Austin FC lost a chance in his first American open cup title on Wednesday, winning a 2-1 home defeat against Nashville SC thanks to a penalty kick in the second half.
It could be good for Austin to return to the field so shortly after this disappointment, especially with the end of the MLS season and the Verde and Black capable of winning a place in the playoffs with a victory on the visit of St. Louis City on Saturday and a little help.
“We don’t have time to think about it,” said Austin Jon Gallagher defender after the Cup defeat. “I hope we can make the playoffs.”
Austin FC (12-11-8, 44 points) is sixth in the western table, four points ahead of the rapids of Colorado and six points away from the earthquakes of San Jose with three games to play. This is important because the Verde and the Black do not want to fall to the eighth or the ninth, which would require a game victory, then a meeting with the head of the conference in the first round.
The last two games for Austin FC also seem difficult. They welcome Los Angeles FC on October 12, then close the season with a trip to San Jose on October 18.
While Austin has dreams in the playoffs, St. Louis (7-18-7, 25 points) saw his hopes officially expiring on September 27 with a 3-0 defeat at home against Lafc. St. Louis City conceded a 15 -minute goal in the match and simply could not generate enough possession or threaten chances until the problem is decided.
Saint-Louis actually entered the match by closing some of his best forms of the year thanks to consecutive victories on the road against CF Montreal and San Jose, but the team discovered that she still had a long way to go to be in the same class as the best clubs in the League.
“It was inevitable that it would happen,” said acting coach David Crichley. “Now, it’s just about coming back and seeing how we club and the players are reacting. We knew the situation in which we were several weeks ago.”
The teams gathered on March 30 in St. Louis, Austin winning 1-0 on the goal of Myrto Uzuni in the 33rd minute.
– field level media
