Opposition scouting report: Austin FC

Sounder at Heart staff -

The Seattle Sounders will host Austin FC in both teams’ first league games in two weeks. While the Sounders have been busy with Club World Cup, Austin has been waiting on the sidelines.

To give us some insight into the game, we sent some questions to Phil West of Verde All Day.

Notable injuries

Myrto Uzuni is questionable with a hamstring injury after being just plain questionable since onboarding from Granada late in the transfer window (we were really hoping this was going to be his get-right game after finally seeing his new baby son in Spain for just the second time — the first time was for about 10 minutes in the airport during the recent international break).

Team form

After a winless May, Austin has won two straight, and thanks to some key wins early in the season, they’re eighth in the West, just below Seattle (though they’ve only scored 15 goals, worst in the league so far, and on pace to score just 27 this season — that’s been improving lately).

Key players

  • All-Star Brandon Vázquez, who leads the team with five goals (I know, I know), but is rounding into better form, though he’s still worst in the league for goals minus expected goals at -4.9.
  • Osman Bukari, who is Austin’s fastest player and makes really promising things happen on the right wing
  • Owen Wolff, a sneaky-good midfielder who is making The Leap this year.

One thing opposing fans should know

Though they don’t score, they also don’t let in a lot of goals (less than a goal a game if you throw out a disastrous loss at Vancouver). Not only is Brad Stuver deserving of his All-Star nod (lifetime achievement award), but the back line is sneakily solid.

Projected lineup

(4-3-3) Stuver; Desler, Svatok, Hines-Ike, Biro; Wolff, Sabovic, Pereira; Taylor, Vazquez, Bukari