The road to a second star: Previewing Austin FC II's last four matches (and the playoffs to follow)
In his introductory press conference, new Austin FC Chief Soccer Officer and Sporting Director Khaled El-Ahmad Made multiple references to a “one club” philosophy. From an early mention of the breakout talent of Ervin Torres to direct emphasis on the essential role of the player development pathway, El-Ahmad showed visible excitement over the state of Austin’s developmental side.
KEA’s knowing smile at my making a reference to Minnesota United 2’s season-long nemesis status relative ATX II sealed it: this is a Sporting Director who does not see a “vast, vast gap in talent” between the first and second team players, in stark contrast to his predecessor, who was known for saying that ad nauseam.
Austin FC II was the MLS Next Pro champion in 2023, and that championship season involved winning a lot of hard-fought victories on the road. Based on their season-long results in advance of their four final regular season games, VerDos have the potential to not only pick their choice of opponent as top seed in the first round, but also see guaranteed hosting rights in Austin throughout the playoffs.
Following Sunday night’s victory against San Jose Earthquakes 2 (formerly known as The Town FC), Austin sit on 56 points. That puts them atop the Frontier Division, the Western Conference, and the MLSNP League tables. The MLSNP record for total points in a single season points is 66, a threshold set by a tie between Colorado Rapids 2 and Crown Legacy back in 2023, the same year ATX II put the first star over an Austin club crest.
VerDos‘ remaining four opponents lead off with away fixtures against their next closest mates in the West table (Portland, aka “T2," on Aug. 30, and Dynamo Dos on Sept. 4), followed by a return home on Sept. 13 against already-eliminated Rapids 2, and then Dos-cision Day on Sept. 20 away in St. Louis.
City 2 could be anywhere, from having safely clinched top eight to fighting for eighth place to already eliminated by Sept. 20. The three teams under their current 39-point total (sixth in the table as of this writing) are tied on 33 points and all have a game in hand on them.
Now that I’ve laid all of that out … none of it may matter by the time that match rolls around, and I mean that in the best way possible.
Regardless of results elsewhere, if Austin gets a total of eight points across their next 3 games, it clinches the top seed in the league table (let alone the West), and are guaranteed hosting rights through the final. The next highest points ceiling in the West is Houston at 63. Crown Legacy in the East are on 51 points right now and max out at 63, just like Houston.
The MLSNP playoffs are a 16-team, single elimination knockout tournament that begins with the top three teams in each conference doing a “pick their opponent” selection from the bottom four teams in their conference. The fourth seed plays whoever is left.
In 2023, this selection videoconference was made legendary by then-SKCII head coach Benny Feilhaber proclaiming “Scared money don’t make money” and selecting Austin, who knocked them out on their first stop on the road to historic hardware.
The 2024 edition of the MLSNP playoffs featured the professional playoff debut of Cavan Sullivan, MLS’ latest anointed generational talent.
I feel. it bears mentioning that Sullivan could not handle the Austin heat for longer than about 75 minutes on Saturday. That’s in contrast to Ervin Torres who went a full 90 … just saying.
As alluded above, if VerDos have had a nemesis all season, it’s MNUFC2, who I’ve affectionately dubbed Mini-sota or The Twoons to their first team’s Loons. VerDos started their season at Parmer losing 4-2 to the Twoons, then beating them 3-1 in Minnesota, and then infuriatingly losing to them at home, 3-2.
With Minnesota currently sitting in 10th place on 31 points (maxing out at 46), head coach Jason Shackell may not be able to pick them as his opponent, since the Twoons might miss the playoffs completely. Mini-sota goes to Houston next weekend before hosting Colorado (eliminated already) and Vancouver (on the verge of elimination). Then they play Real Monarchs (Salt Lake’s second team) midweek before hosting LAFC2 on Decision Day.
In a country with plenty of completely absurd club name constructs, “Real Monarchs” might just annoy me the most. Cosplaying Real Madrid energy in your branding as “Real Salt Lake” is one thing, naming your developmental affiliate side the “Royal Monarchs” is yet another (and silly), but not going Full Spanish with “Real Monarcas” is borderline infuriating.
From a marketing perspective, at least. Anyway.
All that said, the “2 Princes” of Salt Lake could themselves be eliminated by the time Minnesota go there, and with results elsewhere, could squeak into 8th place.
