Austin FC will play its second home match in a five-day span when the Verde & Black host Colorado Rapids on Wednesday night at Q2 Stadium. The match will kick off at 7:30 p.m. CT.
Tune-In
- Stream: Click here to watch the match on Apple TV or access it through any device compatible with the Apple TV app.
- Radio: The match will be broadcast locally in English on iHeart Radio’s Alt 97.5, and in Spanish on Univision’s TUDN Radio Austin (104.3- HD2, KLQB-FM).
Austin FC Outlook
The Verde & Black have made a recent habit of scoring late, and it’s a habit that has helped them pick up four points from their last two games. Oleksandr Svatok and Guilherme Biro struck in stoppage time against Portland and San Jose respectively as ATXFC recorded a pair of important results which keep the team in the race for the MLS Cup Playoffs.
Austin now turns its attention to a critical double match week, which begins on Wednesday night at home vs. Colorado and concludes in British Columbia with a road tilt against Vancouver on Sunday. The team is just five points off the playoff line and six points behind the Rapids in seventh place. A pair of victories this week could vault ATXFC right into the postseason picture.
Austin has earned three wins and three draws while suffering just one defeat in its seven matches at Q2 Stadium across all competitions since returning from the World Cup break. After two consecutive draws though, the team will know that all three points are a must against the Rapids.
Colorado Rapids Outlook
The Rapids made significant moves prior to the close of the summer transfer window, sending their leading scorer Rafael Navarro to St. Louis and acquiring winger Morgan Whittaker from Middlesbrough for a club-record fee. The team finds itself in seventh place, among a cluster of others right around the playoff cutline.
Colorado has been a different team at home and on the road since the World Cup break. In that span, the Rapids have played eight matches – five at home and three on the road. All five home games were shutout wins, and in all three away games the team was defeated and held scoreless. Colorado has neither scored nor conceded an equalizer since May, meaning the first goal on Wednesday night is likely to be crucial.
The Rapids rank in the top five in the league in average possession, which has helped the team post strong defensive numbers (seventh-fewest xG conceded) but has not led to much attacking output (29th in shots on target per match). With Navarro’s departure, Paxten Aaronson is likely to become the key offensive figure with four goals and six assists already to his name.
