Austin FC bounced out of U.S. Open Cup by Chicago Fire FC
Austin FC’s venture in the U.S. Open Cup is over.
El Tree lost to Chicago Fire FC 2-0 in the round of 16 Wednesday night at Q2 Stadium in a lackluster performance as Rafael Czichos and Kacper Przybylko scored for the visitors.
Here are some thoughts from the match as the club now turns its attention to Copa Tejas. It will travel to Houston on Saturday for a derby with the Dynamo:
Not a lot of positives for El Tree
This won’t be remembered as one of Austin FC’s better showings of the year.
It looked as if the recent heavy schedule — this was El Tree’s sixth match since May 6 — is starting to affect the players' legs, and they couldn't build on the club's 3-0-1 record over the past four games.
Center back Alex Ring and defensive midfielder Dani Pereira played well, but there were no other positive performances of note, and the first half was subpar almost across the board.
If you’re going to lose in the U.S. Open Cup, it might as well be early to lighten the schedule later on. Making a run to the semifinals, or even the final, and losing doesn’t do a club any good. The only benefit to this competition is winning it, and only one team will do that, so going out now might be better than losing in the semifinals in late August.
Not that it matters a ton, but unlike Charlotte and Columbus, Austin FC actually lost to an MLS team.
It also means that after the June 3 home match against Real Salt Lake, Austin FC will have a full week off for the first time in a month. But until then, El Tree will have to get through three more games with a roster that still lacks depth in certain areas.
And all of that being said, it was still a poor performance overall that was a bit of a head-scratcher.
Possible Leo Väisänen injury is troubling
Perhaps the most concerning aspect of the game — even more than the lethargic first half — was a possible injury to center back Leo Väisänen.
He has been the team’s MVP through the first three months of the season and its best acquisition over the winter, and if he’s out for any significant stretch, it would be a major blow.
He was able to jog and played for a few minutes after the injury late in the first half but was subbed out at halftime.
On-field emotions show frustration
There was disagreement on the field between center back Julio Cascante and midfielder Jhojan Valencia after Chicago’s first goal.
Austin FC coach Josh Wolff said there was a lot of frustration among the players in the first half, but it’s rare to see the level of disagreement that Cascante and Valencia displayed.
Valencia did not have a good first half, something Wolff mentioned after the game, and was subbed off at halftime. It will be a surprise if we see him again before June 3.
Man of the match: Dani Pereira
Dani Pereira put on some dribbling clinics, and it further amplifies the point that this might be his last season with the club.
Teams in Europe and South America will be able to offer north of $2 million for him, a figure that will be almost pure profit for Austin FC as it drafted him and he’s on a very low salary.
Pereira could be a target in the summer transfer window, which means he might be gone by the end of August.
Chicago's uniforms not impressive
Chicago’s uniforms looked like a ripoff of some Argentinian national team uniforms from the past of light blue shorts combined with white shirts and black stripes, with the only difference being some red spots or splashes.
Opinions on the style differed from media in the press box, but this wasn’t one of the stronger designs in the league.
And the mainly pink kit worn by goalie Spencer Richey was horrendous at best.
This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Austin FC out of U.S. Open Cup after 2-0 loss to Chicago
