Austin FC vs LAFC score: 4 takeaways as Verde battles to scoreless MLS draw
· Yahoo Sports
Even if it doesn’t show in the result, Austin FC played its best match of the year Saturday.
And considering its roster has been hit with injuries to several key players since the start of training camp, the club’s scoreless draw at Q2 Stadium against an undefeated LAFC team in some ways feels like a winning outcome.
Visit sportbet.rodeo for more information.
While Austin FC’s attack is still figuring things out — and still missing arguably its most important piece in midfielder Owen Wolff — the defense turned in one of the better performances in the club’s short history.
Here are some key takeaways from the match as Austin FC (1-2-2, 5 points) gets some much-needed rest with the international break next week.
Austin FC’s defense was phenomenal
LAFC forwards Son Heung-min and Denis Bouanga are arguably the most potent duo in the MLS Western Conference. And sure, they had a few chances Saturday, but the Austin FC backline of Jon Bell, Brendan Hines-Ike, Oleksandr Svatok and Jon Gallagher was simply exceptional.
Hines-Ike, in particular, might have had his best game as a professional, which was highlighted by chasing down Heung-min late in the game to prevent a one-on-one with goalie Brad Stuver.
“It was the defense’s night tonight,” said Stuver, who only faced one shot on goal. “It was amazing the entire game. … That’s probably the best I’ve ever seen (Hines-Ike) play.”
Hines-Ike’s performance is even more notable considering he’s been a quality player for the club since he joined it weeks before the 2024 season.
“This has got to be the standard we set for the rest of the season,” Hines-Ike said. “Working hard and just showing a general grittiness is what we have to do.”
And considering Bell and Gallagher weren’t slated to be the team’s outside backs in the preseason — Guilherme Biro and Mikkel Desler started most of 2025 — Austin FC coach Nico Estévez has a good problem on his hands with multiple options on defense.
Austin FC had lots of possession and few shots
Austin FC finished with 62% possession and especially dominated the ball in the first half, when after 30 minutes it had 71% possession. It showed energy the entire match and was the stronger side more often than not, yet it only finished with one shot on goal.
Estévez attributed that to the team being cautious of LAFC’s counterattacks with Bouanga and Heung-min, something which burned the Verde & Black when the teams met in the playoffs last fall.
“The problem with being aggressive is you open yourself up to that,” Estévez said. “We had a lot of control of the game tonight. From there is where we have to grow and take more chances. … But having longer possessions also helps you defensively. And you can’t be defending all the time.”
Considering Austin FC was missing Wolff and starting midfielders Dani Pereira and Jayden Nelson, the fact it dictated play for long stretches of the game against a team that entered the match 7-0-1 across all competitions — LAFC is participating in CONCACAF Champions Cup — is a good sign for the club’s attack going forward.
“When we have everyone healthy, we’ll have a great roster,” Estévez said. “And we’ll need it, because as soon as April comes, we’ll start having more games (than just once a week).”
Myrto Uzuni excels
Austin FC was unlucky when Uzuni’s goal midway through the second half was called back after video review determined Ilie Sánchez was offside when the shot went through his legs. (It was the correct call, and Sánchez had to move his right leg to avoid the ball.)
It was an impressive strike of the ball by Uzuni near the top of the box on a corner kick, and he had another well-taken shot in stoppage time that was saved by a diving Hugo Lloris.
If Uzuni keeps up his form from Saturday, he could reach double digits in goals this season.
Bottom line
This was an impressive showing by Austin FC, but better ones should arrive in the future. And maybe as soon as late April.
Wolff and Nelson could return after the international break, Pereira should be back before May and forward Brandon Vasquez might be available at some point in the next five weeks for the first time since his knee injury last July.
Austin FC didn’t win Saturday, but its performance signaled a potential for a top five finish in the West.
Now it’s time to get healthy.