After winning on the road against Real Salt Lake on Saturday, Austin FC faces a quick turnaround for the second leg of its Scotiabank Concacaf Champions League Round of 16 tie against Violette AC of Haiti. The match is set for a 7:00 p.m. CT kickoff on Tuesday, March 14 at Q2 Stadium.
Tune-In
The match will feature live national television broadcasts on Fox Sports 2 in English and TUDN in Spanish.
Austin FC Outlook
Austin got its MLS campaign truly up and running last Saturday, with goals from Jon Gallagher and Owen Wolff earning a hard-fought three points at Real Salt Lake. With back-to-back league wins under its belt, the team’s attention now turns to the task of advancing to the CCL quarterfinals.
In order to do so, the Verde & Black need to overcome a 3-0 deficit accrued in last Tuesday’s first leg loss to Violette in the Dominican Republic. The math is simple: Austin will advance with a second leg victory by a margin of four or more goals.
If Austin wins the second leg 3-0 in regulation, the tie will be decided by a penalty shootout. A three-goal win by any other scoreline (4-1, 5-2, etc.) would see Violette advance on the away goals tiebreaker. Austin would also be eliminated from CCL with a win by a two- or one-goal margin, a draw, or a loss on Tuesday night.
Unlike in the first leg, Austin will be able to call on the services of a number of key players in the second, including Sebastián Driussi, Dani Pereira, Alex Ring, Leo Väisänen, and Gyasi Zardes. If any side is capable of pulling off a comeback, it’s the Verde & Black, who were among the leaders in MLS in points won from losing positions last season with 21.
Violette AC Outlook
The 2022 Flow Caribbean Club Championship winners Violette showed their quality and ability in the first leg against Austin FC. Two first-half goals from striker Miche-Naider Chéry helped give the Verde & Black a tricky, but not impossible hill to climb in the second leg on Tuesday night.
Denilson Pierre and Roberto Louima were also key for the Haitian side last week, providing an assist each from the wide areas.
Violette will now travel to Austin with an eye on defending their three-goal advantage and reaching the CCL quarterfinal stage. They’ll be aware that two teams in recent CCL history have overcome 3-0 first leg deficits to advance.
In the 2014-2015 CCL semifinals, Club América won its second leg meeting with Herediano 6-0 to advance 6-3 on aggregate, and just last year, Pumas triumphed 3-0 over New England Revolution in regulation and won the ensuing penalty shootout.
