the preseason, winning helps you to approach the weekend with a different mood. Everyone is connected, everyone is looking forward for what is coming next, and but at the end of the day, as I said, winning or losing, that game is passed, and we just have to be focused on the present, what we have in front of us.
"That's Portland, and we just have to use that game to gain confidence, but also to to get better as a team, because it's just the beginning, and we have to be a better team as the season is coming."
In other words, he's focused on the bigger, 34-match project of the season even taking it piece by piece. It's seeing the forest for the trees – or in this case, the Timbers, who will be without Austin FC legend Kamal Miller (who was taken in the club's expansion draft and then moved to Montréal 15 minutes later, on his way to becoming a 2022 MLS All-Star and a Canadian international approaching 50 caps with Les Rouges).
While the defense will miss Miller, who got a red card 11 minutes into a disastrous home opener loss to Vancouver, they will likely give David Da Costa a start. He's the new designated player who played the second half on Sunday, being counted on to fill the Evander-sized hole in the Portland midfield, and he's got the potential to make the Timbers quite a bit better than they'd otherwise be.
More goals, please
The drive to get Austin to a better state needs to start with generating more goals. It's something that Estévez owned and tasked himself with after considering Verde's output against Sporting Kansas City last Saturday – 12 shots, sure, but just two on target and only a single goal.
Though Estévez put part of the blame on SKC sitting deep and defending, he also recounted a sequence in which Osman Bukari and Jáder Obrian went to a ball in open space within range of goal with neither getting off a shot, an instance when Owen Wolff wasn't able to connect a cross inside the six with the goalkeeper already beaten, and Dani Pereira's 47th-minute skied shot from 12 yards out.
"I think those are very, very clear chances that we could do better ... Other than that, I think we created spaces to be more dangerous. I think we created three against two [advantages] in the box, but the crosses weren't as accurate as we would like, or we didn't cross the ball. These are the areas that we have to be better, and as the games come on and the weeks come in, we can, as a staff, highlight that to the players and work with that, and hopefully in the next week, we can be better on those.
"I think we are learning how our players move, even though there was a game plan, the action from Biro, the action from Pereira. It was a game plan. Attacked those areas and all other times that we didn't connect a good cross, I think is also them connecting better with their teammates and knowing how they move," indicating he expects improvement in this area over the coming weeks.
Everyone's available, which means ...
Estévez indicated that all players are available for selection Saturday, including recently arrived designated player Myrto Uzuni.
"He is ready," Estévez said. "He has trained really well this week. Obviously, he's in a different stage than the others, and you can feel like he is a little bit tired from the week, but he's ready to go."
Building on a theme, he said in response to a question about anticipating Uzuni and Brandon Vázquez playing together, "I think it's just to get them into that connection. You know, we're talking about how difficult it is sometimes to be connected, and then some things that we missed in the last game is going to be a good opportunity to them, to have an opportunity if they play together. Because, you know, depending on the game, it could be different. But it is important for us that when they play together, they get to know each other, and they get to bring this good connection that can help the team."
He also, speaking of front line matters, got into whether to play Bukari on the right wing – which he appears better suited for – or left wing, where he played for the bulk of Saturday's match.
"He has played on the right, but he plays on the left in the [Ghana] national team," Estévez observed. "When I joined the team, I analyzed every player, and I went deep on Buka to see what positions he could play ... I told him in preseason that I would like to interchange him from right and left to see how he can adapt to different solutions that we can find on him playing, and depending on the opponent, and so far he's playing there, and we'll see how everything is developed. We always try to find the best spots for the players."
Speaking of Bukari ...
Bukari was the player made available Thursday, indicating that getting to experience a full preseason with Austin FC was helpful for him, calling it one of the most important elements of playing soccer.
"When you are in the preseason, you will be with the coach, the coaching staff and the players, the style of play," he said. "You learn a lot in the pre season, because you have time to adapt the environment, the system and everything. So for me, every time I'm in the preseason, when I go to a team, it's good for me, because that's the time I have to learn from the coach, because when the league starts, you don't have time, because the league is week after week."
He was modest about the goal he scored, going to the "win is the most important thing" card, though he also said the goal brought him confidence.
He didn't lack for confidence when talking about being guarded by multiple players last Saturday.
"It's not that frustrating, because the more they bring more players to me, the more we have less players over," he said. "So I guess I have to be quick enough to release the ball fast. As soon as all the players they come around me, then I can give to another player so that they can change [to the] other side. So it's good."
Hinting about his ability to elude players, he continued, "Three players coming to one player is good for the team. Just I need to protect the ball and release the ball to another player so that they can finish on the other side. So for me, it's no problem. And sometimes, too, I can go one against one, one against two, one against three ... it's not a problem for me as a winger."
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.
Nico Estévez started his Thursday media availability, prefacing the first road match of 2025, with some fairly obvious and benign comments spun from getting a win in its home opener.
