Austin FC defeated Liga MX side Pumas UNAM in its Leagues Cup 2024 group stage opener on Friday night at Q2 Stadium. The Verde & Black won 3-2 thanks to goals from Alex Ring, Gyasi Zardes, and Sebastián Driussi, as well as a late penalty kick save by goalkeeper Stefan Cleveland who made his Austin FC debut in the match.
Austin took an early lead in the eighth minute. Ring picked up the ball on the edge of the box and with no immediate pressure, lined up an a low and accurate shot that snuck inside the far post. It was the Finnish midfielder’s second consecutive match with a goal.
Despite going down to 10 men in the 34th minute, the Verde & Black doubled their advantage in the 45th minute. Dani Pereira cleverly won the ball in a dangerous area and found Zardes. The striker pulled off a perfect one-time finish to score his fourth goal across all competitions in July. Pereira now has assists in each of his last three (3) appearances.
Pumas pulled a goal back through Alí Ávila just before the break. But Austin restored its two-goal cushion in the 55th minute. This time it was Ring providing for Driussi as the Argentine tucked home a cross sent in from out wide.
Guillermo Martinez made it a close game once again with a goal in the 72nd minute, and it looked as though Pumas would equalize when they were awarded a penalty in second half stoppage time. Cleveland dove to his right and saved Martinez’s attempt though to preserve victory for the Verde & Black.
The result means that by earning one (1) point or more from its second group match vs. Monterrey next Tuesday, Austin will advance to the knockout rounds.
Goal-Scoring Summary
ATX (1-0) – Alex Ring (assisted by Sebastián Driussi) 8’
ATX (2-0) – Gyasi Zardes (assisted by Dani Pereira) 45’
PUM (2-1) – Alí Ávila (unassisted) 45+5’
ATX (3-1) – Sebastián Driussi (assisted by Alex Ring) 55’
PUM (3-2) – Guillermo Martinez (assisted by Rubén Duarte) 72’
Match Information
Venue: Q2 Stadium (Austin, TX)
Weather: Cloudy, 80 degrees
Referee: Julio Luna
Assistant Referee 1: Juan Tipaz
Assistant Referee 2: Cristian Alvarado
4th Official: Sergio Reyna
VAR: Benjamin Pineda
Statistical source: LeaguesCup.com
Next Match
Austin FC will play the second of two 2024 Leagues Cup group stage matches at home vs. CF Monterrey on Tuesday, July 30 at 8:00 p.m. CT. The match will stream live for free in English and Spanish on Apple TV, and will feature national television broadcasts on FS1 in English and UniMás in Spanish.
On radio, the match will be broadcast on iHeart Radio’s ALT 97.5 in English, as well as on TUDN Radio Austin (104.3-HD2, KLQB) in Spanish.
