Austin FC secured home-field advantage for the first round of the Audi 2022 MLS Cup Playoffs with a 1-1 draw against Nashville SC on Saturday night at Q2 Stadium. Sebastián Driussi scored his 21st goal of the season in the 61st-minute, second-most in MLS.
The first half passed without either side recording a shot on target. In the first minute of the second half, Jhojan Valencia clipped the crossbar with a swerving strike from distance, and Dax McCarty did the same for Nashville six minutes later.
Hany Mukhtar then won and converted a penalty kick in the 56th-minute to give Nashville the lead, but it was a lead that didn’t last long. Diego Fagundez’s corner picked out Driussi at the back post, and the Argentine finished the chance.
Both sides created opportunities late on, but neither was able to score a winner, and the match ended level.
THREE THINGS
- HOME-FIELD ADVANTAGE: With tonight’s result, Austin FC is now guaranteed home-field advantage for the first round of the Audi 2022 MLS Cup Playoffs.
- CAREER YEAR: Diego Fagundez’s assist on Sebastián Driussi’s goal was his 21st goal contribution of 2022, setting a new personal single-season career best.
- ROTATION: The Austin starting lineup featured six changes from Wednesday’s win over Real Salt Lake, the team’s most from one match to another this season.
UP NEXT
Austin FC will play its 17th away match and 33rd match overall of the 2022 Major League Soccer regular season against Vancouver Whitecaps FC on Saturday, October 1 at 9:00 p.m. CT. The match will feature a regional TV broadcast in English language on MyNetworkTV (KBVO), as well as a livestream on AustinFC.com and the Austin FC app.
In Spanish language, the match will feature livestreams on UnivisionAustin.com, the Univision Austin app, AustinFC.com and the Austin FC app.
On radio, the match will be broadcast on KASE-FM (ALT 97.5) in English, as well as on TUDN Radio Austin (104.3-HD2, KLQB) in Spanish.
