Austin FC have checked off several firsts during their inaugural MLS season – first match, first goal, first win, first home match.
And now they’re ready for another important first: their first derby match when the expansion side hosts Houston Dynamo FC on Wednesday night at Q2 Stadium (9 pm ET | MLS LIVE on ESPN+).
“It brings another element – an on-field intensity, as well as an off-field intensity,” Austin FC head coach Josh Wolff said in his media availability Tuesday. “Those things tend to merge and start to really spark and drive what the derbies can become. We hope this one with Houston, as well as the one with Dallas, is full of big moments.”
Wolff said he’s hammered home the differences of a derby match at training on Monday and Tuesday when his players looked for calls in spirited scrimmages.
“You have to let plays go because that’s what it’s going to be like,” Wolff said. “There’s going to be physicality, there’s going to be intensity and again it’s our first one of these.”
Austin will be buoyed by what should be another raucous home crowd in a match where both teams currently sit below the Western Conference's playoff line and are desperate for points.
“We expect it to be heated,” Wolff said. “They’re obviously needing points just like we are. We’re the home team and they’re a good side, so it will be a competitive, spirited game. I’m sure of that.”
While the atmosphere at Q2 Stadium has been second to none, Austin FC have struggled to turn that into points, winning just one of their first six home games (1W-3L-2D record). Austin are last in MLS with 10 goals scored and last in the Western Conference with 13 points.
Houston have won just three of their first 16 games, but are tied with Nashville SC with a league-high nine draws.
“We haven’t gotten enough points at home and we can’t run from that reality,” Wolff said. “We’ve got to continue to compete. This team will come in and they’ll be organized, they’ll be disciplined, their physicality is real, their speed is extremely good. There are some things we have to match and also be aware of, but we also know there’s some things we can do that can obviously hurt them and we have to do what we haven’t done lately which is score some goals.”
Wolff said he’s been a part of big derbies, both during his time playing in Germany and MLS, with the latter home to spirited rivalries in New York, Los Angeles, the Pacific Northwest and more.
Now Austin get their first taste, and it will come in consecutive matches with the club also heading to Frisco to take on FC Dallas this coming Saturday (8:30 pm ET | MLS LIVE on ESPN+). Luchi Gonzalez’s gang are also below the playoff line ahead of Week 17’s matches.
“They build up because of the things that happen on the field and off the field,” Wolff said. “Those things kind of coincide with players, coaches and fans. There’s so many things that play into it. They’ll certainly be a good intensity to both these games. The fact we have them back-to-back is also a really interesting one.”
