Nearly a year ago, Austin FC traveled to Los Angeles to play LAFC in Major League Soccer’s Western Conference final. The teams finished first and second in the West, and both were darlings of a new, exciting era of expansion for MLS.

Both teams boasted great stadiums and great fan bases, and on the field, each played sparkling soccer coached by former United States Men’s National team stalwarts – Josh Wolff helming Austin FC and Steve Cherundolo leading LAFC. Cherundolo got the better of his old US teammate in the final as LAFC won 3-0, but the hope from an Austin FC perspective was that the two teams would find themselves squaring off in top-of-the-table clashes for years to come.

One quick, dispiriting glance at the 2023 MLS table will tell Austin FC fans that a lot can change in a year. The Verde faithful are still as boisterous as ever, and Q2 Stadium looks as pristine as it did when it first opened its gates in 2021, but as LAFC are preparing for another deep postseason run, Austin FC appear a painfully long way off from being a team that will feature in a conference final again anytime soon.

On Saturday night at Q2 Stadium, Austin FC were made ruthlessly aware of the Grand Canyon-sized gap between themselves and LAFC in 2023. From kickoff, LAFC were comprehensively dominant in a 4-2 victory that – with FC Dallas grabbing a draw against the San Jose Earthquakes – officially eliminated Austin FC from playoff contention.

The silver lining for Austin FC: not making the playoffs means they won’t have to see Denis Bouanga again till 2024. Like an elite soccer-playing whack-a-mole, Bouanga spent the evening popping up in uncovered spaces in Austin FC’s defense. Left, right, center – the entire breadth of the forward line was Bouanga’s domain.

Take LAFC’s first goal: Cherundolo’s team are building play through their left side when midfielder Mateusz Bogusz whips a cross into the penalty area. Aggressive left-back Diego Palacios has pushed high and wide down the left flank, allowing Bouanga to drift centrally. A quick burst of acceleration from Bouanga places him beyond Austin FC center back, Julio Cascante.

Bouanga calmly receives Bogusz’s cross and lays the ball off for a penalty box crashing Timothy Tillman advancing from midfield. Tillman then toe-pokes a shot that slithers beyond a desperate dive from Austin FC goalkeeper Brad Stuver. In addition to his early assist, Bouanga would notch goals from a first-half stoppage-time penalty and a 54th-minute tap-in that capped off a punishing LAFC counterattack.

“He’s an exceptional talent,” Wolff said of Bouanga in his post-match press conference. “Since he’s arrived here (in MLS), he’s scored a great deal of goals. Give LAFC a lot of credit, they continue to build a team that is the very-most talented team in the league.”

After exciting, young Uruguayan winger Cristian Olivera (LAFC seem to have access to a conveyer belt that produces exciting, young talent around the clock) made it 4-0 LAFC in the 68th minute, Austin FC added a pair of late consolation goals. Leo Vaisanen fired in a 75th minute headed goal from a set piece, and the ageless Giorgio Chiellini gifted Austin FC a 94th minute own goal.

Quick, lively starts – if not always quick, lively starts capped off by goals – have been a feature for Austin FC in recent home matches. On Saturday, Wolff’s team looked listless early and unable to cope with LAFC’s intensity. “They’re a team that can physically match you all over the field,” Wolff said post-match of the challenges LAFC present.

Wolff added: “If they want to go one for one they have the athletes to do that…they make it challenging because of their athleticism, their speed, their power…they have seven guys that get behind the ball pretty well. You have to be mindful of them because as soon as they win the ball, they put you on your heals, and they can get downhill quick.”

A cynic (or perhaps just a realist) would say that 2023’s version of Austin FC merely had their results regress to the true level of their performances after overachieving in 2022. Despite finishing second in the West last season, Austin FC only had the conference’s eighth-best expected goal differential (xGD) per fbref.com.

“It’s extremely frustrating,” Austin FC winger Ethan Finlay said after the match. “The narrative that we overachieved last year, did we underachieve this year? This roster is a playoff roster, but you have to play the games. As a collective we didn’t get it done this year.”

Looking ahead to the offseason, Austin FC sporting director Rodolfo Borrell will have to determine how much work is needed on a team that shocked MLS by reaching the 2022 Western Conference final in just its second season, and then shocked MLS again by not even making the playoffs in 2023.

Eric McCoy

See Full Bio