Three takeaways from the glorious chaos of Austin FC 3, D.C. United 2

ARLINGTON, Va. — As I type this, it’s just after 1 am ET. I’m sitting at a place called Bob & Edith’s Diner, where I just slammed a Western Omelette with hash browns and rye toast. My Plan A, a brewery with pizza, closed early for Easter. 

So far, from my corner table. I’ve witnessed a dine-and-dash and listened to music, a mix of Spanish pop and ‘80s rock-and-roll, blaring over the speakers. I’m 90% certain I’m the only sober one here.

And somehow, I feel like I’m ending this night exactly where I’m supposed to as I attempt to make sense of a game that made no sense at all. How do you describe the indescribable?

A few hours ago, Austin FC was trailing D.C. United 2-0 and I was writing about the team playing one of its worst matches ever. And then, seemingly out of nowhere, Danny Hoesen (Danny Hoesen!) sparked a 10-minute comeback that rivals the most shocking in Major League Soccer history.

If you were at Audi Field — and I know many of you were — you witnessed something that has only happened five times in league history. Down 2-0 in the 80th minute, Austin FC came back to win 3-2.

Here are a few of the things I’m still chewing on as the night drifts away.

Winners never quit

It’s trite, but remember that youth team you played for where you broke the huddle by yelling — in a high-pitched squeal, no doubt — “Winners never quit and quitters never win?"

Last season, Austin FC fit into the latter category far too often. There’s a reason why Verde hadn’t won away from Q2 Stadium since May. But now that streak, and the stench that came with it, is in the past.

“This year is this group,” head coach Josh Wolff said. “I don’t worry about last year when we won our last (away) game.”

But what’s the difference? We’ve been talking about this being a different group, but who exactly is tugging this team across the finish line when so many of the same players are still present?

“I think the additions of Maxi (Urruti), Ruben (Gabrielsen) and Felipe have been very big,” Hoesen said. “They have a voice, they have experience. They know how to fight. They’ve seen a lot of matches in their careers, and by bringing those guys in, you saw a big difference in the group. Everybody got more open with each other.

“Especially now at halftime. I think last season, sometimes it would be quiet. And now players are saying the right things.”

Halftime talks don’t win games, no matter what sports movies will have you believe. Austin had to bust the door down, and it doesn’t seem like a coincidence that Gabrielsen and Felipe were involved in the latter stages of the comeback.

Diego Fagúndez deserves mention here too, for his two assists including the looping cross to Gabrielsen at the far post that won it.

Everybody seems to have that belief now, and scraping out a result like Saturday’s can only strengthen it. Throw in a little disrespect for the opponents Austin FC is beating and the fact that Verde is now top of the table, and you’ve got a recipe brewing for that chip on the shoulder that all the great teams possess.

“You would think so,” Hoesen said when asked if he felt the win would earn Verde the respect it feels it deserves. “But there’s still a long way to go. This club is hungry, we want to be successful. One of the big things in MLS is that you win away games. And I think tonight, we showed a lot of character. You would assume that other clubs are noticing that.”

Losing his shirt, losing his mind

Ola Kamara must feel sick. The D.C. United forward was trending toward a hat trick just before halftime when he made the mistake that ultimately let Austin FC back in. His tackle on Sebastián Driussi just outside the box earned a second yellow card, reducing United to 10 men for the entire second half.

The first yellow? That came right after Kamara’s first goal, when he ripped his shirt off in celebration. 

“You do silly stuff like that, you put yourself at risk,” Wolff said. “I mean, I did that as a player. But again, it's not worth doing in the grand scheme of things. You can let your team down quickly. We took advantage of the second yellow.”

Still, it took 35 minutes for Austin to finally break through a D.C. United defense that went from pressing high for the first half to dropping deeper as the match wore on. The hosts looked particularly deflated after they conceded the first goal, realizing they still had to hang on for 10 minutes. They couldn’t do it.

The expected goals (xG) for Verde shot through the roof in the second half, surpassing D.C. United’s xG midway through the second half. Austin finished on 3.4 xG while United had 1.4. It’s never a perfect stat, but it does show how the complexion of the match changed as it wore on.

“We just kept pushing and believing,” Hoesen said. “If you keep doing that, then eventually you'll be successful.”

But … was this a good performance?

The first half bears mentioning, and perhaps one day it will get the book it deserved. I had it halfway written before Driussi’s second goal made me hit delete. And I’m glad, because that shit was bleak.

On paper, the lineup that Wolff ran out seemed like a decent enough idea. He was searching for answers in the absence of suspended Cecilio Domínguez and to manage minutes ahead of Wednesday’s important Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup match in San Antonio.

Jon Gallagher made his first start at left back, replacing Žan Kolmanič. Jhojan Valencia also started for the first time in Verde, adding an extra midfielder to the mix and shifting Driussi to the left wing.

D.C. United deserves credit for executing its high-energy, pressing style, but Austin FC looked ill-prepared — almost like it was playing scared to turn the ball over, rather than the committed passing we’re used to seeing. Captain Alex Ring struggled to replicate the connector role of Driussi in central midfield, and that left the Argentine star on an island.

“What I would take from this is I may have scared or spooked our players and talked about how aggressive they are, and the intensity and how they press,” Wolff said. “But we’ve still got to play soccer.”

The lineup was designed for a track meet, and that’s exactly what Austin FC got. It was out of character for a coach who often talks about needing to play its own style, both home and away.

Individual performances were lacking, too. Valencia, brought in to disrupt attacks, was at least partially at fault on both goals as Kamara went unmarked. 

“Jhojan had moments where he was OK,” Wolff said. “He came in and apologized after the game to me. And I said, ‘Man, this is part of the growth.’ We've been working hard on a lot of things with Jhojan, and understanding our league and understanding the opponents is part of that. Now it’s about how he can come into these tough situations and perform.”

The second-half changes — fullbacks Kolmanič and Héctor Jiménez for Gallagher and Nick Lima, along with winger Ethan Finlay for Valencia — put the emphasis back on creation and allowed Driussi to come back to the middle. Still, they didn’t come until the 56th minute.

And on top of the red card, D.C. United suffered from losing left wingback Andy Najar to an apparent injury in the 51st minute. Najar was among D.C.’s most influential players when he was on the pitch.

The other moves Austin made, adding Hoesen and Felipe, also added some needed composure. That determination, more than anything tactical, is what swung this match in Austin’s favor. It’s a great sign for the players, but will leave plenty of questions for Wolff.

Not nearly as many as there would have been had Austin lost.

“We’ve worked tirelessly on breaking down opponents,” Wolff said. “In the first half, we just didn't play. We didn't set up attacks, we didn't have the calm. (D.C. United) were fresh, and they were hungry. But the last 25 minutes, it was exactly how we drew it up at halftime.”