Maybe you’ve seen the quote written on a white-board behind the self-satisfied smirk of The Office’s Michael Scott, or maybe you’ve seen Wayne Gretzky’s name attached to it in a book of famous sports quotes, but, however obvious, “you miss 100% of the shots you don’t take” isn’t the worst nugget of wisdom to repeat to yourself before embarking on one of life’s challenges.
Austin FC haven’t been adhering to The Great One’s advice. Heading into their Saturday night match at Q2 Stadium against the Philadelphia Union, no team in MLS had taken fewer shots from open play than Austin FC’s seven, per theanalyst.com. The Verde and Black’s opponents had taken 40 shots from open play – only three MLS teams had allowed more.
To continue stating the obvious: in sports involving shooting, it’s a good idea to shoot more than the opposition. Josh Wolff’s team haven’t come close to doing that in 2024. Against the Union, Austin FC were outshot 18-13 and for the second straight Saturday, turned a 2-1 second-half lead into a disappointing 2-2 draw. The draw was Austin FC’s third straight following their season-opening 2-1 defeat to Minnesota United.
Also, for the second straight Saturday, Alex Ring conceded a penalty. In the match’s tenth minute Ring was judged to have handled the ball inside his own 18-yard box. Philadelphia’s Daniel Gazdag then converted from the spot, and Austin FC were trailing 1-0 before the match was even 15 minutes old. In his post-match press conference, Wolff highlighted his team’s struggles at the beginning of the contest.
“We played in front of them for the first 15 minutes; we never got out of our half,” Wolff said. Austin FC entered halftime down 1-0 and were outshot 9-3 by the visitors in the first 45 minutes. Dispiriting as the first half was for Verde fans, several key second-half changes led to an improved performance from the home team.
The surprising catalyst for Austin FC’s first goal of the night was Hector Jimenez. The 35-year-old hadn’t made an appearance since Austin FC’s Leagues Cup match against Mazatlan last July and probably wasn’t going to feature against the Union until Zan Kolmanic – himself a substitute for Guilherme Biro – was forced to leave the match after just nine minutes with a hamstring injury.
Jimenez was a lively presence for the entirety of his time on the pitch at right-back but was most productive in his first minute of action: whipping in a picturesque cross for striker Diego Rubio to head home Austin FC’s first goal. It was the first goal from an Austin FC forward in 2024.
Two minutes after Rubio’s goal, another second-half substitute, Owen Wolff, fizzed a low cross into the penalty area which Ring tapped over to Jon Gallagher who guided a shot past Union goalkeeper Andre Blake. Gallagher started the match at right-back but switched to left-back after Kolmanic’s injury and attacked the shot by cutting in on his preferred right foot.
Speaking of Austin FC’s improvement after halftime, Wolff said: “Second half starts and right away it’s balls behind the line, it’s up the field, it’s aggressive, you’re generating throw-ins, you’re generating corner kicks, you’re generating shots.” Austin FC outshot Philadelphia 10-9 in the second half but failed to hold onto their 2-1 advantage when Mikael Uhre fired a shot from inside the six-yard box past Brad Stuver in the 65th minute.
Though not getting the victory stings, everyone in the Austin FC universe will be pleased by the second-half appearance of Sebastian Driussi. The Argentinian Designated Player was subbed on in the 71st minute and instantly became the focal point around which the rest of Austin FC’s attack orbited. Per fotmob.com, Driussi accrued 19 touches in his short, but potent cameo – just five fewer than the man he replaced, Jader Obrian, managed in 71 minutes.
“He’s our guy. He’s our captain, our ten, he gets us going,” midfielder Daniel Pereira said of Driussi’s return after the match. Austin FC will hope that Driussi – in addition to the goals he can produce for himself – can ignite and improve the play of the attackers around him. Rubio is optimistic that will be the case.
“As soon as he came in the energy changed in the stadium,” Rubio reflected post-match. “They’re (opponents) are going to be worried more about him…that opens space for other players to have more chances.” More chances – and more shots – will massively help Austin FC’s quest to find their first win of the 2024 season.
