As the MLS All-Star break approaches, Austin FC remains firmly in the hunt for a postseason berth.
Currently sitting ninth in the Western Conference, the club would face the San Jose Earthquakes in a play-in match for the final playoff spot if the season ended today.
However, with three months left in the regular season, the bottom half of the MLS Western Conference remains tightly contested as just three points separate seeds seven through 10.
For Austin FC, though, the chase for a playoff spot suffered a major blow when all-star striker Brandon Vázquez was ruled out for the remainder of the season after tearing his ACL in last week’s U.S. Open Cup win over San Jose.
“We might need to tweak some things about how we go on offense,” goalkeeper Brad Stuver said in a post-game interview. “We utilize Brandon a lot in our build-up. He’s a big body for us, so we will have to look at that and utilize the personnel that we have.”
Austin FC currently sits at 27 points, just two behind the seventh-seeded Colorado Rapids.
The club is coming off a scoreless draw against the New England Revolution, only losing once in its last five matches, as it steadily builds momentum towards the season’s midpoint.
On Wednesday, Austin travels to Carson, California, to face six-time MLS Cup champion and reigning titleholder LA Galaxy, who are struggling this season and sit at 15 in the conference. A win would lift Austin above Colorado into the No. 7 spot in the Western Conference, enough for direct qualification to the playoffs before next week’s all-star game in Austin.
“Coming out of May, we really did some self-reflection on who we are as a team and who we need to be and what the second half of the season needed to look like,” Stuver said after Austin’s win over San Jose with a penalty shootout. “This helps us know that we can gut out wins, which is big for our group.”
With key striker Brandon Vázquez sidelined for the remainder of the season, Austin FC will now look to Myrto Uzuni to spearhead the attack in the second half of the campaign. In his first season with the club, Uzuni received his first start against New England but failed to find the back of the net after a couple of shots on target in the scoreless draw.
“Myrto is a player that finds really good movements behind the opponent’s backline and reads really well when the centerback is out of position,” head coach Nico Estévez said in the New England Revolution post-game conference. “He’s a really fast player with good timing, and he gives a little bit more of a threat running in behind.”
Following the midseason break, the club faces a pivotal stretch with matches against D.C. United and in-state rivals, Houston Dynamo and FC Dallas.
