Austin FC dispatches FC Charlotte, finishes first half of MLS season second in West
To end the first half of the season, Austin FC produced another impressive result.
Behind Dani Pereira’s 62nd-minute goal, El Tree took a 1-0 road win over FC Charlotte in a rare Thursday game at Bank of America Stadium.
With 31 points after 17 games, El Tree sits in second place in the Western Conference.
Here are some takeaways from the game as Austin FC has a very short turnaround before continuing a three-games-in-nine-days stretch Monday in Denver against the Colorado Rapids:
So far, so good
Maybe you can’t say everything has gone right for El Tree at the season’s official midpoint, but little has gone wrong.
More: After midseason break, Austin FC starts second half focused on postseason run
With a record of 9-4-4 and where it is in the standings, Austin FC has exceeded all preseason expectations, and the club seems well on track to make the playoffs. And head coach Josh Wolff — whom some fans were saying should be fired in the last two months of last season — would probably be the MLS coach of the year for the first half.
El Tree has matched its point total for the 2021 season and, in a bit of an oddity, has more wins (five) and points (16) on the road than it does at home. Winning and getting points on the road are difficult tasks, but Austin FC has done an impressive job on those this season.
More: Austin FC midfielder Owen Wolff earning high praise from club's captain
It’s widely thought that a team needs at least 50 points to make the playoffs, and El Tree is well on the way to that, but its focus should be on a top-four finish in the West and trying to host a postseason match.
Pereira comes up big
Pereira’s goal was a brilliant strike that came less than two minutes after he subbed into the game in the 60th minute.
Settling a pass just outside the box, he drilled a shot to the far side of the goal, over Charlotte goalkeeper Kristijan Kahlina. The ball hit the underside of the crossbar and bounced in.
More: Austin FC's Julio Cascante now the rock for team's defensive line
It’s a shot that should have Pereira in the running for the league’s “goal of the week" award and further proves he’s a rising star in the league.
In a couple of years, we could be talking about Pereira challenging to be a league all-star.
All eyes on Urruti
Overall, Thursday night wasn’t a wildly well-played game by either team, but you don’t apologize for road wins, especially with starting striker Maxi Urruti unavailable due to a back injury.
In the midst of a brutal travel stretch, including a match at Atlanta on July 9, El Tree seems to be in good shape on fitness — assuming Urruti isn’t out for a long stretch — with solid depth at all positions on the field.
Even Austin FC's best player, Sebastián Driussi, got a bit of a rest as Wolff subbed him off for the game’s final 14 minutes.
Missed opportunities
It didn’t prove costly, but Austin FC missed two golden scoring chances in the first half.
Defender Jhohan Romaña, left unmarked on a corner kick, missed an unchallenged header, sending the ball way over the goal, and forward Danny Hoesen failed to take advantage of a breakaway on a brilliant ball played over the top by goalkeeper Brad Stuver.
Hoesen’s was the worse of the two, as he had a poor first touch and didn’t get off a shot. He had a decent first half otherwise, but for a player fighting for minutes, that’s something he needs to take advantage of. Scoring opportunities on the road are precious, and going forward El Tree will need to convert those.
This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Austin FC scores important road win over FC Charlotte
