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If a miraculous playoff berth is to occur, Austin FC needs to beat the Colorado Rapids

colby gordon, austin american-statesman
·2 min read
Austin FC forward Jon Gallagher kicks the ball away during Sunday's draw with the Los Angeles Galaxy. That 3-3 tie was a costly one, as it left El Tree in 12th place in the Western Conference playoff race, in which only the top nine teams qualify.
Austin FC forward Jon Gallagher kicks the ball away during Sunday's draw with the Los Angeles Galaxy. That 3-3 tie was a costly one, as it left El Tree in 12th place in the Western Conference playoff race, in which only the top nine teams qualify.

Austin FC at Colorado Rapids

8:30 p.m. Saturday, Dick’s Sporting Goods Park

TV/radio: Apple TV, FS1, 97.5

What’s at stake: Pride. It will take a miraculous set of circumstances for Austin FC to make the playoffs with the club in 12th place in the Western Conference, five points out of the ninth and final playoff spot. But losing to the Rapids would be an embarrassment, as Colorado is the worst team in MLS and arguably the worst-run soccer club in North America. The Rapids fired coach Robin Fraser on Sept. 5, and their supporters recently published a letter blasting ownership for essentially not caring about, well, anything. Playing at altitude is never easy, but this is a game that El Tree needs to win to avoid the end of the season turning into a complete meltdown.

About Austin FC (9-13-8, 35 points): The club had five days to shake off blowing a two-goal lead in Sunday’s 3-3 draw with the Los Angeles Galaxy, which most likely ended its postseason hopes. It will be interesting to see how the players respond and who is available. Midfielder Sebastián Driussi left the game with an injury and head coach Josh Wolff said he's questionable for Saturday. Center back Matt Hedges should be available to come off the bench while striker Gyasi Zardes is still out with a hamstring injury. … Designated player Emiliano Rigoni had his best performance of the year Sunday at a new position. Starting the game at striker, he looked the most comfortable he has all season, was a constant threat and scored Austin FC’s third goal. Keeping him up top is something Wolff should do the final four games, considering the lack of production from El Tree’s other forwards this year. … Alex Ring continued his string of strong performances Sunday and should be a fixture in the starting midfield the rest of the season. He's also showcasing for other teams, as with his $1.7 million salary, it’s highly unlikely Austin FC will exercise his contract option for next year.

About the Colorado Rapids (4-15-11, 23 points): Since firing Fraser, Colorado has been competitive, going 1-2-1, including Wednesday’s 2-2 home draw with Vancouver. That’s a stark contrast with Fraser’s last four games, when the Rapids were outscored 13-1. … Despite the tough season, Colorado has some decent players. Cole Bassett and Connor Ronan are quality midfielders, and forward Diego Rubio is a dangerous veteran forward who played with the Chilean national team as recently as last year. Rubio, who missed the first two months of the season with a knee injury, had the best year of his career in 2022, when he scored 16 times.

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Austin FC heads to Colorado with winless streak at nine