AUSTIN, Texas — When this Austin FC run through the MLS Cup Playoffs is over, Moussa Djitté has plans to visit his family back in Senegal. It's been more than two months since his son Mohamed was born, and Djitté hasn't met him yet.
But he's not in a hurry. There's unfinished business for Djitté here in the United States.
"The plan is to go back with a trophy," he told The Striker on Thursday, speaking in French with assistance from a translator. "I want to win MLS Cup for my son, Mohamed. That's the focus now. To finish up the season, win the trophy and go back to Senegal with a title."
Whatever happens, Moussa will always be able to tell Mohamed about the 2022 postseason, and how he scored against FC Dallas in the Western Conference semifinals in his first MLS playoff start. To even be on the field for Verde at that moment required immense perseverance and the trust and belief of Austin FC head coach Josh Wolff.
"It was clear how we could utilize Moussa in this game as we've used him in other games, but at the end of the day, the player has to perform," Wolff said. "He grabbed a goal on a set piece, but he was invaluable throughout the time he was on the pitch."
After a difficult introduction to MLS, where he scored only two goals through his first 26 matches, Djitté is starting to look like the player that fans and media expected to be the full-time starter in 2022. That role instead belonged to Maxi Urruti, who scored nine goals for Verde during the regular season. Djitté started only three games, and all four of his goals came as a substitute.
The first sign that he might be a factor in the playoffs came on Sept. 14, when Djitté scored the first hat trick in club history during a glorious 20 minutes against Real Salt Lake.
"Of course that's gonna boost your confidence," he said. "Especially going into the playoffs. In that moment, I said thanks be to God to like he got that opportunity to go into that game."
He started two of the final three matches, had an assist against Nashville SC, and was a handful for the Colorado Rapids on Decision Day. Djitté also played the final 75 minutes of the thrilling first-round playoff win over RSL that ended in penalty kicks.
A few days before the FCD match, Wolff informed the 23-year-old that he'd be starting.
"It's not so much of an emotion or feeling of gaining that trust," Djitté said. "It's part of the game. Just like any other player, when you get your chance, you get your chance, and you've got to go out there and show show what you can do."
His moment arrived in the 26th minute, off of a corner kick that somehow squirted through a crowd of players at the near post and landed on the striker's right foot. He calmly and assertively pounded a shot into the top left corner of the goal and sent Q2 into raptures.
The real story of how Djitté got his opportunity in such a big moment came from the rest of his performance, though. Tactically, physically and competitively, he executed every part of the role that Wolff and the coaches had laid out for him.
Playing alongside Sebastián Driussi at the top of a 4-4-2 formation, he stayed connected and forced Dallas's back line to go over or around. In transition, he provided an outlet for Austin's back line and midfield to play through the FCD press. On the ball, he was a wall — on at least one occasion sending Ema Twumasi flying with a shoulder nudge.
And on Driussi's goal that made the score 2-0, Djitté made the critical run to pull Matt Hedges and Marco Farfan out of the space where Driussi ultimately scored from.
"I think he deserves it," Julio Cascante said, asked about Djitté's role in the playoff run. "He's been through a lot this year. Seeing him score a couple goals lately, I think it's so important for him to feel something with this team. Everyone is here to support him. That's why we need players like him that come from the bench and perform like he does."
Will Djitté start again in the Western Conference Final at 2 p.m. CT on Sunday at Banc of California Stadium? Los Angeles FC head coach Steve Cherundolo would love to know the answer. Maxi Urruti hasn't scored since Aug. 26, but that night his brace helped lift Verde to a 4-1 win over LAFC.
Both players provide different challenges for opponents, playing the same position inside Wolff's system with opposite strengths that can tip the scales toward Austin going with an all-out press or sitting a little deeper like it did against FCD.
"At the end of the day, we're both great players and we're brothers," Djitté said of Urruti. "It's Josh who makes the decision, and of course there is that player tactic. If we need a more physical game, put Moussa up top. If we need to cover more ground and create space, Maxi is going to be that guy. We each have our strengths."
Surprisingly, Djitté said that matching his muscular 5-foot-11, 163-pound frame to the physical style of MLS has been one of his greatest challenges. Working with the coaches on using his big body as an advantage, along with a better understanding of the style of play and tactics, has been key to his development.
He's also learning to communicate better with his teammates, both in Spanish and in English. As the only native French speaker on the team, he often has to lean on one of Davy Arnaud or Ruben Gabrielsen to get his point across. Bianca Mattioli, an athletic trainer, translated for this story and they both joked that she's served as a mother-like figure inside the club.
That support system was more critical than ever earlier this year when Djitté lost his grandmother and brother, on top of being unable to visit his newborn son.
"This team is a big family, and the coaches have been so helpful and the players are so accepting," he said. "I've had some rough times here and some ups and downs, and the guys have always been behind me."
He's also appreciated the support from fans, but lamented that the lack of French speakers in Austin makes it difficult to communicate with them. Asked for a phrase that they might learn to say for him, Djitté kept it simple.
"Moussa, nous sommes derrière toi."
Moussa, we're behind you.
