Back on Track: Austin FC Delivers Long-Awaited MLS Win in Colorado
Winless in its eight previous MLS matches, Verde defeated the Rapids 2-0 on Saturday.
It’s doubtful that the late great Yogi Berra was referring to the MLS schedule when he quipped, “It gets late early out there,” but there’s pertinent wisdom for Austin FC in the former New York Yankee catcher’s words.
Verde began its Saturday night contest away to the Colorado Rapids 10th in the Western Conference, having played 17 of its 34 league matches in 2025. Believe it or not, the second half of Austin FC’s MLS season has begun.
While we might have entered the dog-days-of-summer stretch of the MLS calendar where match tempos drop, urgency becomes elusive, international breaks become frequent, and the playoffs feel roughly 60 months away, these matches matter for Austin FC. They matter big time. If there ever was one for a team that's missed the postseason in consecutive seasons, the honeymoon phase for Nico Estevez is over. Estevez's tenure is no longer nascent, and it's fair for supporters to start asking for tangible signs of improvement.
Ask, and you shall receive. Austin FC won an MLS match for the first time since April 19, defeating the Rapids 2-0. You read that correctly. Verde not only scored but scored twice against Colorado. If we’re getting technical, only one Austin FC player put his name on the scoresheet. Brendan Hines-Ike’s 66th-minute header via an Owen Wolff corner kick took a significant and fortuitous deflection off the noggin of hard-luck Colorado striker Rafael Navarro, so the Brazilian got saddled with an own goal.
Surprisingly, Navarro’s OG wasn’t the unlikeliest source of an Austin FC goal on Saturday. Verde played the opening 10 minutes like it understood the importance of the match, burying its hosts under an early onslaught of chances. After watching Austin FC slog through much of the previous month, it was cathartic to witness. The match momentum chart shows Austin FC's early punchiness.
Austin FC was rewarded for its fast start in the 6th minute when Brandon Vazquez released Osman Bukari down the right flank on a swift counterattack. After his initial attempted cross through the six-yard box failed to clear Colorado goalkeeper Nicholas Defreitas, Bukari found himself in this position after the ball bounced back to him.
That’s the good stuff. A chance-creating winger on the ball near the end line in the opposition’s penalty area with scrambled defenders all over the place? Yes, please. If you've watched any of Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City over the past decade, you know what’s coming next: a cutback.
The recipient of Bukari’s cutback was Dani Pereira (making his second start since April 26 after missing time with a hip flexor injury), flying forward from Austin FC’s midfield. Pereira’s shot caromed off Mikkel Desler (making his first start since March 8 after missing time with a hamstring injury) before rolling into the back of the net. It was Desler’s first Austin FC goal.
Verde missed both Pereira and Desler and looked like a more cohesive team with them back in the lineup. Pereira is the only Austin FC midfielder to score in MLS this season, and though he wasn't credited with the goal against Colorado, the sight of a midfielder crashing the box to fire off a shot was not unwelcome. Austin FC’s forwards aren’t scoring, and their struggles have looked worse due to the lack of goals elsewhere in the squad. Pereira could help change that. With a holding midfielder like Besard Sabovic (who started alongside Pereira in Austin FC’s 4-2-3-1 shape against the Rapids) or Ilie Sanchez next to him in midfield, the Venezuelan international should have the freedom to join Verde’s attack more frequently.
As for Desler, the Dane helped restore robustness to an Austin FC defense that was becoming increasingly leaky. Verde hadn’t kept a clean sheet since its May 17 scoreless draw with the Vancouver Whitecaps. Substituted in the 61st minute, Desler completed more defensive actions (10) than anyone in the match aside from Oleksandr Svatok (all stats per FotMob.com or FBRef.com unless otherwise noted).
And what about the player who played the cutback to Pereira? Bukari was a consistent threat down Austin FC’s right flank throughout the 83 minutes he played. Fittingly, both left-sided Rapids players (left-back Jackson Travis and left-winger Sam Bassett) picked up yellow cards for cynical fouls trying to stop Bukari. The Ghanian had 42 touches, five of which were in the Colorado penalty area, and he was credited with creating three chances.
Designated Players (DP) will ultimately be judged by how many goals and assists they produce. Based on those metrics, Bukari is having a rough season. He has only one goal and one assist in league play. But no Austin FC player has been better at getting the team’s attack into dangerous areas. Of players who have played at least 10 90s, no Austin FC player has received more progressive passes, produced more progressive carries, or carried the ball into the opposition penalty area more than Bukari.
The victory moved Austin FC into 7th place in the West, though Verde has played one more match than the three teams immediately below. Despite floundering for much of the year, Austin FC is squarely in playoff contention, but more results like Saturday’s are needed. The performance wasn’t perfect, and Austin FC allowed Colorado too many chances to get back into the match after the early goal (the expected goals (xG) margin was relatively tight, 2.01 to 1.60 in favor of Verde, and the Rapids outshot Estevez’s side 16 to 11).
It also won’t go unnoticed that Austin FC has again scored two goals with Myrto Uzuni away on international duty with Albania. Though he's primarily a full-back these days, Jon Gallagher's formative seasons as a forward meant he felt like a more natural fit attacking down Austin FC's left flank in Colorado. So, even with Austin FC finally back to winning matches in MLS, Estevez's biggest question remains figuring out how to get his DP trio of Uzuni, Bukari, and Brandon Vazquez on the same page and scoring goals together. It’s only June, but it gets late early.
Great win! This match seemed to have a very important feel to it. Maybe it becomes a momentum builder. I am sure Estevez is hoping so. Eric does a super job in highlighting all of the Verde positives throughout the match. Great work!!!