Austin FC again played in front of an energetic crowd at Q2 Stadium on Saturday night but the Verde & Black were unable to come up with a victory, losing 1-0 to the Colorado Rapids. Andre Shinyashiki scored the lone goal of the match, scoring the game-winner in the 29th minute.
The goal came in when Michael Barrios found himself in a pocket of space and slipped a throughball to Andre Shinyashiki. The forward was able to find the back of the net after deflections off a couple Austin defenders and Brad Stuver.
Austin had two chances towards the end of the first half. In the first, Alex Ring put a header over the bar after a set piece. Three minutes later in the 39th minute, Rodney Redes got in behind the Colorado defense but was unable to get a shot on target. Stuver made two huge stops on Michael Barrios in first-half stoppage time to keep the scoreline at 1-0 entering halftime.
The run of play heavily shifted towards the Verde & Black in the second half and it resulted in multiple quality chances in the first 20 minutes. Hector Jiménez nearly fired one past Colorado ‘keeper William Yarbrough from distance and just a few minutes later Diego Fagundez forced Lalas Abubakar to make a clearance off the line after Tomás Pochettino played a classy no-look pass. Pochettino had a chance of his own in the 63rd minute but fired his opportunity over the bar from near the penalty spot.
Austin continued to push for an equalizer but the Colorado defense held strong to preserve its shutout.
THREE THINGS
- STUVER MAKES HIS CASE: With the MLS All-Star Game just a few weeks away, every player is hoping to prove why he deserves to be in L.A. to face the Liga MX All-Stars. Austin ‘keeper Brad Stuver again showed why he deserves to be there, coming up with several key saves to keep his side in the match.
- DRIUSSI AWAITS: He was just introduced on Thursday and just two days later Sebastián Driussi watched his first match as an official member of the Verde & Black. The playmaker -- who should provide a scoring punch once he takes the field -- could be available for ATXFC’s next match on Wednesday against Houston Dynamo FC.
- LIMA RETURNS: After missing the last four matches, fullback Nick Lima made his return to the field on Saturday night. The 26-year-old entered in the 79th minute and played both left back and right back.
QUOTABLES
- Austin FC Head Coach Josh Wolff on creating chances: “We have to do a much better job creating chances. We’ve faced a number of teams now that have played this 5-3-2 or 5-4-1 but we have to find solutions.”
- Stuver on the emotions in the locker room: “We have a lot of guys that are pissed off. We have a lot of guys that are hungry. We have a lot of guys that are determined and ready for the next challenge.”
- Wolff on upcoming matches against the Houston Dynamo and FC Dallas: “I think it’s great that they’re coming right now because those come with emotion and real combativeness… There’s nothing like a little rivalry, we need it.”