MNUFC2 are neither mathematically eliminated nor worth counting out. I have to believe that Shackell must want his players to have to prove they are the better side to make a potential second star shine the brightest it can. Is it worth tempting the Fate of The Feilhaber, or is Shackell somehow warded against curses of years past? I guess we’ll find out what the Gods of Football have in store.
Another angle I’m curious about is what happens in terms of potential play time for Ervin Torres and Jorge Alastuey in the MLSNP playoffs. They have mutually contributed greatly to ATX II’s successes that have led them to be the first team in the west to clinch. In 2024, Sam Sarver played a major role in North Texas SC’s victory over Philadelphia Union 2 in that year’s final while serving double. duty with. FC Dallas. There’s precedent within Austin too, with Damian Las as the number one for Austin‘s second team in their 2023 championship year while simultaneously bouncing from city to city as Brad Stuver’s backup for the first team.
The new top Soccer man of “one Austin” emphasized a match by match methodology, so we won’t know for sure for at least a month, if not the day of that first playoff match … or maybe even the potential final.
On that note, I’ve gotta believe a hosted MLSNP Final would move from Parmer Field to Q2, right? It was my understanding that’s where it would’ve been in 2023 had. the seeding been more favorable.
Let’s look ahead without getting ahead of ourselves.
Austin could clinch that top spot without outright winning three matches in a row, but most scenarios for these last four games require showing up solidly against Timbers 2 and DynaDos in enemy territory. T2 have been very solid of late, and Houston have been a bit up and down … but similarly have a lot to play for against the most dominant MLSNP side in Austin. Two tough opponents before the already-eliminated single-season joint record holder Rapids might mean it takes until that last away match against CITY2 ...
…but it sure would be cooler for Parmer Night Lights devotees to see it happen live at home in just under three weeks.
Verde All Day is a reader-supported online publication covering Austin FC. Additional support is provided by Austin Telco Federal Credit Union. For more coverage, check out Emergency Podcast! (an Austin FC Podcast) wherever you get your podcasts.
Austin FC introduced Khaled El-Ahmad as its new chief soccer officer on Tuesday. He didn't provide confirmation on outbound moves, but gave some sense of who he'd be as the club's sporting director.
Austin media learned Saturday night that Jayden Nelson was set to depart Austin FC. The destination appears to be Bolton Wanderers F.C. in England, though the club has not yet confirmed the move.
Austin FC only managed one goal despite a very back-and-forth match against the Union. Focus now turns to a very important Leagues Cup knockout match on Wednesday.
Austin FC matched a headed corner kick goal with one of their own to go into halftime even. Though Verde looked likelier to score in the second half, neither team did.
In his introductory press conference, new Austin FC Chief Soccer Officer and Sporting Director Khaled El-Ahmad Made multiple references to a “one club” philosophy. From an early mention of the breakout talent of Ervin Torres to direct emphasis on the essential role of the player development pathway, El-Ahmad showed visible excitement over the state of Austin’s developmental side.
KEA’s knowing smile at my making a reference to Minnesota United 2’s season-long nemesis status relative ATX II sealed it: this is a Sporting Director who does not see a “vast, vast gap in talent” between the first and second team players, in stark contrast to his predecessor, who was known for saying that ad nauseam.
Austin FC II was the MLS Next Pro champion in 2023, and that championship season involved winning a lot of hard-fought victories on the road. Based on their season-long results in advance of their four final regular season games, VerDos have the potential to not only pick their choice of opponent as top seed in the first round, but also see guaranteed hosting rights in Austin throughout the playoffs.
Following Sunday night’s victory against San Jose Earthquakes 2 (formerly known as The Town FC), Austin sit on 56 points. That puts them atop the Frontier Division, the Western Conference, and the MLSNP League tables. The MLSNP record for total points in a single season points is 66, a threshold set by a tie between Colorado Rapids 2 and Crown Legacy back in 2023, the same year ATX II put the first star over an Austin club crest.
VerDos‘ remaining four opponents lead off with away fixtures against their next closest mates in the West table (Portland, aka “T2," on Aug. 30, and Dynamo Dos on Sept. 4), followed by a return home on Sept. 13 against already-eliminated Rapids 2, and then Dos-cision Day on Sept. 20 away in St. Louis.
City 2 could be anywhere, from having safely clinched top eight to fighting for eighth place to already eliminated by Sept. 20. The three teams under their current 39-point total (sixth in the table as of this writing) are tied on 33 points and all have a game in hand on them.
