WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW: LAFC
Welcome back to What You Need To Know, a preview for Austin FC fans to check in on their next opponent.
Opponent: LAFC
Kick Off time: 9:30ish PM Central Time
Location: BMO Stadium
History vs. Austin FC:
LAFC and Austin have already met twice this season, including a 1-1 draw in Austin and a 2-0 LAFC win in Leagues Cup.
Recent Matches:
LAFC lost the El Tráfico Derby 4-2 to LA Galaxy. They’re currently second in the Western Conference.
Players to Watch:
Dennis Bouanga
Their leading scorer and tied for second in the league’s Golden Boot race. He also probably should have been sent off on Saturday.
Olivier Giroud
The Frenchman and possibly the most handsome active soccer player alive, joined LAFC in the summer transfer window but is yet to score in his first three appearances (he did hit the woodwork on Saturday). He hadn’t played a club match since January, with only a handful of National team appearances in between. For a team that has MLS Cup aspirations, signing an aging and out-of-form striker and being hopeful he gets back into form by the playoffs is a huge risk.
Eddie Segura
With Jesus Murillo out with an injury and no timeline for his return, Segura has taken over as a regular starter at center back for LAFC. He had a tough match on Saturday, as did most of their defense, being pulled out of place or beaten one-on-one on their first goal. If Austin can muster an attack he’s someone to try and focus on.
Keys to the Match:
Depth Challenge
After a slew of yellow cards in Toronto, Sebastian Driussi, Jhohan Valencia, and Brandon Hines-Ike will be serving suspensions. Matt Hedges is out with a hip flexor injury, so Austin will be without three regular starters, including both Centerbacks. It’s likely we see Leo Vaisanen and Julio Cascante as replacements, or possibly Patrick Svatok could appear in an Austin kit for the first time. The midfield question becomes more interesting, as Austin could start any combination of Daniel Perreira, Alex Ring, Owen Wolff, or Diego Rubio in those spots depending on how Coach Josh Wolff wants to play.
Speed Kills
For the first time on Saturday, we got to see Osman Bukari and Jadier Obrien start on both wings for Austin FC and we got to see a glimpse of what those two can do. Providing attacking width and chance creation as they used their pace to help Austin create 3.3 xG, a total they hadn’t achieved in a match since July 8th in Minnesota. Austin is a team that lacks speed, which is why many times they look simultaneously outnumbered in defense and attack. Their only goal came from Owen Wolff getting behind the defense to create a scoring chance, something Austin needs to do since their build-up and passing game seldom leads to scoring chances, for themselves anyway.
The End of the Line/Scoreboard watching
Austin FC currently sits in 11th place in the Western Conference, five points out of 9th place and 10 points out of the real playoff spots (7th) with six games left on their schedule. The outcomes to watch for tonight include Minnesota hosting FC Cincinnati, Portland hosting the LA Galaxy, and Real Salt Lake hosting FC Dallas. Austin is going to need a lot of help to make it into the playoffs with so many teams above them. The biggest worry is Austin actually earning points, having only gotten 1.21 per match. That PPG would only result in 41 points for the season, a total that would earn them a spot in the play-in game, only if every other team didn’t gain any more points for the season.
WRITTEN BY: SCOTT SPECHT
