AUSTIN, Texas — If there were any doubters left, Austin FC turned them into believers on Friday night, blowing out mighty Los Angeles FC 4-1 in front of a raucous sellout crowd of 20,738 fans at Q2 Stadium.
Make no mistake, this was the greatest victory in club history, and further proof that bigger ones could be just around the corner come playoff time. Because for the first time, everybody has to stop and recognize that MLS Cup is within reach. After Friday night, how could you say it isn't?
Here are a few takeaways from an unforgettable match.
Diegolazo
There's just something about Diego Fagúndez. Every time a big occasion arises for Austin FC, he finds a way to be at the center of it. And there's never been a bigger occasion than the one on Friday night, with all eyes on Q2 Stadium.
Fagúndez put his name up in lights. Maybe we should have seen it coming.
Absolute scenes in Austin. 🎉
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) August 27, 2022
The view from the stands on @DiegolFagundez's free kick! pic.twitter.com/2rGsGuLuVf
Remember, this is the same guy who scored the first goal in Austin FC history last April on a night we called DenVerde. He scored at LAFC earlier this year, in May, to send a message to the rest of the league. And in July, when Verde had a chance to clinch its first trophy, Fagúndez scored a free kick banger against Houston and followed it up with the clinching goal in a 1-1 draw against FC Dallas.
You could almost sense his anticipation when Sebastián Driussi drew the foul outside the box in the 30th minute, in almost the exact spot where Fagúndez struck against the Dynamo. He had to be told to back off by referee Alex Chilowicz, such was his eagerness to take the kick.
And when he finally struck it, he left no doubt. In the biggest moments, Fagúndez delivers.
Mate con Maxi
Just when you thought Maxi Urruti might be losing his touch, he scored a brace against the best team in the league. Urruti's goals, back to back in the 47th and 51st minutes, sent shockwaves around MLS.
There would be no inevitable LAFC comeback. Urruti shot that idea down with the efficiency of a poison arrow.
Maxi Urruti.
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) August 27, 2022
He flicks it off the head to give @AustinFC a 2-0 lead and Q2 is buzzin' pic.twitter.com/qsrXmFUShf
The first goal was the result of Verde sticking with a set piece, as Nick Lima collected the initial clearance and played a cross back in for Urruti to flick a beautifully weighted near-post header over his shoulder and into the far corner of the goal.
On the second goal, Urruti flipped the script of the past month of Austin FC matches, making a mockery of several LAFC defenders who had chances to clear the ball away. In the end, he won the ball from Ryan Hollingshead and Eddie Segura in the box to make the score 3-0.
In the 59th minute, Driussi put the game on ice. Or, perhaps more aptly, he poured a bottle of hot water on the tea leaves that his Argentine compatriot had already poured for him.
What a turn.
That man @SebadriussiOk. 🔥
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) August 27, 2022
What a turn to set up his MLS leading 19th goal. pic.twitter.com/Ba3P0jrNRL
Wolff's masterclass
For me, the moment of the night came after Urruti's first goal. As soon as he scored it, he looked to the bench and locked eyes with coach Josh Wolff. Under the Verde glow of an Austin FC goal, the two shared a long embrace and were soon joined by a throng of Urruti's teammates.
This, perhaps more than any other victory this season, was the work of the maestro. He set his team up to succeed.
In the pregame broadcast, he put it well. "We know we can hurt LAFC. We know that. So we're coming to play."
And that's exactly what they did. Austin FC set the tone with well-worked patterns of play that got the ball to the feet of its best players — Driussi, Fagúndez, Urruti and Alex Ring — early and often. They put LAFC on its heels.
It took a while for Steve Cherundolo's side to crack, but once it did, Wolff didn't allow his team to let up.
And, to put it the way we're surely going to hear postgame, this Austin FC performance was about the collective. It didn't require Driussi to lift his teammates up, because everyone was playing well together.
And while the numbers weren't overly impressive (LAFC had 1.6 expected goals, along with more possession and more total shots) anybody who watched the match knew who was the better team on the night.
When it works, Wolff's style of soccer can look like a beautiful symphony. Everybody at Q2 came away wanting to see more on Friday night.