Orlando City (6-4-2, 20 pts.) wraps up a three-game MLS road trip with a first-ever visit to Q2 Stadium in Austin, Texas, taking on Austin FC (6-3-2, 20 pts.) in a Sunday night showdown. The match, presented by OUC, is set to kick off at 8 p.m. ET and will be televised locally on FOX35 PLUS and LionNation TV, with pre-game coverage beginning at 7:30 p.m. ET. Local radio coverage will be available from 7:30 p.m. ET on FM 96.9 the Game in English and Acción 97.9 FM in Spanish.
Here’s everything you need to know about Austin:
Key Transactions and Player News
Key Additions - CF Maxi Urruti (Houston), LB Zan Kolmanic (Maribor), CB Ruben Gabrielsen (Tolouse), RW Ethan Finley (Minnesota United), DM Jhojan Valencia (Deportivo Cali), CM Felipe Martins (D.C. United)
Key Departures - CM Tomás Pochettino (River Plate, loan), LB Ben Sweat (Sporting Kansas City), CM Sebastian Berhalter (Vancouver), CB Matt Besler (retirement), RW McKinze Gaines (Charlotte FC)
News - Austin turned the page on a good chunk of its expansion roster, saying farewell to DP midfielder Pochettino and bringing in a host of experienced starters from both inside and outside MLS. Urruti, who starred for three years at FC Dallas under Orlando City Head Coach Oscar Pareja, has chipped in four goals and has started all but one game, while Gabrielsen and Kolmanic have helped settle one of MLS’ shakier defenses. Austin is led by Argentine talisman Sebastián Driussi, who has put his name in the Landon Donovan MLS MVP conversation with seven goals and three assists thus far.
Take a look at Austin’s full roster here.
Team Form
After a 12th place finish in its expansion season last year, Austin has shocked observers around MLS with 20 points through its first eleven games at the time of this writing (Austin plays LAFC on Wednesday night). However, Austin has come under criticism for feasting on a soft schedule, and the team had dropped two straight games against tougher competition in the LA Galaxy and Real Salt Lake before taking on Shield-leading LAFC on the road.Â
Head-to-Head
Austin and Orlando did not play last year due to Covid-19 travel restrictions limiting inter-conference matchups, so Sunday’s match will be a first-time meeting between the two sides. Orlando City has won four straight games when playing MLS teams for the first time, including a 2-1 victory over Charlotte FC on April 30 of this year.
Rasmussen University Fact
Q2 Stadium, Austin’s 20,500-seat palace of green, is designed to help blunt Austin’s often-high summer temperatures. The corners are open to allow breeze to ventilate the bowl, and a 2,700-ton canopy shades the grand majority of the seating areas. Seats in the sun, about 6,000, are made of breathable mesh fabric to keep them cool.
