Austin FC lost a chance at their first U.S. Open Cup title on Wednesday, taking a 2-1 home loss to Nashville SC thanks to a second-half penalty kick.
It might be good for Austin to get back on the pitch so soon after that disappointment, especially with the MLS season winding down and the Verde and Black able to clinch a playoff berth with a win over visiting St. Louis City on Saturday and a little bit of help.
“We don’t have time to think about this,” Austin defender Jon Gallagher said following the Cup defeat. “Hopefully, we can achieve the playoffs.”
Austin FC (12-11-8, 44 points) sit sixth in the West table, four points ahead of the Colorado Rapids and six points clear of the San Jose Earthquakes with three matches left. That’s important because the Verde and Black don’t want to fall to eighth or ninth, which would require a play-in victory and then a meeting with the conference’s top seed in the first round.
The last two matches for Austin FC appear difficult, too. They host surging Los Angeles FC on Oct. 12 and then close the season with a trip to San Jose on Oct. 18.
While Austin has playoff dreams, St. Louis (7-18-7, 25 points) saw its hopes officially expire on Sept. 27 with a 3-0 home loss to LAFC. St. Louis City conceded a goal 15 minutes into the match and simply couldn’t generate enough possession or threatening chances until the issue was decided.
St. Louis actually came into the match flashing some of its best form of the year thanks to consecutive road wins over CF Montreal and San Jose, but the team found out it still has a way to go to be in the same class as the league’s top clubs.
“It was inevitable it was going to happen,” interim coach David Critchley said. “Now it’s just about coming back and seeing how we as a club and the players respond. We knew the situation we were in several weeks ago.”
The teams met March 30 in St. Louis, with Austin winning 1-0 on Myrto Uzuni’s goal in the 33rd minute.
–Field Level Media
