San Diego FC Eyes First Win Since March 7 Against Austin FC — Austin Fc - San Diego Fc
San Diego FC carries a nine-match MLS winless run into austin fc - san diego fc on Wednesday night in Mission Valley. The club has not won since March 7, and this one offers the cleanest chance yet to stop that slide. Austin FC arrives after a tight travel week and a coach who called the schedule "insane."
Mission Valley Pressure
San Diego FC is 3-5-4, and the numbers show how much is riding on this match. The club had a franchise-worst MLS showing on April 4 at San Jose, but it has looked better since then while still giving away points late.
That has been the pattern in the last two matches. San Diego FC outplayed both opponents, then allowed late game-tying goals in each game, a drop-off that has left it still searching for the win that would finally break the streak.
Marcus Ingvartsen has given the attack a steady edge, scoring four goals in San Diego FC's past five games. Manu Duah has also settled in after early red cards and growing pains, while Anibal Godoy has handled Jeppe Tverskov's role well over the past two games if the midfielder sits out again.
Austin FC Schedule Squeeze
Austin FC comes in at 3-4-5, with enough recent form to make this a real test for San Diego FC. Austin beat Houston and St. Louis at home by two goals in recent games, then earned a road tie with Minnesota United on Sunday.
The travel is the complication. Austin FC played Sunday night in Minnesota, flew home to Texas on Monday and was scheduled to fly to San Diego on Tuesday. Nico Estevez said, "If you look at our schedule, it has been insane."
That squeeze meets a San Diego side that still needs a cleaner finish. Minnesota United beat San Diego FC 2-1 in San Diego in April, and Mikey Varas said after the Seattle match that his team "renounced the ball a little bit at the end … and we got pushed back," a problem that has shown up again in the late stages.
Wednesday night gives San Diego FC the direct chance to change the story in Mission Valley. A result there would end the nine-game league drought and finally put points behind the recent improvement, while Austin FC has to manage another road test with little recovery time after a Sunday night start and a Tuesday flight west.
