Green energy: The chance to gain some major MLS momentum looms for Austin FC at Miami
Lionel Messi won’t be on the field Saturday night when Austin FC plays Inter Miami CF at DRV PNK Stadium, but the opportunity to build substantial momentum will be.
Coming off two impressive 3-0 victories over rivals FC Dallas and Houston Dynamo FC, El Tree (7-8-4, 25 points) can record its first three-game winning streak of the year if it beats the worst team in the Eastern Conference.
A win also would give Austin FC 33% of its points on the season in an 11-day stretch, lending credence to El Tree coach Josh Wolff’s season-long mantra of how posting three straight wins dramatically changes a team’s spot in the standings.
Austin FC started the second half of the season prior to the Dallas game in 12th place in the Western Conference. With a win Saturday, it could climb as high as fourth with favorable results around the league.
“Winning three in a row and going on the road and winning would be huge,” Wolff said. “But winning on the road is quite challenging. We have to be ready for a Miami team that will be pretty pissed off about their last performance” — a 4-1 loss to Philadelphia.
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In general, El Tree has put forth quality performances since late April, but in the wins over its two rivals it produced its best play of the season.
While some could dismiss the victory over Dallas due to Dallas missing several key players, there’s no denying what Austin FC did to Houston. The Dynamo had won four straight, including back-to-back wins over league power LAFC, and El Tree dominated the contest last Saturday.
“Those are the types of performances we need from start to finish and from front to back,” Wolff said. “Over the course of the last seven or eight games, we’ve put together a decent body of work. There’s been a couple of bumps, but we’ve mostly had strong performances and an uptick in scoring. Having two straight shutouts helps us understand what it needs to look like in the back half of the season. We need to be a difficult team to break down and play against.”
Player availability from getting healthy and returning from international duty has a lot to do with Austin FC being in good form, but El Tree also has a recent history of performing well in the summer.
A year ago, El Tree was the best team in the league from late June through August, going 8-2-3 and compiling 27 points in a nine-week stretch. While duplicating that isn’t realistic, it’s something the club and Wolff can point to as an example of moving up the table.
“We did it last year in the summer where we went on a big run,” he said. “Obviously, you can separate from the group quickly if you do well in the summer stretch. But it doesn’t come easily and there are no easy games in this league.”
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Miami (5-13-0, 15 points) has lost seven straight league matches — though in the same stretch, strangely, has advanced to the U.S. Open Cup semifinals — including getting outscored 7-2 over the last two games by New England and the Union.
It’s in a state of flux as it fired coach Phil Neville June 1 and just hired former Barcelona, Atlanta and Argentinian and Mexican national team boss Gerardo “Tata” Martino as its new coach Wednesday. And it also awaits the arrival of Messi and midfielder Sergio Busquets later in July.
But while Miami is in a mode where it’s trying to tread water, Austin FC has the chance with a win to catapult itself into what could be a memorable second half of the season.
“They know they’re getting two big-time players soon and will want to make a playoff push, but we have to try and squash their spirits,” Wolff said. “We don’t go on the road planning for draws. We want to go on the road and win.”
Ring questions?
Wolff was oddly vague when talking about center back Alex Ring on Wednesday.
Ring, who has not met with the media this season, returned to training this week after dealing with a slight injury that caused him to miss both the Dallas and Houston matches.
Wolff didn’t say Ring wouldn’t be moved during the upcoming transfer window that begins July 5.
“As a staff when we look at things, all players have an ability to be moved,” he said. “There are a couple of untouchables, but I think it’s important we take any option to hear what’s out there. We have to try and do what’s best for our club.”
He also didn’t directly address if Ring has asked for a transfer, which leaves a lot open to interpretation.
There may be nothing to read into this, as sometimes Wolff speaks in broad generalities.
Ring also has a large salary, the possibility of two years left on his contract and would require a good sum of money from another club, but the comments raised eyebrows about the possibility of one of the team’s top five players being gone in the near future.
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Saturday's match
Austin FC (7-8-4, 25 points) at Inter Miami (5-13-0, 15 points), 6:30 p.m., Apple TV, 97.5
This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Austin FC looks for third straight win as it takes on Inter Miami CF
