Interim head coach Davy Arnaud liked what he saw from his Austin FC squad against Club América last Thursday — so much so that he retained nine of 11 players from that starting lineup for Sunday's match against FC Dallas, only leaving underperforming designated players Brandon Vázquez and Facundo Torres on the bench.
He did bring them both on — and their quality and difference-making was evident — but it wasn't enough to stave off a 2-1 loss, dropping their form to 1W 6L 1D in the last eight regular-season matches.
"It's a fine line, because you do want to keep a level of rhythm and consistency with the group that's had success, while trying to to make some changes, and we knew we were going to have to make some of those changes regardless at some point in the game," Arnaud said of his lineup decisions. "I thought the guys that came in at halftime brought real energy. I thought they changed the game in a really positive way. I thought, [in] the second half, you started to see who we were.
"We lacked energy. We lacked speed of play, and I don't know if it's necessarily from an energy standpoint, because [in] the first 45 minutes, that shouldn't be an issue," he said of his team's flat first-half performance. "I think it was more from an emotional standpoint. I think it was an emotional week with the Leagues Cup, and we just weren't there. We weren't ourselves in the first half, and I thought you saw a much better version of us in the second half."
The second half did bring an Ervin Torres equalizer, with the 19-year-old's first goal for the senior squad continuing one of the season's happiest subplots, and the midfielder was one of Verde's better players on the night.
But it also brought a Petar Musa goal that made the difference for FCD, and added to Austin FC's tally of points dropped due to goals let in from winning or drawing positions after the 68th minute. Verde's now dropped 17 points in that way — and they only have 17 points on the season. Were they to have not ceded those late goals and retained all those points, they would be on 34 points, tied for third in the West with LAFC on points, rather than the 14th-place doldrums they currently find themselves in.
