Takeaways from Austin FC's 1-1 draw vs. San Jose as it now enters pivotal offseason

It’s over.

The 2023 season came to a close for Austin FC with an anticlimactic 1-1 draw Saturday night with the San Jose Earthquakes at PayPal Park.

After Cristian Espinoza put San Jose ahead by taking advantage of some poor play by El Tree in the 17th minute, Owen Wolff tied the game with a brilliant header off a cross from Nick Lima less than 15 minutes later.  A bad miss on an open goal by Earthquakes forward Jeremy Ebobisse and some late heroics by Austin FC goalkeeper Brad Stuver kept the game tied and allowed El Tree to take a point.

San Jose still made the postseason with the draw and will be the ninth and final seed in the Western Conference playoffs, where it will be in the play-in game Wednesday versus No. 8 Kansas City.

Here are some thoughts from the match and the season in general as Austin FC (10-15-9, 39 points) finished 12th in the West and four points out of the final playoff spot:

Strong lineup

Austin FC coach Josh Wolff noted in his weekly meeting with the media that he wouldn’t sit any of his star players and that the team would go for the win despite the game having no meaning to the club.

He wasn’t bluffing.

Outside of maybe Jhojan Valencia starting over Dani Pereira at defensive midfielder — and even that’s debatable based on Valencia’s quality play the past two months — Wolff fielded his strongest lineup.

It was a bit concerning when star player Sebastián Driussi seemed to suffer an apparent back injury late in the second half and lay on the field writhing in pain — a possible injury in a meaningless game that could affect next season would be the worst-case scenario — but he eventually got to his feet and played a few more minutes before being subbed off.

More defensive trouble

The goal Austin FC yielded was emblematic of the team’s defensive troubles all year.

Valencia did a poor job handling a pass from Julio Cascante in the back, and Espinoza made them pay for their sloppy play. El Tree players and coaches in recent weeks said the club gave up too many soft goals the final three months of the season when it nosedived in the standings, and this was another example of that.

Bland performance

For the game in general, Austin FC was very average.

It had slightly more possession but didn’t do much with it as the Earthquakes outshot it 20-4 and had 12 more corner kicks. Part of that is due to San Jose fighting for its postseason life and El Tree having nothing to play for, but a team having only one shot on goal is never a good sign.

Owen Wolff flashes talent

Owen Wolff’s header was a brilliant flick and another sign why he isn’t long for the MLS.

He won't turn 19 until late December and thus will be able to hold his “Teen Wolff” nickname for one more season, but it would be a surprise if he’s still with Austin FC in 2025. He didn’t have a great final 10 weeks of the season, but that’s more likely due to hitting a physical, and maybe mental, wall after a barrage of games in the first season of his career in which he constantly played.

Wolff has been linked to PSV Eindhoven in the Netherlands previously, and don’t be surprised if more international clubs seek him out. Austin FC probably could sell him for more than $2 million.

Strikers lack punch

It’s a bit telling that Josh Wolff didn’t start any of his true strikers — Gyasi Zardes, Maxi Urruti or Will Bruin — and brought Bruin in the game for only the final 12 minutes. The forward position was a weakness all year and a place where Austin FC didn’t get much bang for its buck.

Spending $1.7 million in salary on the trio, El Tree received only 10 goals in return.

That’s simply not acceptable if a club wants to finish in the top half of the West.

Urruti fell out of favor with the club long ago, and there’s zero chance it will pick up his contract option for next year at a salary of $700,000. Bruin was OK for a third striker but will turn 34 on Tuesday and isn’t someone on whom you need to spend $200,000.

Zardes was the club’s prized offseason acquisition; however, he seems to be a shadow of the player he was a couple of years ago, and at 32 he’s lost several steps. Under contract for two more years at a salary of $800,000, he is a candidate for the club to buy out in 2024 under MLS’ CBA rules allowing one buyout per season.

All three players are good with the media and good people in general, but their careers peaked last decade, and the position is one where Austin FC needs to drastically get younger.

Winter is coming

This is an important offseason for Austin FC, to state the obvious.

There will be numerous changes to the roster — there need to be — and club ownership can show how deep its pockets are by buying out either Zardes’ or Emiliano Rigoni’s contract.

I’m not going to criticize ownership if it doesn’t — it’s always easier to spend other people’s money — but if majority owner Anthony Precourt makes that significant of a buyout, it’s a sign he’s eager for a monumental shakeup going into the season opener in February.

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Owen Wolff's header gives El Tree draw as club closes out 2023