After taking the MLS by storm last season, Austin FC braces for tougher tests in 2023
The 2023 season will have a drastically different feel for Austin FC.
Playing a year ago with a chip on its shoulder as an underdog fueled by a disappointing first season, media prognostications that had it nowhere near qualifying for the playoffs and a general sense of something to prove, El Tree lived near the top of the Western Conference for all of 2022.
But while becoming one of the top clubs in the MLS is hard, staying there will be even harder.
Austin FC now has a target on its back from other teams in the league, will likely be picked no lower than fourth in the West by most of the league’s pundits and will not take anyone by surprise.
Following a freezing training camp session at the club's training facility Monday after spending the last two weeks in Florida, El Tree coach Josh Wolff and his players said they welcome high expectations, but continuing to win is a combination of using what worked in the past with some new tactics.
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“With the success of last year there was the validation of what Year 2 gave these guys from an emotional standpoint and a quality standpoint, but it also puts a marker on you and you have to come back and perform,” Wolff said. “I know, and these players know, that in this business, it’s not ‘what have you done for me?’ but ‘what are you going to do for me?’
"We have what we did last year and there’s a comfort and familiarity with that, but the other teams can see what you’re doing and we have to continue to evolve.”
Known for playing out of the back and an emphasis on possession and being aggressive, Austin FC will still rely on those tactics, but will add some wrinkles with different formations at times as it prepares for a schedule that — with some success — could see it play around 50 games.
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“We’re just trying to show a different look,” midfielder Ethan Finlay said. “We’re going to have a lot of games and will play some different opponents, like some teams from Mexico that will have a different style of play than what you normally see in the MLS. It gives us some versatility and we’re working through that. … We scored a lot of goals last year but probably gave up more than we like, so that’s where I think this change in style and formation helps.”
Wolff noted that no matter what formation El Tree lines up in or style of play it tries to implement in a game, it still comes down to smart, free play that determines wins and losses.
“We want to add on to what we’ve done the past two years, but it’s still about decision-making and enjoying the game,” he said. “We’re building those ideas and we’ve created chances in our (two exhibition games) and I’ve seen an enjoyment in the fluidity of what we want to do.”
One good thing to rely on: team experience
One thing that plays into El Tree’s favor in adaptability is a veteran roster.
Austin FC has several players who have spent a decade or more in the MLS or in professional soccer in general, and Finlay said that gives the club an advantage in soccer aspects both on and off the field.
“We have a lot of experience in this locker room, and that was part of the success last year,” he said. “We’ve done that again with bringing in (forward Gyasi Zardes), and we’ll continue to add talent. If I heard anything in the offseason, it’s that people want to play here. We’ll push the boundaries on and off the field in hopes of repeating success — and hopefully we’ll raise a trophy.”
Moussa Djitté loaned out through June, maybe longer
In somewhat surprising news Tuesday, Austin FC loaned out forward Moussa Djitté to French first-division club AC Ajaccio through June 30.
The deal also contains a transfer option, meaning it could become a permanent move.
Djitté, 23, scored five times in 30 appearances over the last two seasons for El Tree, most notably recording the first hat trick in club history during a 3-0 win over Real Salt Lake in September. He started two of the three playoff games last year, scoring against Dallas in the Western Conference semifinals.
Djitté had a rough personal year in 2022 with the loss of several close relatives and the overseas birth of a child he wasn’t able to see until El Tree’s season ended. A native of Senegal and a Francophone, he was not present for any of El Tree’s training camp in January.
Prior to coming to Austin FC in the summer of 2021, he played in the Swiss Super League and France’s Ligue 2. AC Ajaccio is currently in 18th place and in a relegation battle in Ligue 1, which is roughly halfway through its season.
Sebastián Driussi: goals to go
Midfielder Sebastián Driussi said he hasn’t made any concrete personal goals yet for the year, but he officially plans to a week prior to the season opener Feb. 25 vs. St. Louis City SC.
After recording 22 goals and seven assists while being the league’s best player for long stretches last year, Driussi noted he still seeks to improve — no matter how difficult that might be considering he was second in the league’s MVP voting and earned a spot on the MLS Best XI.
“Improving would be being the MVP and winning the Golden Boot (given to the player with the most regular-season goals),” Driussi said.
It took awhile, but Leo Väisänen is in Austin
Finnish center back Leo Väisänen, the team’s second-biggest offseason signing behind Zardes, was finally cleared for a work visa and joined the team late last week in Florida. Wolff said they didn’t want to risk him being injured by playing in the team’s final exhibition match, but Väisänen displayed in training why the club signed him.
“He’s very clean and confident on the ball and he’ll allow us to utilize that position with the ball to hurt opponents,” Wolff said. “He’s getting up to speed and we’ll do a lot of video with him.”
Wolff: get with the program, please
In a bit of a view behind the curtain — and an example of his brutal honesty — Wolff noted he wasn’t pleased with the shape of a few players entering training camp.
He didn’t name names, but it was clear that some on the roster didn’t do enough conditioning in December.
“Preseason is about getting match-fit, not overall fit,” Wolff said. “Some of the guys aren’t where they need to be.”
Austin FC adds veteran center back Tarek
The club signed veteran Amro Tarek late last week to provide depth at center back.
Wolff is familiar with Tarek, who has spent the majority of his career in the Egyptian Premier League, from when they were both at Columbus in 2016 and from Tarek’s time playing for the New York Red Bulls from 2019-21.
“He’s an intense player with good emotion,” Wolff said. “He’s a left-footed center back, which will help us utilize different structures when we have the ball. I like his athleticism and speed. … The bite and added heat he’ll bring to the group is a good thing.”
This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Austin FC knows club will now have MLS targets on its back in 2023
