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SAN JOSE, CA – OCTOBER 18: Austin FC celebrating a goal during the first half by Owen Wolff #33 of Austin FC during a game between Austin FC and San Jose Earthquakes at PayPal Park on October 18, 2025 in San Jose, California. (Photo by Scott Gould\/ISI Photos\/ISI Photos via Getty Images)<\/p>\n
Scott Gould\/ISI Photos\/ISI Photos via Getty Images<\/p>\n
The lengthy wait for the MLS playoffs is over for Austin FC<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n Ten days will have passed since the Verde & Black last took the field when they play LAFC in Game 1 of their best-of-three Western Conference quarterfinal series Friday, which is the final first-round\u00a0matchup to start.\u00a0<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n AUSTIN FC VS. LAFC<\/p>\n When\/where:\u00a09:30 p.m. Wednesday in Los Angeles<\/p>\n TV\/radio: Apple TV; 97.5, 104.3 (Spanish)<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s been a long, long time,\u201d Austin FC coach Nico Est\u00e9vez quipped Monday. \u201cBut we\u2019ve built up training sessions the last week to being more intense to get guys ready.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n The Verde & Black are the No. 6 seed and arguably received the unluckiest draw in the West<\/a>. LAFC has lost only once with forward Son Heung-min in the lineup after he joined the club in early August. (He didn\u2019t play when the teams met Oct. 12 during\u00a0Austin FC\u2019s 1-0 win<\/a>.)\u00a0<\/p>\n Here\u2019s what to know about the match as Austin FC returns to the site of its last playoff match, BMO Stadium, where it lost in the 2022 Western Conference final:<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Austin\u00a0FC is a heavy underdog to LAFC<\/p>\n There aren\u2019t high expectations for Austin FC outside of its own locker room. The Verde & Black are slightly worse than 6-1 odds to win the series, according to Las Vegas oddsmakers, which makes them the biggest underdog in the first round. The reason for that is LAFC\u2019s attack. Besides Heung-min, who tallied nine goals in 10 games, the West Coast club also features all-star forward Denis Bouanga, the runner-up for the league\u2019s Golden Boot race.\u00a0Bouanga\u2019s 24 goals trailed only Lionel\u00a0Messi.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s a team that is built to win trophies, and they have exceptional players that can build something out of nothing,\u201d Est\u00e9vez said. \u201c\u2026 No team has stopped them yet, which says a lot about their talent. But we\u2019re confident in our roster and know our guys can do well.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n The situation should allow for Austin FC to play loose. Est\u00e9vez indicated that he doesn\u2019t plan on sitting back defensively \u2014 even with a lack of depth at forward with Diego Rubio\u00a0out with an injury\u00a0\u2014 and letting the hosts dominate possession or dictate the flow of the game.\u00a0<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n \u201cOne thing we\u2019ve learned (from the league\u2019s first six playoff games) is that you can\u2019t have a conservative mentality,\u201d he said. \u201cIf you do, then the opponent is going to keep getting better throughout the game. We need to make them feel that we can threaten them and punish them. We need to show that we\u2019re going there to score and not just (sit back).\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Austin FC swept LAFC this year, and it did a good job against Bouanga \u2014 who also didn’t play in the Oct. 12 match \u2014 in a 1-0 road win on March 15. The Verde & Black have hung their hat on defense; they allowed only 37 goals \u00a0\u2014 the second-fewest in the league \u2014 and believe that\u2019s something that should play to their advantage in the postseason.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re a team that I don\u2019t think many teams want to play because of how tough we are to break down (defensively),\u201d forward Jon\u00a0Gallagher said. \u201cWe\u2019ve got a game plan that we\u2019re going to be pretty diligent about and go there and hopefully frustrate them.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Austin\u00a0FC hopes U.S. Open Cup run pays off\u00a0<\/p>\n Both Est\u00e9vez and\u00a0Gallagher noted that playing in four elimination games during the team\u2019s run to the U.S. Open Cup final<\/a> was good preparation for the playoffs. Austin FC won two of those contests on the road, defeating San Jose in a penalty shootout and beating Minnesota<\/a> with a goal in extra time.\u00a0<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n \u201cThose are examples of how games could go,\u201d Est\u00e9vez said. \u201cIn the playoffs, the urgency and the emotion create more chaos in the game. And it\u2019s how you navigate those moments that determine if you can win the game or not.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n As one of six players remaining from the 2022 team, Gallagher said there\u2019s a distinct difference between the playoffs and regular season.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019ve kind of given the guys who haven\u2019t played (in the MLS postseason) a heads up of how it goes,\u201d he said. \u201cThe first 10 minutes are usually pretty chaotic and there\u2019s not a lot of rhythm to the game. But we have players that have played all around the world in big leagues and big games, so I don\u2019t think it will be anything too crazy for them.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Though Austin FC has nothing to lose in this series, it still wants to make the most of it. LAFC isn\u2019t Manchester City or Real Madrid, so the Verde & Black won\u2019t be played off the pitch, and the last two years a No. 1 seed has lost in the first round. (St. Louis in 2023 and Miami in 2024.)<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n And if Austin FC has learned anything the last two seasons, it\u2019s that nothing is guaranteed.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve been here five years and didn\u2019t want to go three straight years without the playoffs,\u201d Gallagher said. \u201cIt\u2019s special. Not everyone gets to experience it.\u201d<\/p>\n Austin FC predicted lineup<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Midfield: Jon Gallagher, Dani Pereira, Owen Wolff, Ilie Sanchez, Osman Bukari<\/p>\n Defense: Guilherme Biro, Brendan Hines-Ike, Oleksandr Svatok, Mikkel Desler<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Austin FC vs LAFC prediction<\/p>\n<\/p>\n