Austin FC will play its first-ever match in the Scotiabank Concacaf Champions League on Tuesday against Haitian side Violette AC in the Dominican Republic. The Round of 16 first leg fixture - the Verde & Black’s debut in the top men’s club soccer competition in North America, Central America, and the Caribbean - will kick off at 5:00 p.m. CT.
Tune-In
The match will feature live national television broadcasts on Fox Sports 1 in English and on TUDN in Spanish.
Austin FC Outlook
Maxi Urruti’s 88th-minute winner grabbed Austin its first three points of the new season on Saturday night against CF Montréal, and built momentum ahead of a busy stretch. Beginning with the first leg vs. Violette, the Verde & Black are set to play five matches in 19 days, and will need every member of the squad to contribute.
Austin qualified for this year’s CCL by finishing fourth in the 2022 MLS Supporters’ Shield standings, and now prepares to compete alongside the best teams in the region. Winning the tournament requires defeating four opponents on aggregate score in two-legged ties, and the prize is a berth in the FIFA Club World Cup.
Though Austin is making its debut in the competition, the squad has a number of players with Concacaf Champions League experience. Forward Will Bruin was a member of the Seattle Sounders side which became the first MLS team to win CCL just last season, and Urruti has five goals in 12 career CCL games. Five others have also previously played in the tournament: Julio Cascante, Hector Jimenez, Adam Lundkvist, Alex Ring, and Gyasi Zardes.
A positive result in the away leg in the Dominican Republic would set Austin up well for the return leg next Tuesday at Q2 Stadium.
Violette AC Outlook
Violette won the 2022 Flow Concacaf Caribbean Club Championship to qualify for the CCL as the best team from the Caribbean, defeating Cibao FC of the Dominican Republic in last year’s final in a penalty shootout.
The Haitian club is making its fifth appearance in Concacaf’s top tournament, and though it’s their first appearance since 1994, they bring good pedigree. Violette won the Concacaf Champions Cup in 1984 and boasts an unbeaten record in six previous home matches in the competition (three wins, three draws).
The club’s entire roster hails from Haiti and includes a number of Haitian internationals. Midfielder Steeven Saba helped lead Haiti to the semifinals of the 2019 Concacaf Gold Cup, and will operate alongside Elyvens Dejean, who was named the Best Player of the 2022 Caribbean Club Championship.
18-year-old attacker Stevenson Jeudi also picked up individual honors during Violette’s trophy-winning FCCCC campaign, being named the tournament’s Best Young Player. Jeudi scored twice in Violette’s 3-1 semifinal win over Waterhouse FC of Jamaica.
Probable Violette AC Lineup
(3-4-3, R-L) - GK: Steeve Sanon; Renato Lambert, Wilmond Oracius, Denilson Pierre; Kerlins Georges, Dany Camille, Steeven Saba, Elyvens Dejean; Roberto Louima, Stevenson Jeudi, Wendy St. Felix
