Maxi Urruti scored his first goal for Austin FC with a highlight-worthy one-touch kick to the back of the net Saturday. (Austin FC/Twitter)
Despite a masterful first goal by Maxi Urruti, Austin FC gave up two goals in two minutes to take its second draw in a row against the San Jose Earthquakes on Saturday.
The club’s hard work was thwarted by missed opportunities and late-game mistakes as the club took home its second draw in a row. Still, the Verde and Black took home a point and sits precariously at third place in the West, ending a 10-game losing streak on the road with the 2-2 match.
Here are three takeaways from another tumultuous Austin FC draw:
Urruti with a beauty
Pure class from our No.3️⃣7️⃣ pic.twitter.com/QAUDfUvedN
— Austin FC (@AustinFC) April 2, 2022
In a few short weeks, new striker Maxi Urruti has already established himself as a clear starter for the team, and that title was solidified in style with a risky one-touch flick to score his first goal in Verde.
Urruti’s goal got the points going for Austin FC, while Sebastian Driussi followed as he faked out the San Jose goalie with ease in a penalty kick to score his fourth goal of the season.
But it’s Urruti’s highlight-worthy goal that will be remembered most from the draw, even if some of that sheen was marred by two San Jose goals in two minutes to finish out the match.
With the goal, the 31-year-old MLS veteran became the first person to score for all three Texas teams.
Austin FC has a consistency problem
.@kingjebo pulls one back for @SJEarthquakes. pic.twitter.com/FLyZVRgx8N
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) April 3, 2022
If Austin FC’s last draw was characterized by a sloppy start and comeback finish, this game showed the opposite.
While Austin FC held on just long enough to keep a point in the match, the stat board revealed that the match could have easily turned in San Jose’s favor.
The Verde and Black seemed to take a rare step back in the game and held on to the ball less than the home team. Meanwhile, San Jose used Austin’s apparent lack of stamina to retake the match. The Earthquakes dominated the stats in shots, passing and shooting accuracy, crosses, corners and more, while Austin’s Brad Stuver kept it even with nine saves by the end of the game.
Too often, Austin’s games appear to be a tale of two halves, and this match continues that trend.
Mistakes, including plenty of missed opportunities and Nick Lima’s foul in the box that led to a San Jose goal, kept the team from solidifying the dominance that characterized the club’s first two matches of the season, while fatigued starters and late-game subs seemed to struggle to keep up with the pace of the game as the Earthquakes took back the match.
Is the #WolffOut crowd back?
Cause it’s still WOLFFOUTT man does the most random changes that hurt the team in the end 🤣
— HaKKsy (@HaKKsy1) April 3, 2022
Whispers of the #WolffOut crowd may have never left, but for the first time since last season, the most head coach-hating extremists of the Austin FC fanbase were back in full swing after the 2-2 draw.
Their reasoning, once again, comes down to head coach Josh Wolff’s substitution decisions. In the 61st minute, goalscorer Maxi Urruti was subbed out of the match, while hustlers Ethan Finlay and Diego Fagundez were swapped for Rodney Redes and Jared Stroud.
San Jose’s fateful first goal came just three minutes later. While it’s unfair to say the substitutions were solely to blame for the match’s results, the head-scratching moves did seem reminiscient of other, far more catastrophic matches last season.
It’s important to note, however, that Designated Player Cecilio Dominguez was unavailable in the match, and a third-place slot in the West may seem hard to criticize. Still, plenty of fans vented their frustrations to Wolff, the team and more as another apparent win slipped through the club’s grasp.
