SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA – MAY 13: Christopher McVey #97 of San Diego FC heads the ball while defended by Micah Burton #32 of Austin FC during the second half at Snapdragon Stadium on May 13, 2026 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Orlando Ramirez/Getty Images)
Orlando Ramirez/Getty Images
Midweek matches on the West Coast aren’t Austin FC’s strong point.
And while that’s an oversimplification considering the club’s injury situation and the fact it played Sunday at Minnesota, for the second time in four weeks Wednesday the Verde & Black got routed on a trip to California when they lost 5-0 to San Diego at Snapdragon Stadium.
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Next: Austin FC vs Sporting Kansas City
When: 7:30 p.m. Saturday
Where: Q2 Stadium
Radio/TV: 97.5, 104.3 (Spanish), Apple TV
Like the 5-1 loss to San Jose on April 22, Austin FC coach Nico Estévez used a lineup of mostly backups, which wasn’t surprising considering the quick turnaround and a looming home match Saturday.
But while the Verde & Black hung around for 70 minutes against the Earthquakes, they gave up a goal in the eighth minute Wednesday and trailed 2-0 at halftime.
David Vazquez tallied a brace and Anders Dreyer, Pedro Soma and Marcus Ingvartsen all scored for San Diego.
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Here are some key takeaways from the match as Austin FC (3-5-5, 14 points) hosts Kansas City on Saturday.
Austin FC had a distinct approach to the match
Austin FC coach Nico Estévez was peppered with tough questions postgame and said mostly the right things following an embarrassing loss.
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“We feel ashamed about this result,” Estévez said. “We prepared everything to get a better result. We apologize to the fans and club … because this is not how you represent the club.”
And while there’s nothing good about a 5-0 defeat, Estévez’s approach to the contest was the right move even with the lopsided scoreline because the Kansas City match is more important.
With a roster that is still plagued by injuries and has other players on minutes restrictions who recently returned from being hurt, Estévez has to prioritize certain matches.
Austin FC needs to beat the worst team in the Western Conference at home. And to do that, it will need its key players — at least those who are available — as fresh as possible.
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Starting outside backs Guilherme Biro and Mikkel Desler and key midfielders Ilie Sánchez and Dani Pereira didn’t play Wednesday. Midfielder Owen Wolff and forward Christian Ramírez came off the bench in the second half, while little-used players CJ Fodrey, Nicolas Dubersarsky, Besard Sabovic and Zan Kolmanic all got starts.
The Verde & Black — who took out key players Myrto Uzuni, Joseph Rosales and Facundo Torres midway through the second half — ended the match with Ervin Torres and Micah Burton on the field, neither of whom is old enough to buy a beer. (Ervin Torres is the same age as some high school seniors and plays more for the second team.)
A road match on 48 hours of rest with a home game three days later isn’t the time to gamble on maybe getting a point, something which Estévez hinted at.
“We had to make sure we didn’t lose more players this week and that we have enough players to play on Saturday,” said Estévez, who also noted he had a call with the league about playing two road matches in the span of 72 hours.
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Austin FC should have a legitimate lineup Saturday
Austin FC should field a substantially stronger lineup against Kansas City.
Estévez needs to hope that Pereira can start and play 45 minutes, or at least construct a lineup that keeps Sabovic off the field. (Sabovic was so poor Wednesday he may have given Verde & Black sporting director Rodolfo Borrell reason to buy out his contract during the summer.)
Desler and Biro returning will help the backline, but the defense has issues without center back Brendan Hines-Ike, who injured a hamstring against Minnesota.
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Oleksandr Svatok and Mateja Djordjevic were subpar, while Jon Bell was average. But those are the only three legitimate center backs currently available, and it’s the biggest decision Estévez faces entering Saturday.
Bottom line
If Austin FC wins Saturday and can manage a draw May 23 at St. Louis, Wednesday’s performance will be long forgotten.
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The World Cup break can’t come soon enough for the Verde & Black after their injury issues this season. But Austin FC needs three points Saturday to take heat off itself for two rough trips to California in less than a month.
“It’s unacceptable this has happened twice in the same season,” Jon Gallagher said.
SAN DIEGO, CA – MAY 13: David Vazquez #19 of San Diego FC moves the ball during a game between Austin FC and San Diego FC at Snapdragon Stadium on May 13, 2026 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Dave Bernal/ISI Photos/ISI Photos via Getty Images)
Dave Bernal/ISI Photos/ISI Photos via Getty Images