Let’s try something here (and, at the risk of sounding like 2011 Internet Guy, let me know in the comments if you like this).
As you know, there are only so many quotes that work in a post-match wrap-up article. To peel back the curtain a little bit, I’m writing as the match progresses, starting as soon as a storyline emerges for me.
There are only so many quotes from Austin FC head coach Josh Wolff and the player (or players) made available to media after the match that work in the context of a post-match story. We talk about a lot of different aspects of the match in those press conferences, but when I go into one, I have a sense of what questions need to be answered most urgently to tell the story. (And, sometimes, I also have a pretty good sense of what answers we’re going to get!)
When a match goes from 4-1 to its 6-3 final score in 20 minutes, it gets a little challenging to just cogently tell the story. I’ve been doing this soccer writing thing for a while, but I know it’s been a hot minute since I’ve covered a match with a game state change quite like that.
And regardless of how a match goes, after the story’s written, I find some of the quotes that didn’t make the story are helpful in following the season’s overarching storylines. For instance, last night, we learned why Kipp Keller didn’t play on Sunday, how close Leo Väisänen is to returning, where Wolff wants Alex Ring to play in future matches, and what Wolff thought of Gyasi Zardes’ performance.
So let’s do that. And a special thanks to the paying subscribers who support this; know that I thought about you (and how you’re making this coverage possible) when I waited for more than 20 late-night minutes in the Zoom room for the press conference to start — and when I was only one of two reporters who showed up. I’m able to do this work, in part, because you believe in it enough to subscribe. That means a lot to me.
Let’s get to this edition of The Second Pass and get to some of the best and most interesting quotes that didn’t get into my initial recap.
