Austin FC vs. LAFC: Our preview and prediction are in
Austin FC has a bit of a litmus test Wednesday.
With LAFC coming to town, the Verde & Black will be facing the hottest team in the MLS and arguably the league’s best team outside of Miami.
The Austin FC defense also faces a particularly daunting challenge in LAFC forward Denis Bouanga, who is third in the league in scoring and leads it in shots and shots on target.
Here’s what you need to know about the match as Austin FC (6-7-5, 23 points) looks to break a three-game losing skid by halting LAFC’s six-game winning streak:
Team defense needs to be better
Austin FC coach Josh Wolff was blunt Tuesday in discussing his disappointment in the team’s overall defensive play during Saturday’s 2-0 loss at Colorado.
He noted he was “candid” with some of the players on their effort and positioning that allowed the Rapids to have a numbers advantage several times in attacking.
“We’ve built our club on roots, the foundation of hard work, collectivism and our ability to grind and compete,” he said. “That dipped or we lost that with a few players in the first half and certainly the second half. … You show the respect for the game and the opponent and, most importantly, yourself and your teammates.”
That’s something that can’t be repeated against LAFC.
The result against Colorado may have been kind with the Rapids missing several chances in the box, but Bouanga and LAFC’s other key attacking players Mateusz Bogusz and Ilie Sánchez likely won’t be as kind.
More: Two newcomers join Brad Stuver as Austin FC's 'A' players in our midseason grades
Midfielder Ethan Finlay noted sometimes it’s necessary for the coaching staff to directly call out players on subpar performances.
“What (Wolff) was telling us is as individuals and as a collective that we need to be able to look ourselves in the mirror,” he said. “We know that wasn’t good enough, and the last two performances were not up to the standard that we’ve created here.”
More shots = more goals
The Verde & Black only have one goal in their last three games, with that being an insignificant penalty in the closing minutes at Real Salt Lake.
While Austin FC is dramatically better on offense at Q2 Stadium, Wolff noted he put an emphasis on being more aggressive this week after players tried to do too much against the Rapids inside the box instead of simply blasting shots.
“There are opportunities for us to shoot (against Colorado), and we should be shooting more,” he said.
Finlay said confidence issues pop up for players periodically.
“You get in front of goal and you’re thinking to pass first,” he said. “I’ve gone through those spells in my career where you’ve overthinking things in front of the goal. … Sometimes you just need to get that one to get the floodgates to open.”
Injury-free
Though it only has 16 first-team field players until Dani Pereira and Julio Cascante return from Copa América, Austin FC is at least healthy.
Finlay is fully recovered from what he called, "the first soft-muscle-tissue injury in my 13-year career," and right back Jon Gallagher appears over his groin injury from late May after playing most of the Colorado match.
The short roster is something Wolff has dealt with all year, but this is the worst it’s been. He stated it’s been weeks since the team has done an 11 vs. 11 in practice and that the club has to be diligent in all aspects during games.
“We have to be very calculated and certain to how we want to go about doing things,” he said. “Can we execute better? Yes. … We can’t let games get away from us because it’s hard for us to go after games the way other teams do. That’s just the reality of where we are.”
Schedule frustrations
Finlay — who is one of the top three interviews on the team and usually speaks freely — wasn’t shy in critiquing the league’s busy schedule while the Euro Cup and Copa América tournaments are going on.
Most MLS teams are in the midst of a three-games-in-eight-days stretch and several have players gone on national team duty.
“It’s disappointing that we’re having this many games,” he said. “I think that’s something going forward that we should look at. … Whether that means adding two or three more roster spots, there are options. … And we don’t want to take away from the quality on the field.”
A glance at LAFC
Across all competitions, LAFC (10-4-3, 33 points) has won eight straight and only lost once since March 30, and though it’s second in the Western Conference behind Real Salt Lake, it’s first on a points-per-game basis.
In continuing general manager John Thorrington’s trend of signing former European stars, LAFC’s goalie is former French national team star Hugo Lloris, and fellow Frenchman, forward Olivier Giroud, will join the team in July.
But LAFC runs through Bouanga, who Austin FC will have to be aware of at all times.
“I think it’s a personal challenge for whoever’s defending him throughout the game,” Finlay said. “As a winger, you’re going to have to get (back on defense) and double a guy like that. It’ll be extremely important that we collectively defend a player like that.”
Predicted Austin FC lineup
Forward: Diego Rubio
Midfield: Jadér Obrian, Alex Ring, Sebastián Driussi, Jhojan Valencia, Ethan Finlay
Defense: Guilherme Biro, Brendan Hines-Ike, Leo Väisänen, Jon Gallagher
Goalie: Brad Stuver
Austin FC vs. LAFC prediction
LAFC 2, Austin FC 1: The Verde & Black play much better at home, however, this is a tough matchup. Austin FC should be motivated after a not-so-great performance against Colorado, which will help, but LAFC and Bouanga are scorching hot.
Wednesday's match
Austin FC (6-7-5, 23 points) vs. LAFC (10-4-3, 33 points), 7:30 p.m., Q2 Stadium, Apple TV, 97.5, 104.3 (Spanish)
This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Austin FC vs. LAFC: Our preview and prediction are in
