WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW: COLORADO RAPIDS
Welcome back to What You Need To Know, a preview for Austin FC fans to check in on their next opponent.
Opponent: Colorado Rapids
Kick Off time: 8:00 PM Central
Location: Q2 Stadium
Austin FC enters a new era this weekend, it’s their first time playing without Josh Wolff listed as the head coach. As I’m sure everyone reading this is aware, Wolff was fired this past Sunday after a loss against the LA Galaxy that officially eliminated the team from the playoffs.
While many have celebrated the firing, and as someone who has been #WolffOut since 2021, the firing was the right decision. His primary job is to win soccer matches and earn points in the standings and he was bad at it. I wish him well in his future endeavors and hope that like many new coaches, he can learn from the experience when he gets another opportunity. We will always have the magical 2022 season and many great memories.
History vs. Austin FC:
The Colorado Rapids have a win and two draws all-time at Q2 and defeated Austin 2-0 on May 15.
Recent Matches:
The Rapids have lost four of their last five games with a -7 GD that has kept them in the Western Conference playoffs, but not where they get home-field in the first round. Depending on results they could finish between 5th and 7th, which would dramatically influence who their playoff opponent is (likely Real Salt Lake or LAFC, respectively).
Players to Watch:
Reggie Cannon
The former FC Dallas right back who was part of the academy sale era (after he was booed for kneeling during the national anthem) is back in MLS after stints for Boavista in Portugal and Queens Parks Rangers in England. He’s been a featured player for them and helped solidify a defense that was struggling to protect Zach Steffen.
Connor Ronan
The Irish midfielder has taken on a lot more responsibility linking play for the Rapids with Cole Bassett out since September 21. Unfortunately for the Rapids, it hasn’t been enough as they’ve lost the three matches without Bassett, who is expected to miss this match as well.
Keys to the Match:
Interim
Davy Arnaud was named the first Interim Head Coach in club history. It’s likely this will be his only match in charge, but there’s always the possibility that what Rodo Borrell has cooking could take some time to cure, proof, or marinate into next season and next summer before it’s ready for plating, which means Arnaud could stick around.
He’s previously been an Interim Head coach for the Houston Dynamo in 2019 with a 3-5-1 record (1.11 PPG) and been the coach in charge for Austin twice. Once when Josh Wolff had COVID-19 at FC Dallas on July 16, 2022, and again that season when Wolff served a yellow card suspension on Decision Day, at home, against the Colorado Rapids. Both matches ended in 1-1 draws.
Despite what Wolff said after last season’s similar Decision Day, the players do have something to play for. Not just the club, the city, or the fan base, they have their own professionalism and pride. As Roy Kent so eloquently said, “Either have pride in the shirt or don’t fucking wear it.” For a team in transition and a roster full of players who may or may not come back, it’s important to know for sure which players have pride in the shirt and want to play in it during the rebuilding process.
How to make Q2 a fortress
At this point its more of a fortress for USNTs, who not only haven’t lost at Q2, but haven’t even conceded a goal.
For Austin FC, the solution is actually pretty simple: Make a second supporter’s section in the North End of the stadium as the team performs better with the increased crowd noise and “pressure” from the fans. Spanning 76 matches in four seasons and across all competitions, opponents have scored only 44% of their 106 goals attacking the South End while Austin FC have scored 56% of their 135 goals attacking the South End (including 65% this season).
Mixing and Matching
The downside of having multiple players gone on International Duty (Julio Cascante, Dani Pereira, Oleksandr Svatok) is their possible unavailability for club matches. Dani Pereira would have missed anyway due to yellow card accumulation and Guilherme Biro is out due to his red card against the LA Galaxy. Mikkel Desler is still listed as questionable so that leaves Austin with a line up that will be hodgepodge, especially in the defense.
See you at Q2!
WRITTEN BY: SCOTT SPECHT
