AUSTIN, TEXAS - OCTOBER 12: Guilherme Biro #29 of Austin FC celebrates with Mateja Djordjevi #35 of Austin FC as Austin FC scores a goal against the Los Angeles Football Club at Q2 Stadium on October 12, 2025 in Austin, Texas. (Photo by Daniel Jefferson/Getty Images)

AUSTIN, TEXAS – OCTOBER 12: Guilherme Biro #29 of Austin FC celebrates with Mateja Djordjevi #35 of Austin FC as Austin FC scores a goal against the Los Angeles Football Club at Q2 Stadium on October 12, 2025 in Austin, Texas. (Photo by Daniel Jefferson/Getty Images)

Daniel Jefferson/Getty Images

Though Austin FC has nothing to play for Saturday on MLS Decision Day, it will be watching results around the Western Conference with great intrigue. The Verde & Black are locked into the No. 6 seed in the West for the MLS playoffs and have a possibility of three opponents for the first round: LAFC, San Diego FC and Minnesota United FC. 

But who should Austin FC want to be matched up against in a best-of-three series? 

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The Verde & Black swept LAFC in the regular season, split with San Diego FC and went 1-1-1 against Minnesota, with one of those contests being a U.S. Open Cup match. Yet results from the regular season rarely matter in the MLS playoffs. Miami and St. Louis had the best records in their respective conferences the last two years and lost in the first round. 

Here’s a look at who Austin FC should hope it draws after the regular season finishes, going from least to most desirable. 

LAFC

This is the matchup no one in the Western Conference wants. 

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Sure, Austin FC just completed a season sweep of LAFC. But neither of the West Coast club’s star forwards, Son Heung-min and Denis Bouanga, played as both were with their national teams. And Heung-min was still suiting up for English Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur in March when Austin FC won the first matchup. 

Bouanga is second in MLS with 24 goals, trailing only Lionel Messi, and Heung-min has eight goals since joining the club in early August. The duo, who are talented enough to play in the top leagues in Europe, give LAFC the best attack in the West. 

Austin FC coach Nico Estévez correctly noted Saturday that his team did a good job defending Bouanga in March. But having to weather a three-game series against Bouanga, Heung-min and the rest of a decent LAFC roster would be a nightmare scenario. 

(LAFC is third in the West with 59 points. It plays at Colorado, which is still alive for a spot in the play-in game.) 

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San Diego FC

San Diego has had a brilliant — and unexpected — first season with 60 points and 60 goals scored entering Saturday. 

Mikey Varas should be a finalist for MLS coach of the year, and midfielder Andres Dreyer is one of the league’s top players with 17 goals and 17 assists.

Yet apart from Dreyer and maybe forward Hirving “Chucky” Lozano, who is no longer under 30, the San Diego roster isn’t intimidating. And while this further indicates the coaching job Varas has done, it’s not a matchup in which Austin FC would be a massive underdog. The Verde & Black defeated San Diego in March, and while that contest is irrelevant now, it shows two wins in three weeks is a possibility. 

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(San Diego is second in the West with 60 points. It plays at Portland, which needs a draw or a Dallas draw or loss to avoid the play-in game.)

Minnesota United FC

This is the matchup Austin FC wants. 

It’s not that Minnesota is a poor side, but it’s roster isn’t what it was two months ago. The Loons sold striker Tani Oluwaseyi to Spanish club Villarreal CF in late August, then forward Kelvin Yeboah suffered a hamstring injury against Austin FC in mid-September in the U.S. Open Cup semifinals and hasn’t played since. Combined, that’s a loss of 25 goals from the lineup. 

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Defender Carlos Harvey also hasn’t played since Sept. 13, and it’s unclear if he and Yeboah would be available for the playoffs. Even if they are, they wouldn’t be match fit. 

Allianz Field isn’t a daunting place to play, so stealing a game there is not out of the question, especially if the series goes three games. 

(The Loons are fourth in the West with 58 points. They play at the Los Angeles Galaxy, who is tied for last in the West.)

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