Austin FC will welcome the New York Red Bulls to Q2 Stadium on Sunday for the first-ever meeting between both teams in Major League Soccer.
The Verde-and-Black are one of the hottest teams in the league right now, with points in seven successive MLS affairs, while New York lost some ground in the race for the top spot in the Eastern Conference, losing 1-0 versus New York City FC.
Match preview
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It has been a remarkable sophomore season for Josh Wolff and his side, who have officially clinched their first trophy in franchise history, drawing Dallas 1-1 over the weekend, assuring themselves of the Copa Tejas as the best team in the state of Texas this year.
They have conceded the opening goal in back-to-back fixtures but found an answer each time, defeating the Houston Dynamo 3-1, before drawing with the Toros, having now collected 16 points in 2022 when trailing.
Austin have been virtually perfect against teams from the Eastern Conference this season, winning six times and drawing once, outscoring their opponents 20-5 over that stretch.
This group have a couple of difference-makers, who have shown outstanding quality and creativity, however, Austin have also proven to be a team who are extremely deep all over the field, as they lead the league in goals (42) and have conceded the second-fewest in the Western Conference (24).
Q2 Stadium has become quite the fortress for them throughout 2022, where they have only suffered one defeat, conceding a goal or fewer on seven occasions.
Throughout the year, Austin have kept pace with Los Angeles FC for first in the Conference, trailing them by a single point, and they will fancy their chances to overtake them in the Supporters' Shield standings, with three of their next four games taking place in the Texas heat.
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In an otherwise impressive season, New York encountered a rare setback at home on Sunday, losing the Hudson River Derby to the reigning champions, suffering their first defeat at Red Bull Arena since early April.
Gerhard Struber has seen them execute the trademark high press system effectively through most of the year, though it has not been as efficient in warmer climates, failing to score in away matches to Los Angeles FC (2-0) and Inter Miami (2-0).
After setting an MLS record by winning their first five road matches of 2022, they have not been quite as sharp away from home lately, earning only four points in their previous five away encounters.
New York turned their campaign around in 2021 thanks to a solid and compact defensive shape, and that continues to be a key to their success, allowing the third-fewest goals (22) in the league this season.
There are some prominent scoring threats on this squad to keep an eye out for, although there are also some question marks surrounding their strikers, as Struber has sometimes played under a false nine system rather than employing a pure attacker.
Sunday will be their first outing against a Texas-based team since 2019, and they have had mixed results in the lone star state, beating Dallas 10 times away from home but only claiming two victories on the road in Houston.
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Team News
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Austin midfielder Diego Fagundez is on pace to have one of his best ever seasons statistically in MLS, currently on eight assists, which is two shy of his all-time single-season record.
He tallied their equaliser at Toyota Stadium in Dallas last weekend, with their leading marksman, Sebastian Driussi setting up that goal.
Fagundez, Maximiliano Urruti and Alexander Ring each scored in their previous home fixture when they erased an early tally from Houston's Adalberto Carrasquilla to pick up a 3-1 win, while Ethan Finlay has been an excellent addition since joining them from Minnesota United, notching four goals and four assists so far this season.
Freddy Kleemann and Jhojan Valencia are both expected to miss another encounter with left and right knee injuries, respectively, while Hector Jimenez continues to be hampered by a sore left groin.
Earlier this week, the Red Bulls and Lucas Monzon mutually agreed to terminate his contract, while the club placed Omir Fernandez into a false nine set-up at the New York Derby, leaving Patryk Klimala on the bench.
Lewis Morgan leads them with nine tallies on the season, and he is tied with Fernandez and Klimala regarding assists (three), while Carlos Coronel has three clean sheets away from home in 2022.
A shoulder issue has hampered AJ Marcucci, Wikelman Carmona is questionable with a foot injury, while two changes were made to their starting 11 last weekend as Sean Nealis and Fernandez replaced Klimala and Cameron Harper.
Austin FC possible starting lineup:
Stuver; Gallagher, Gabrielsen, Cascante, Lima; Wolff, Ring; Fagundez, Driussi, Finlay; Urruti
New York Red Bulls possible starting lineup:
Coronel; Edwards, D. Nealis, Long, Tolkin; Amaya, Casseres, Yearwood; Luquinhas; Fernandez, Morgan
We say: Austin FC 3-1 New York Red Bulls
Given the way New York defend, so deep in their own zone, we expect the Verde and Black to have their share of quality scoring opportunities, and they know better than most in MLS how to find the back of the net.
The Red Bulls are fantastic in transition, but Austin are pretty good at defending, and can count on the splendid goalkeeping of Brad Stuver, who has made several key saves throughout the year.
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Joel Lefevre