We'll share them all the same, just because we haven't had a quote like this after an opening match since the only other time Verde won one, back in 2022.
"I think after the first game, and all the expectation and waiting and hard work throughout the preseason, winning helps you to approach the weekend with a different mood. Everyone is connected, everyone is looking forward for what is coming next, and but at the end of the day, as I said, winning or losing, that game is passed, and we just have to be focused on the present, what we have in front of us.
"That's Portland, and we just have to use that game to gain confidence, but also to to get better as a team, because it's just the beginning, and we have to be a better team as the season is coming."
In other words, he's focused on the bigger, 34-match project of the season even taking it piece by piece. It's seeing the forest for the trees – or in this case, the Timbers, who will be without Austin FC legend Kamal Miller (who was taken in the club's expansion draft and then moved to Montréal 15 minutes later, on his way to becoming a 2022 MLS All-Star and a Canadian international approaching 50 caps with Les Rouges).
While the defense will miss Miller, who got a red card 11 minutes into a disastrous home opener loss to Vancouver, they will likely give David Da Costa a start. He's the new designated player who played the second half on Sunday, being counted on to fill the Evander-sized hole in the Portland midfield, and he's got the potential to make the Timbers quite a bit better than they'd otherwise be.
More goals, please
The drive to get Austin to a better state needs to start with generating more goals. It's something that Estévez owned and tasked himself with after considering Verde's output against Sporting Kansas City last Saturday – 12 shots, sure, but just two on target and only a single goal.
Though Estévez put part of the blame on SKC sitting deep and defending, he also recounted a sequence in which Osman Bukari and Jáder Obrian went to a ball in open space within range of goal with neither getting off a shot, an instance when Owen Wolff wasn't able to connect a cross inside the six with the goalkeeper already beaten, and Dani Pereira's 47th-minute skied shot from 12 yards out.
"I think those are very, very clear chances that we could do better ... Other than that, I think we created spaces to be more dangerous. I think we created three against two [advantages] in the box, but the crosses weren't as accurate as we would like, or we didn't cross the ball. These are the areas that we have to be better, and as the games come on and the weeks come in, we can, as a staff, highlight that to the players and work with that, and hopefully in the next week, we can be better on those.
"I think we are learning how our players move, even though there was a game plan, the action from Biro, the action from Pereira. It was a game plan. Attacked those areas and all other times that we didn't connect a good cross, I think is also them connecting better with their teammates and knowing how they move," indicating he expects improvement in this area over the coming weeks.
Everyone's available, which means ...
Estévez indicated that all players are available for selection Saturday, including recently arrived designated player Myrto Uzuni.
"He is ready," Estévez said. "He has trained really well this week. Obviously, he's in a different stage than the others, and you can feel like he is a little bit tired from the week, but he's ready to go."
Building on a theme, he said in response to a question about anticipating Uzuni and Brandon Vázquez playing together, "I think it's just to get them into that connection. You know, we're talking about how difficult it is sometimes to be connected, and then some things that we missed in the last game is going to be a good opportunity to them, to have an opportunity if they play together. Because, you know, depending on the game, it could be different. But it is important for us that when they play together, they get to know each other, and they get to bring this good connection that can help the team."
He also, speaking of front line matters, got into whether to play Bukari on the right wing – which he appears better suited for – or left wing, where he played for the bulk of Saturday's match.
"He has played on the right, but he plays on the left in the [Ghana] national team," Estévez observed. "When I joined the team, I analyzed every player, and I went deep on Buka to see what positions he could play ... I told him in preseason that I would like to interchange him from right and left to see how he can adapt to different solutions that we can find on him playing, and depending on the opponent, and so far he's playing there, and we'll see how everything is developed. We always try to find the best spots for the players."
Speaking of Bukari ...
Bukari was the player made available Thursday, indicating that getting to experience a full preseason with Austin FC was helpful for him, calling it one of the most important elements of playing soccer.
"When you are in the preseason, you will be with the coach, the coaching staff and the players, the style of play," he said. "You learn a lot in the pre season, because you have time to adapt the environment, the system and everything. So for me, every time I'm in the preseason, when I go to a team, it's good for me, because that's the time I have to learn from the coach, because when the league starts, you don't have time, because the league is week after week."
He was modest about the goal he scored, going to the "win is the most important thing" card, though he also said the goal brought him confidence.
He didn't lack for confidence when talking about being guarded by multiple players last Saturday.
"It's not that frustrating, because the more they bring more players to me, the more we have less players over," he said. "So I guess I have to be quick enough to release the ball fast. As soon as all the players they come around me, then I can give to another player so that they can change [to the] other side. So it's good."
Hinting about his ability to elude players, he continued, "Three players coming to one player is good for the team. Just I need to protect the ball and release the ball to another player so that they can finish on the other side. So for me, it's no problem. And sometimes, too, I can go one against one, one against two, one against three ... it's not a problem for me as a winger."
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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