Offense wasn’t a problem for Austin FC on Saturday.
El Tree broke out of its three-game scoring funk with two second-half goals as Emiliano Rigoni and Sebastian Driussi found the net, but two defensive errors led to San Jose goals as Austin FC tied the Earthquakes 2-2 at Q2 Stadium.
Here are some thoughts from the match, as although El Tree picked up a point, it will carry a six-game winless streak into next Saturday’s road contest at Portland.
Out of character, the defense struggles
Austin FC (2-4-3, nine points) wasn’t bad defensively, but two lapses cost it a win in a game where for long stretches it was by far the superior team in the run of play and scoring chances.
In what hopefully doesn’t become a trend, Austin FC had poor defense in the box for the second consecutive game that led to a goal. However, Saturday’s mistake of leaving Jackson Yueill unmarked on San Jose’s first-half goal borders on egregious.
In the second half, Dani Pereira had a poor giveaway in El Tree’s own half that led to Cristian Espinoza having a free run with the ball down the right side and sent in a cross that Jeremy Ebobisse clinically finished with a header.
The El Tree defense has been good overall this season, especially considering it’s missing two starters in center back Julio Cascante and left back Zan Kolmanic, but those are mistakes that can’t happen, with the first likely the product of a major communication breakdown.
Finally getting into the mix
Austin FC’s goal in the first half was a thing of beauty, and more importantly it came from three players who haven’t produced much offensively.
Pereira’s long cross to the far side of the box was pure brilliance, while Rodney Redes executed the smart decision of heading it across the goal where a wide-open Emiliano Rigoni made the easy finish.
It’s Rigoni’s first goal for El Tree coming in his 19th appearance, and while he’s taken heat from the fans and media — including this space — for his average play and lack of production as one of the team’s highest paid players, he’s been good with the media and by all accounts is a good person, so hopefully it sparks him going forward.
Leo Väisänen continues to pay off
Center back Leo Väisänen continues to be the team’s best offseason acquisition and is quickly becoming one of its top three players.
He was unlucky not to score, but his header off a cross allowed Driussi to finish a loose ball in the box to tie the game late.
Credit has to be given to Austin FC’s scouting department for finding him out of the Swedish league and he’s been a rock on the back line since he stepped on the field.
Man of the match: Rodney Redes
An afterthought on the roster when the season began, Redes has had a good couple of weeks and was excellent for the 80 minutes he was on the field.
With Austin FC’s injury situation, it’s a major addition for Austin FC coach Josh Wolff to be able to utilize Redes on the wing and not have to solely rely on Rigoni and Ethan Finlay.
Head scratcher: why didn’t Jon Gallagher start?
Leaving left back Jon Gallagher out of the starting lineup was a curious decision considering he’s arguably been the best player on the team through the early part of the season.
Wolff said with the upcoming schedule in May where the team will possibly play eight times was the reason Adam Lundkvist got the nod in order to save some mileage on Gallagher’s legs.
Admitting that it didn’t have a big impact on the game’s outcome, but with six days off prior to the Portland contest, it was still a bit odd.
This aggression will not stand
A late tackle on Driussi in front of Austin FC’s bench sparked a melee with lots of pushing between players that lasted for several minutes.
It was good to see several El Tree players take aggressive actions towards San Jose players, as Austin FC can’t have the impression that harsh — and dirty — tackles against its best players will be tolerated. In a hockey analogy, think of Driussi as Wayne Gretzky in his prime needing other Austin FC players to act as Marty McSorley.
One eye on the standings, one eye on the injured list
Before Saturday’s west-coast games finished, El Tree remained in 11th place in the Western Conference.
As noted here before, if it can avoid a disastrous May and hang around the top eight or nine, the return of Cascante and winger Diego Fagundez should produce more depth and roster options, allowing for better results and a move up the standings in the second half of the season.
However, as Wolff noted in the postgame press conference, it needs to start winning games at home sooner than later.
This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Austin FC scores two goals, ties San Jose Earthquakes in MLS match