In front of a sellout crowd of 20,738 on Wednesday night at Q2 Stadium, Austin FC fought to a 1-1 draw with reigning Liga MX champions Atlas FC in a preseason friendly match, as Sebastián Driussi’s late spot kick canceled out a first-half goal from Atlas’ Brayan Trejo.
After a competitive opening half-hour, the first big chance of the game fell Austin FC’s way. Ethan Finlay did well to head a ball to Moussa Djitté, but the Senegalese striker’s shot went just over the bar.
Trejo then broke the deadlock for Atlas, finishing from a one-on-one situation to give the Mexican champions the lead. The Verde & Black nearly drew level before halftime when Rodney Redes fizzed a shot wide of the post.
ATXFC kept piling on the pressure to start the second half, with Owen Wolff forcing a full-stretch save from Atlas goalkeeper José Hernández in the 55th minute. The 63rd minute brought wholesale changes for Austin, as eight substitutes - in addition to two made at halftime - saw 10 different outfield players replace the starters.
The Verde & Black remained in the ascendancy when Alex Ring picked out Diego Fagundez in space at the edge of the area, and Fagundez’s curling effort went just wide. Austin finally got the goal its play deserved in the 85th minute, when Cecilio Domínguez won a penalty kick. Driussi coolly converted with a perfectly-placed shot in the bottom corner, ensuring the spoils were shared on the night.
THREE THINGS
- DEBUTS FOR DAYS: Wednesday night was the first chance for Austin FC fans to see a number of the Club’s offseason arrivals up close, as Jhojan Valencia, Kipp Keller, Ethan Finlay, and Felipe Martins played their first minutes in Verde at Q2 Stadium.
- HOMECOMING: The match was Austin FC’s first at Q2 Stadium for 105 days, and the passion of the fanbase didn’t dissipate, as the first home match of 2022 sold out just like all 17 MLS home matches in 2021.
- SUPER SEBA: After Sebastián Driussi’s Austin FC debut on August 7, 2021, the Club averaged over 1.2 goals per match for the remaining 18 matches of the season - up from 0.81 in the 16 matches prior to his debut. The Argentine was once again a difference maker against Atlas and looks set to be a key figure in 2022.
UP NEXT
After a final preseason match against Chicago Fire FC on Saturday, February 19, Austin FC will open its 2022 Major League Soccer season at home against FC Cincinnati on Saturday, February 26. The match will feature a regional TV broadcast in English language on KNVA (The CW Austin) and a radio broadcast on KASE-FM (ALT 97.5), as well as a livestream via the Austin FC and Q2 Stadium app and AustinFC.com. In Spanish language, the match will feature a regional TV broadcast on KTFO (UniMás Austin), as well as a livestream on the Univision 62 Austin Mobile App and a radio broadcast on TUDN Radio Austin (104.3-HD2, KLQB).
