When will Austin FC's next goal come? It's a question everyone wants to know, even El Tree
As Austin FC prepared to welcome the San Jose Earthquakes on Saturday, the focus during El Tree coach Josh Wolff’s weekly meeting with the media remained the same as it has been the previous few weeks.
Goals, or the lack thereof, continue to haunt Austin FC, which has been shut out in four of its last five matches, including three straight. The only time it found the net in that stretch was during a 1-1 tie with Colorado on March 25.
Austin FC thought it had broken its scoreless streak late in the first half of last week’s 2-0 loss to the Los Angeles Galaxy when Sebastián Driussi deftly put a shot into the lower right corner, but officials waved it off for reasons that still were not clear to El Tree days later.
The goalless streak stands at 355 minutes since Jon Gallagher finished Driussi’s through ball in the fifth minute against the Rapids.
There have been chances and creative moments during the streak, leading to frustration for both the team and its fans, and Wolff said the team needs to build off that emotion.
More: The goals just won't come for El Tree this season
“I think it’s OK for there to be frustration, as you can turn that into action,” Wolff said. “There’s obviously disappointment with the results and inability to score. … It’s going to be a collective effort to turn it around, and maybe some luck. But we don’t rely on luck, and I don’t believe in luck. I believe in what we do and the ways we do it.”
The worry for Wolff and the rest of the coaching staff is that players will start pressing mentally, causing their play on the field to become too aggressive from an offensive strategy standpoint. He said he noticed at times last week that El Tree didn't stay within the flow of the contest, and an extra pass to open up an opportunity might have been missed.
“I think last time was the first time I saw us doing that,” he said. “We were in situations where we didn’t look to set it up as much and were trying too quickly to get to goal. … Our guys know we haven’t scored goals or won enough games, but the opportunities are there the rest of the season. But we have to be calm with our execution, and it’s a balance of set pieces, run of play and transition.”
Driussi’s lack of production is the most glaring with only one goal in MLS play after tallying 22 a year ago.
He’s become the focus of opposing defenses not only from a marking standpoint, but a physical one as well, as he’s usually aggressively tackled or run into at least twice a game.
Wolff noted it’s a balance between other players producing — forwards Maxi Urruti and Gyasi Zardes have combined to score once — and getting him more touches to get him goals.
“The team goes as Sebastian goes, to some degree,” he said. “We recognize there will be more attention on him and our group. He took an absolute beating against the Galaxy, and the more others contribute, the more it will open up opportunities for him. But we also have to be realistic and find more ways to put him in spots to score.”
Julio Cascante off the bench: It's a start
Wolff said center backs Julio Cascante and recently signed Aleksandar Radovanovic will be available to come off the bench Saturday.
Cascante is recovering from a groin injury he suffered in the season opener, and Radovanovic has been with the team for less than a month. While neither is likely to start anytime soon, the depth they will provide is key with Austin FC beginning a stretch where it will play eight times between Saturday and the end of May.
“We have a lot of games coming up,” Wolff said. “They’re both getting fit, and we need to up their minutes going forward.”
Coming up: U.S. Open Cup round of 32
Austin FC will host USL Championship club New Mexico United in the round of 32 of the U.S. Open Cup on May 10.
Due to its success last year, El Tree entered the competition a round later than most MLS teams. New Mexico United beat UDA Soccer 6-0 in the second round and Phoenix Rising FC 2-1 in the third round to make it to this stage. The USL Championship is the second division of U.S. soccer.
Saturday's match
San Jose Earthquakes (4-3-2, 14 points) at Austin FC (2-4-2, eight points), 7:30 p.m., Q2 Stadium, Apple TV, 97.5
This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Austin FC trying to solve its offensive problems on the fly
