Sleepy in Seattle: Austin FC Shutout by Sounders in 2-0 Defeat
Verde’s attack struggled in the Pacific Northwest on Saturday night.
Do you remember Austin FC’s 2024 match away to the Seattle Sounders?
It’s fine if you don’t. There was nothing memorable about it from an Austin FC perspective. No, I mean, there was literally nothing memorable about it. Austin FC registered zero expected goals (xG) - not an easy thing to do! - in the 0-0 draw these two teams contested in March of last year. Tom Hanks wouldn’t have had any trouble falling asleep in Seattle if he had just watched some Wolff Ball.
With 2024’s Seattle trip representative of the sluggish attacking nadir the 2025 version of Austin FC is looking to distance itself from, Verde’s Saturday night visit to the Pacific Northwest had the potential to be a nice litmus test.
How far out of the muck has Nico Estevez dragged this team? Is Austin FC's two-match winning streak entering the Seattle contest indicative of what we can expect going forward? Or is the actual level of this team closer to what we saw in the eight winless MLS matches that preceded that pair of victories? Determining Austin FC’s 2025 ceiling is a tricky proposition these days.
If you’re an Austin FC supporter, you might not like the answers to those questions based on Austin FC’s 2-0 loss to the Sounders. On a positive note, Verde registered shots - honest to God attempts at goal - this time out. But as we can see from the match momentum chart, Estevez’s team only became a genuine attacking threat on Saturday after Seattle opened the scoring in first-half stoppage time.
No, Austin FC fan, this is not a match where you should be puffing your chest out shouting about winning the xG battle - which Austin FC narrowly did .97 to .92 (all stats per FotMob.com or FBRef.com unless otherwise noted). Please use xG responsibly and always consider the game state before talking nerdy trash.
About Seattle’s opening goal: it featured wing play that should make Austin FC envious. Sounders’ left-winger Paul Rothrock was the recipient of a pinpoint pass forward from Albert Rusnak (the pass came after a possible foul on Besard Sabovic by Danny Musovski wasn’t given). Rothrock drove into Austin FC’s penalty area and then chipped the ball to right-winger and noted poor finisher Jesus Ferreira to smash home on the volley.
With Designated Players (DPs) Myrto Uzuni (out with a hamstring injury) and Osman Bukari (a 56th-minute substitute) not featured in the starting 11, Austin FC’s wingers - Jon Gallagher on the left and Jader Obrian on the right- failed to impact proceedings. Each winger only created one chance a piece worth a combined .06 expected assists (xA), and Obrian didn't register a single touch in Seattle’s penalty area. The only shot either player took in the match was Gallagher’s 90th-minute effort after he had shifted over to his regular right-back position.
Seattle’s second goal, courtesy of a confident finish from striker Musovski on the counter, will also prompt jealousy. The debate will rage on whether Brandon Vazquez - interestingly selected this week by Estevez to represent the Verde and Black at next month’s MLS All-Star game in Austin - has been the victim of poor service in an attack that has yet to find its rhythm or if his struggles are of the self-inflicted variety. Saturday (Vazquez could only contribute three low-quality efforts at goal) offered evidence that the former argument has validity. In addition to Austin FC’s non-existent threat down the flanks, Verde didn’t impose itself in central attacking areas in the final third.
Here is a map showing the passes Austin FC completed in the final third against the Sounders.
There’s practically a force field in the central column. For comparison, here’s a map of Seattle’s completed passes in the final third. The Sounders were much more effective in moving the ball into prime central attacking positions.
Austin FC played in a 4-4-2 shape on Saturday, with Owen Wolff pushed up alongside Vazquez when Verde was out of possession. In possession, Austin FC frequently looked to Wolff to move the ball upfield. The four progressive passes Wolff received were more than any Austin FC non-winger received in the match (of note: even though he played only 35 minutes, Bukari was the recipient of eight progressive passes to lead Verde - the Ghanian continues to be the team’s best source of ball progression).
Once on the ball, Wolff was ineffectual. He created only one chance and didn’t complete a single pass into Seattle’s penalty area. For Austin FC to reach its full potential in 2025, it will need regular, quality attacking midfield play. In theory, Wolff, a United States youth international and a player often linked with a potential move to Europe - should be capable of pulling the strings centrally in the final third. His anonymous display on Saturday showed consistency is still proving elusive.
The defeat to Seattle left Austin FC ninth in the Western Conference. Twenty matches into Verde's 2025 campaign, we are beginning to enter the table-doesn’t-lie section of the season. And, frankly, ninth place feels about right for Estevez's side. There are marginal signs of improvement from last season's tenth-place team, but this is still very much a work in progress.
Lack of effort, talent or coaching? Based on the excellent analysis by the writer, it could be all 3. Hopefully they will show some pride and string some positives together, considering they are hosting the all-star game.
Good write-up as always. It was hard to watch as an Austin FC fan. It looked like Robert Taylor was pissed when the final whistle blew as it seemed like he launched the ball across the field in a very frustrated action. The TV camera switched away, but it looked like he walked off the field straight afterwards. I could be wrong about that, but the body language of many players in the second half was awful.