It’s automatic. Like the sun rising in the east each day or your boss walking into the room right as you’re looking to see what’s happening on Instagram – you can rest assured it will happen.

When Sebastian Driussi takes a penalty kick, he converts it. Even the most superstitious Austin FC fans don’t get anxious and look away when Driussi is at the spot.

And yet, for the second time in as many attempts, Driussi misfired from every goal scorer’s favorite place on a soccer field on Wednesday night at Q2 Stadium early in the first half against the Portland Timbers. The attempt saved by Timbers goalkeeper James Pantemis wasn’t even the worst Driussi moment of Austin FC’s 2-0 defeat: the Verde and Black’s captain, leader, and instigator of all things good left the match injured in the 60th minute.

Per Austin FC head coach Josh Wolff’s post-match press conference, the extent of Driussi’s injury is unknown. The laziest sportswriter on earth could tell you it’s vital to Austin FC’s playoff aspirations that Driussi makes a speedy recovery, but it feels especially pertinent to drive that point home after Wednesday night’s loss. Driussi is (usually) Austin FC’s most reliable finisher of chances, and Austin FC were wasteful in front of goal against Portland.

“It feels like we had our chances; we just weren’t able to capitalize on them,” Austin FC goalkeeper Brad Stuver said after the match. “The chances that they (Portland) got…I think at the end of the day they had the free kick, PK (penalty kick), and maybe the one v one because we were pushing a little bit,” he added.

Stuver’s right. Per fotmob.com, Austin FC had more shots (15 to 8) and more expected goals or xG (2.06 to 1.53) than the Timbers. And the xG exclusively from open play – 1.23 to .66 in favor of the home side – further illustrates Austin FC’s control of proceedings.

Soccer is a sport with a cruel sense of humor. When Portland’s star number 10, Evander, ripped his free kick (a free kick granted due to a cheap foul from midfielder Jhojan Valencia) past a diving Stuver in first-half stoppage time, the Timbers had taken just one shot to Austin FC’s seven. But before those wearing green and black start cursing the fickle soccer gods in the sky for their lack of fairness, it’s worth keeping in mind Austin FC have benefited from the devious quirkiness of this low-scoring sport on several occasions this season.

According to fbref.com, despite entering their match with Portland fifth in Major League Soccer’s (MLS’s) Western Conference standings, Austin FC had the West’s worst xG differential per 90 minutes. Just four days prior in San Jose against the Earthquakes, Austin FC were outshot 22 to 5, and out-xG’d 3.3 to .60, but still managed to eke out a 1-1 draw.

But sometimes the black-and-white lottery ball that determines the outcomes of soccer matches doesn’t bounce in your team’s favor. Your team’s Designated Player (DP) forward might unexpectedly flub his lines from the penalty spot like Driussi did on Wednesday night. Meanwhile, the opposition’s DP forward will blast his penalty chance into the back of the net just as his salary says he should. Portland’s Jonathan Rodriguez did exactly that in the 66th minute. The Timbers won the penalty after a delightful Evander pass to winger Antony forced Austin FC center-back Brenden Hines-Ike into a clumsy foul inside the 18-yard box.

When asked post-match what made this match against the Timbers more challenging than Austin FC’s 3-2 victory over Sporting Kansas City, where he notched two assists while also playing in a more advanced midfield position, Dani Pereira was blunt: “It wasn’t that challenging.”

Pereira continued: “I think we had control of the game. We had a PK, we score that PK, it’s a whole different game, too. Nothing against Seba (Driussi), he’s our guy, but it wasn’t that challenging. We just didn’t score our chances.”

Entering Wednesday’s contest against Portland, Austin FC had won their five previous home matches. The Verde and Black have won just once away from Q2 Stadium in 2024 and will hope the vagaries of soccer are less harsh in their next game: a tricky road match against top-of-the-West Real Salt Lake.

Speaking post-match, Austin FC striker Gyasi Zardes said: “We have to switch our focus to this weekend. We have a team that’s ahead of us in the table and it’s a perfect opportunity for us to go to Salt Lake and try to win.”

Eric McCoy

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