Heading into the third matchday of the MLS season, Austin FC is on pace to score 170 league goals.
Sure, one could point to the ridiculously small sample size, and many have chalked their 10-goal flurry up to the fact that their two visiting opponents posed about as much threat on paper as Glass Joe in Mike Tyson’s Punch-Out. FC Cincinnati and Inter Miami have been among the most moribund outfits in MLS after massively botching their initial roster builds — though, it’s worth mentioning that Austin had a lower points per game rate (0.91) than Miami (1.21) in 2021.
Advertisement
Skeptics have every right to want to see more from Austin before sizing them up as playoff favorites, or even anointing them as the kings of Texas as Dallas and Houston undergo the next phase of their respective years-long rebuilds. For second-year head coach Josh Wolff, however, being dealt a pair of fives to start the season could set the Green up for a much better season in 2022.
“We try to keep this in perspective with them,” Wolff told The Athletic on Tuesday. “You want to enjoy the moment, obviously, but we want them to understand how we prepared (for those games) and what that looks like, and how that helped them perform on the weekend — and stick to that process.”
Sunday’s 5-1 win over Miami was as strong a performance as a second-year MLS side could hope to display for a national audience. Austin struck early and often, first finding the back of the net in the 22nd minute thanks to the right foot of Sebastián Driussi.
VAMOS AUSTIN! Class finish from our No.7️⃣, @sebadriussiok.👌 pic.twitter.com/ZjPncvxOCp
— Austin FC (@AustinFC) March 6, 2022
Last season, Driussi became the franchise’s third designated player, joining Cecilio Dominguez and Tomás Pochettino. The three South Americans struggled to coexist on the field as the expansion side played out the string. While each created plenty of chances, the team’s lack of a true striker was clear. Ultimately, Pochettino was the odd man out, being loaned to River Plate with a purchase option. Rather than filling his DP slot with a target man, Austin used it to renew captain Alex Ring’s contract at a level which can eventually be bought down with TAM.
Still, Pochettino’s departure has allowed the club’s first DP (Dominguez) to play in a far more natural role as an inverted left winger. It’s allowed the team to operate with better spacing along its attacking line, while also allowing Driussi and Ring to take a greater role in facilitation and finishing.
Advertisement
“I think (the impact on) Cece is more specific: he’s out wide,” Wolff said. “The Tomas role is filled more by Alex; we could see that as a real possibility last year towards the middle and latter part of the season. That’s what Alex and Sebastian can bring you by playing in the middle: both arriving in the penalty box, plus the ball security was just much different than that of Tomas Pochettino. It was difficult for Tomas; we worked tirelessly with him, we had good communication. Part of being here is just being really receptive to everything that this league is about and the challenges that they bring. (You need) the desire to be here, to learn and be aware of your opponents and to be aware of the league. It was tough for Tomas, but right away we knew the potential of Alex and Sebastian working together was really strong.”
The opening goal is a perfect example of the work which Driussi can do on both sides of the field.
At this point in the match against Miami, Austin wasn’t in transition. Miami defender Brek Shea sent a long, cross-field ball to left back Žan Kolmanič, and the ball recirculated through the defensive line for 15 seconds. As annotated, Driussi joined the build-up play at a similar plane as the two full backs, with midfielder Danny Pereira splitting the defenders. Last year, it would’ve been Ring dropping into this space, but in this sequence, the former Finland international’s size makes him an ideal outlet for aerial distribution.
The buildup is clinical. Driussi spins over his right shoulder to find Kolmanič with space down the left flank. The Slovene progressed into the attacking half yards ahead of Driussi, leaving Miami’s defense to focus elsewhere as the play developed. Ring (identified in a rectangle below) drew the focus of Miami midfielder Mo Adams, with Driussi loosely tracked by Jean Mota.
Ultimately, Kolmanič sent the ball to Driussi in the center of the pitch. While he isn’t a DP in Pochettino’s place, Urriti is a seasoned pro now in his 10th MLS season. Since he isn’t a traditional center forward, the Argentine has bounced around as an imperfect fit for most coaches’ tactical plans over his six stops in the league. Wolff’s call is for a more scoring-oriented No. 9 who can also lead the team’s first line of pressing and seamlessly interplay with the rest of the attack, a tenet of positional play ideologies, making Urriti’s inclusion as invaluable to get more out of Driussi and Dominguez.
Advertisement
“His work ethic is incredible, his running behind the lines is good,” Wolff said of Urriti. “I think in his previous places, he would run towards the channels, towards corners. That’s what we’re trying to work on so hard with him, to stay more central and stay on the weak side, but also be a guy that can come off the line. On our first goal, we saw his ability to come off the line and link up with Alex and Sebastian. (We’re) getting him a little bit more conscious of his movement. He has some intangibles: his work rate and his team ideas are extremely good.”
