Austin FC Eke Past LA Galaxy at Home

Austin FC (5-3-1) defeated the winless, and last place, LA Galaxy (0-6-3) by a score of 1-0.  The win moves Austin into a tie for second place in the MLS Western Conference. 

Austin FC head coach Nico Estevez tried to paint a pretty picture, saying, “for me, (this was) the most complete game we played this year at home, on the offensive side.” But at the same time, he was honest, “The unlucky thing to say, we should have scored two or three goals.” 

There were multiple missed opportunities for Austin in the match.  None was more evident than from forward Brandon Vasquez. 

Vasquez scored the winning goal in the 81st minute of the match, but he missed so badly on a penalty kick that goalkeeper John McCarthy stopped the shot with his gut and not with the typical deflection. 

Vazquez took eight total shots, two on target, for an expected goal outcome of 2.3. 

The teams were evenly match, with Austin having a slight advantage in total shots (16-to-14) and shots on goal (5-to-4). These efforts gave Austin a decisive edge in the expected goals, 3-to-1.  Austin, however, came up short in the goal department, as been the trend all season.  Austin has produced only seven goals all season, the fifth worse among all 30 MLS teams. 

Tension ran high in the final seconds as Oleksandr Svatok broke up a scuffle between - Zan Kolmanic and Lucas Sanabria, with the assistance of Ilie Sanchez and Brad Stuver.  None of the players interviewed after the match had a recollection of the cause. 

Another disappointment was team captain Brandon Hines-Ike drawing two yellow cards, earning him an automatic red card.  The red card enabled LA to rally in the final minutes of the game and will stop Hines-Ike from playing in the next match.