Now that I’ve laid all of that out … none of it may matter by the time that match rolls around, and I mean that in the best way possible.
Regardless of results elsewhere, if Austin gets a total of eight points across their next 3 games, it clinches the top seed in the league table (let alone the West), and are guaranteed hosting rights through the final. The next highest points ceiling in the West is Houston at 63. Crown Legacy in the East are on 51 points right now and max out at 63, just like Houston.
The MLSNP playoffs are a 16-team, single elimination knockout tournament that begins with the top three teams in each conference doing a “pick their opponent” selection from the bottom four teams in their conference. The fourth seed plays whoever is left.
In 2023, this selection videoconference was made legendary by then-SKCII head coach Benny Feilhaber proclaiming “Scared money don’t make money” and selecting Austin, who knocked them out on their first stop on the road to historic hardware.
The 2024 edition of the MLSNP playoffs featured the professional playoff debut of Cavan Sullivan, MLS’ latest anointed generational talent.
I feel. it bears mentioning that Sullivan could not handle the Austin heat for longer than about 75 minutes on Saturday. That’s in contrast to Ervin Torres who went a full 90 … just saying.
As alluded above, if VerDos have had a nemesis all season, it’s MNUFC2, who I’ve affectionately dubbed Mini-sota or The Twoons to their first team’s Loons. VerDos started their season at Parmer losing 4-2 to the Twoons, then beating them 3-1 in Minnesota, and then infuriatingly losing to them at home, 3-2.
With Minnesota currently sitting in 10th place on 31 points (maxing out at 46), head coach Jason Shackell may not be able to pick them as his opponent, since the Twoons might miss the playoffs completely. Mini-sota goes to Houston next weekend before hosting Colorado (eliminated already) and Vancouver (on the verge of elimination). Then they play Real Monarchs (Salt Lake’s second team) midweek before hosting LAFC2 on Decision Day.
In a country with plenty of completely absurd club name constructs, “Real Monarchs” might just annoy me the most. Cosplaying Real Madrid energy in your branding as “Real Salt Lake” is one thing, naming your developmental affiliate side the “Royal Monarchs” is yet another (and silly), but not going Full Spanish with “Real Monarcas” is borderline infuriating.
From a marketing perspective, at least. Anyway.
All that said, the “2 Princes” of Salt Lake could themselves be eliminated by the time Minnesota go there, and with results elsewhere, could squeak into 8th place.
MNUFC2 are neither mathematically eliminated nor worth counting out. I have to believe that Shackell must want his players to have to prove they are the better side to make a potential second star shine the brightest it can. Is it worth tempting the Fate of The Feilhaber, or is Shackell somehow warded against curses of years past? I guess we’ll find out what the Gods of Football have in store.
Another angle I’m curious about is what happens in terms of potential play time for Ervin Torres and Jorge Alastuey in the MLSNP playoffs. They have mutually contributed greatly to ATX II’s successes that have led them to be the first team in the west to clinch. In 2024, Sam Sarver played a major role in North Texas SC’s victory over Philadelphia Union 2 in that year’s final while serving double. duty with. FC Dallas. There’s precedent within Austin too, with Damian Las as the number one for Austin‘s second team in their 2023 championship year while simultaneously bouncing from city to city as Brad Stuver’s backup for the first team.
The new top Soccer man of “one Austin” emphasized a match by match methodology, so we won’t know for sure for at least a month, if not the day of that first playoff match … or maybe even the potential final.
On that note, I’ve gotta believe a hosted MLSNP Final would move from Parmer Field to Q2, right? It was my understanding that’s where it would’ve been in 2023 had. the seeding been more favorable.
Let’s look ahead without getting ahead of ourselves.
Austin could clinch that top spot without outright winning three matches in a row, but most scenarios for these last four games require showing up solidly against Timbers 2 and DynaDos in enemy territory. T2 have been very solid of late, and Houston have been a bit up and down … but similarly have a lot to play for against the most dominant MLSNP side in Austin. Two tough opponents before the already-eliminated single-season joint record holder Rapids might mean it takes until that last away match against CITY2 ...
…but it sure would be cooler for Parmer Night Lights devotees to see it happen live at home in just under three weeks.
Verde All Day is a reader-supported online publication covering Austin FC. Additional support is provided by Austin Telco Federal Credit Union. For more coverage, check out Emergency Podcast! (an Austin FC Podcast) wherever you get your podcasts.
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