While Wolff said that he is asking Urruti to get in dangerous scoring positions (as one must think many coaches have before him), Urriti’s selfless, withdrawn approach to the position was to Austin’s benefit in this sequence. He settled the ball as he turned over his left shoulder and sent a through ball between Mota and Shea to find Diego Fagundez in space.
With Miami scrambling due to the rapidness with which Austin broke through the midfield, Fagundez sent a cross into the box. At first, its target appeared to be Ring, who had yet to touch the ball in this rapid run up the field. Acquired ahead of the 2021 season via trade with New York City FC, Ring made his name as a holding midfielder who could expertly cut out an opponent’s passing lane. Playing in this more advanced role, he’s able to significantly impact the play from start to finish, keeping Adams preoccupied as Driussi picked up the pace of his run.
Fourteen seconds earlier, Driussi was squared up, facing his own goal less than 15 yards outside of the box. Now, he’s able to connect on the cross for a precise finish. The amount of space left open was a credit to the movement of players like Ring and Urruti, doing the necessary work to spread Miami’s defense thin to give its leading man room to roam in the box.
“There were a lot of difficulties last year, for everyone (in the league), but we had no striker,” Wolff said. “We started putting guys in positions that they weren’t built for naturally; Cece and Johnny Gallagher played striker for us. We were just trying to find ways to manage situations, and when you start doing that, you take them away from where players have been very successful. This year, we have strikers that understand and fill the role of what we need up top.”
As Wolff alluded, Dominguez has also benefited from clarity on his role.
“Cece is playing the position that he’s most accustomed to, and has been most successful at,” Wolff said. “Last year, playing as a striker, I think it demoralized him to some extent because it’s hard to play against two center backs. It’s challenging to get your opportunities, and that was part of the struggle of last year. He also committed during the offseason to getting fitter. We have a competitive group, so the performance is going to allow him to keep playing. He started well in preseason and, fortunately for all of us, he started well in the first few games, as well.”
While he didn’t get on the scoresheet against Miami, he bagged a brace against Cincinnati the previous week. And yes, we know that Cincinnati wasn’t providing MLS-level defending on this next sequence.
BRACE yourself for a year of @AustinFC's DPs combined to up the tally to 4-0 and bring the party to the fans on the south end. #ATXvCIN pic.twitter.com/bCn9CNtv3G
— Lincoln Rose (@LincolnRose) February 28, 2022
Rather than being drawn toward the center backs, Dominguez was able to read the game while staying on the opposite flank. Once the ball turned over and Pereira — the top overall pick in the 2021 SuperDraft — sent it over the Cincinnati backline to hit Driussi in stride. Rather than looking for his own second goal, he squared it to Dominguez after the Paraguayan spent the entire run-up at least 10 yards away from the nearest defender.
Advertisement
Transition moments will be crucial as Austin looks to improve on both sides of the ball. While earning less than a point a game marks a poor season whether a team is new or not, Wolff wasn’t worried that the team needed to tear apart its gameplan.
“Tactically, it was more about just refining some things,” Wolff said. “I think in the second half of last season we did a good job creating chances. But if you build up from your goalkeeper, as we did, and give up (the ball) in the manner that we gave it up — a number of them in transition — you can get punished quickly. We spent time talking and watching different coaches, different teams, and just making corrections as to how we wanted to teach that, how we wanted to utilize our positional games. We still operate in a similar space with positional play and coordinated movements.”
Urruti marked one of three intraleague acquisitions, along with Ethan Finlay and Felipe Martins.
“We had a preseason to get Sebastian up to speed,” Wolff said. “He and Moussa came in and helped us. Adding the likes of Ethan Finlay and Maxi Urruti and Felipe Martins — these are players that provide quality on and off the field.”
Just like Driussi, midseason signing Moussa Djitté benefited from additional time on the training ground during the team’s preseason. Wolff eased expectations on him this year, saying that the club is looking for continued improvement throughout 2022. If Urruti can continue to seamlessly unlock the best of Dominguez and Driussi, it should give Djitté time to refine his skill set and break out.
Last year, Austin was exposed for a lack of depth that forced its best players to occupy positions outside of their ideal space. Pochettino’s absence has allowed Dominguez and Ring to play in their preferred spots, increasing the team’s attacking output in the process.
As far as how the team will fare in 2022, however — it all comes back to Driussi. As he showed the national audience on Sunday, he possesses enough talent to factor into the league’s best XI discussion. Now 26 years old, he’s a more refined player than the sprightly striker lining up for Argentina’s U-20 side in 2015. After mixed performances with River Plate and Zenit, he looks to be at home in Austin — and his combination of technical talent and tactical nous could make the rest of MLS verde with envy.
Advertisement
“Sebastian has a great confidence about him,” Wolff said. “His work rate is unbelievably high. In any training session, any game, high speed running, total distance, he’s going to be one of the top players on the field. It’s incredible to see, and when you show that to the rest of the players, it pushes the group. His individual quality is exceptional, but inside our collective effort and our collective ideas is where it shines.”
(Top photo: Scott Wachter-USA TODAY Sports)