Match Recap: Atlanta United at Austin FC
1-1 draw deep in the heart of Texas
Atlanta United traveled for the first time in franchise history to Austin FC on Wednesday night to kickoff a very busy stretch of matches to close out the month of May. Both teams had been sputtering in the goal-scoring department and this match saw that trend continue with an uneventful 1-1 draw on the evening.
Jamal Thiare swept in a low cross in the 92nd minute to share the points after former Atlanta United player Brandon Vazquez has put the hosts into the advantage.
Atlanta had only faced Austin in one previous meeting in 2022 that saw Austin run out a 3-0 victory inside Mercedes Benz Stadium. Head Coach Ronny Deila was again forced to shuffle the lineup due to injuries and poor form and this scrambled starting XI looked to gain some chemistry from the first kick.
Both teams created some sporadic chances in the first 45 minutes with each team springing a 1v1 opportunity that the opposing goalkeeper would kick to safety to end the danger. Miguel Almiron took his long solo run in the 9th minute after a misplayed ball at midfield opened up the 1V1 opportunity. Austin FC Brad Stuver charged off his line to make a kick save that was copied by Atlanta keeper Brad Guzan in the 40th minute who also made a kick save to preserve the shutout.
With the score 0-0 at the half, Austin FC came out of the break with more possession as Atlanta sat in a deep, low-pressure block seeking to absorb the pressure and then spring a counter attack. This pressure paid off for Austin in the 55th minute as former Atlanta United player Brandon Vazquez won a free kick at the top of the box and then ripped the resulting free kick up and over the wall for the 1-0 lead.
Atlanta made several changes of personal, formation, and tactics around the 70th minute but never found enough of the ball in dangerous spaces to really threaten the Austin goal over this final stretch of the game until stoppage time. The six additional minutes seemed to cause Austin to lose their focus and Atlanta needed just a moment of quick passing to level the match.
Substitute Jamal Thiare swept home a Saba cross in the 92nd minute totally against the flow of the match to avoid another crushing defeat and give the squad a boost of confidence on this difficult season.
Full time 1-1.
Atlanta United return home this Saturday, May 17 as the very in-form Philadelphia Union visit the Benz at 7:30 PM.