It’s a far cry from the 2022 season, when the second-year club finished second in the Western Conference table and reached the Western Conference Final, losing to eventual MLS Cup champion LAFC.
There was frustration abound following the Matchday 9 defeat to a previously-winless Galaxy squad at Dignity Health Sports Park, with Austin FC head coach Josh Wolff highlighting decisions by referee Chris Penso that were “tough to stomach.”
“I think a lot of Chris Penso, I think he’s the best in the league,” Wolff said. “I thought it was tough to watch tonight. … Refereeing is very, very challenging, but these don’t seem like real hard ones. I thought he was poor, extremely poor on the night.”
Wolff also claimed the Galaxy’s star players – Chicharito, who scored his first goal of the 2023 season, and Riqui Puig, who struck for an insurance goal 10 minutes later – received preferential treatment not given to Austin’s key player, Sebastián Driussi.
“Chicharito, Riqui, these are good players. They got protected a lot tonight. They really did,” he said. “We have a few good players out there on the team tonight and I thought it was a real lack of respect for what is one of the best players in the league. Obviously not his best year, but some of the decision-making and the leadership on the field from the referees I thought was tough to stomach.”
As for his own team, Wolff said they need to do a better job of finishing chances and hinted at lineup changes when they host an improved San Jose Earthquakes side in Matchday 10 next Saturday (8:30 pm ET | MLS Season Pass).
“We’ll certainly evaluate the game, but I would expect some changes for the next game,” he said, adding “we have to try to find the right formula for who we are right now. But we also have to keep improving.”
Goalkeeper Brad Stuver said Austin were fortunate to come out of the gate last year by scoring 10 goals in their opening two games. By contrast, they have six goals in their opening eight matches this year with a negative-6 goal differential.
“Overall, as a collective group, all of us just need to break that seal,” Stuver said. “We’ve been talking about it for weeks. Once we’re able to score that first goal, I think you’ll see the floodgates will open.”
