13th Man

Thanks @keeper#1, @Hootieleece, @karanhsingh . Lindsay will be staying on as Austin manager until the end of the season and then resign. It might have been different if Austin hadn’t already won the league, but with that trophy wrapped up, he can miss a match or two. I remember Guus now that you mention it, though Ferguson was before my time. Definitely don’t think it works long term with MLS not taking breaks, but he can finish out the season.

An Eventful Weekend Austin’s league form continued through July where they, once again, when 5 for 5. The winning streak stood at 28 league matches, and they were undefeated in 58 matches. After getting to skip the Leagues Cup group stage, they faced Liga MX champions Tigres and lost a close game that they really should have won. It would mean less matches, though, and that was nice. The following weekend, however, Austin’s winning streak finally came to an end. Again, Austin were the better team for the majority of the match, but Real Salt Lake fought hard and earned a point. There were no stoppage time heroics this time from forward Flores. However… That solitary point was enough to guarantee Austin retained the Supporter’s Shield (League Title) with eight matches remaining in the season. They were a win and a draw from bettering the record MLS points haul (79), two wins away from the record for the most wins in a season (26). With eight matches to go, you’d bet on Austin easily attaining both. You’ve got mail Only Lindsay got an email the very next day with an offer that he simply couldn’t refuse. Lindsay was hired to manage the US men’s national team. He’d applied to the position before the last manager was hired, but hadn’t gotten much traction. This time, the US setup came directly to him and offered the job. This had never been in the plans, but the job offered the perfect opportunity to raise his reputation - the 2026 World Cup, which would be hosted in the US, as well as Mexico and Canada. Lindsay did not intend to stay on as manager past the tournament the following summer, but the chance to manage a nation that was hosting a World Cup was an opportunity that he could not turn down. Lindsay had a decision to make, however - would he stay on as Austin manager until the end of the season? The MLS does not take international breaks, so there would be two conflicting match days. However, with the Supporter’s Shield wrapped up, those weren’t exactly important matches for Austin. [There is, however, the realism element - no one has ever managed club and country to my knowledge. Though it might be more acceptable in this specific case if he were to resign from Austin at the end of the season?]

Club World Cup There was definitely something different about Pep Guardiola’s post match handshake. Before the match, he’d been perfectly polite. He’d even said something about Austin’s record breaking league run before heading to his technical area. But Lindsay knew he was just going through the motions, that Pep just wanted to be done with this silly competition and get on with the important stuff. He seemed somehow both relaxed and annoyed that he was forced to play some American team. After the match though, Pep’s eyes weren’t looking beyond Lindsay in the same way. He wasn’t just going through the motions anymore. When he shook Lindsay’s hand Pep looked him right in the eyes for a brief but intense moment and gave a nod that meant something even if Lindsay wasn’t sure exactly what. Pep gave him a firm pat on the arm. Lindsay nodded back and went to go applaud his team. They’d lost, of course, but only 2-1 and they’d given more than a good account of themselves against one of the best clubs in the world. Yes, City had done to Austin what Austin usually did to other teams. City had the better of possession and were impressive in their sleek passing and their ability to get to those second balls with urgency. City were just simply quicker - physically, mentally, everything. Yet there was no shame in Austin’s performance. With their entire wage budget only as big as one City player’s annual income, Austin gave City a decent match. Both City’s goals were moments of pure quality, the first a glorious team move finished by Toni Kroos, the second an incredible pass and even better finish by Ansu Fati. Austin didn’t allow any easy chances, with City taking a lot of low quality shots, and Austin managed a few chances of their own. More impressively, Austin didn’t do it by parking the bus. They played a bit more conservative than normal, with no counter-press and they kept things tight in the center by forcing City outside, but otherwise they played their usual Coiled Spring tactic and had some decent success passing the ball. In fact, the margins were incredibly slim. Druissi had the ball in City’s net with a thunderous finish after 13 minutes, only to have the goal ruled offside by a hair. The call was correct, but so very, very tight. Inches. In the 30th minute, CM(a) Arouch had a very nice chance at the top of the box only to blaze just over the bar. Ansu Fati’s 69th minute goal, on the other hand, was both an incredible piece of skill, and just as fractionally onside as Druissi’s was off. An inch or two one way and it would have been 1-1 instead of 2-0. As it was, Roldan’s stoppage time goal was nothing more than a consolation, but the counter was beautifully worked and precise in its movement and passing, and Roldan’s tap in was fully deserved. So Pep’s post match handshake meant something to Lindsay. Where Pep had viewed him at first as merely a fellow professional, at the end the handshake was one of peer to peer. Lindsay had a long way to go before he could be considered an equal, but he could take pride in the fact that he’d managed to play his own game, against City, and come away with dignity intact. And that was something. Though already eliminated after City also defeated Egyptian Al-Ahly, Lindsay still wanted to leave Italy with a win - and he left with an emphatic victory. They obliterated the hapless Egyptian side 6-0 with PF Garcia scoring 5 goals in the first half. In fact, Austin had beaten Al-Ahly by two goals more than City had scored! It was a match that made Lindsay wish there was a best of the rest competition without the European clubs. Quick aside… I’m not normally one to write up in game events not directly related to the story, but I noticed Aston Villa were playing in the Club World Cup and was curious. Turns out they won the 2025 Champions League, beating Real Madrid 3-1 in the final. It was a lucky path they took, with them avoiding any European powerhouses until the final, but still!

Ooo, this is a teaser! Looking forward to seeing the next write up.

Good luck in Switzerland!

Wow, two season ending injuries in one month! It looks like Lindsay's Austin injury bug has spread to Lancashire...and mutated into something even worse. Still midtable though, so that's a success.

Defoe has now won the CL with 3 clubs! Is there more to prove?

This is 100% true (if stupid). I vividly remember the Patriots going undefeated until the Super Bowl. It does matter to Lindsay, though, as he’s looking to impress European clubs, and three straight League wins is a good look. Plus, there’s something magical about winning streaks. They do have the Flyers beat for undefeated games though, with the run currently at 53 (I think). Have a bad feeling Austin will end up like that Patriot team though, or worse. I’m using @GIMN’s Munsterman excellent graphical skin. I came for the graphical attributes (there are also numerical versions) and am loving his for his constantly improving graphics in general. Tye screenshot is just the default post match screen.

More of the same please, thank you 28 May, 2025 Austin 0 - DC United 0 92nd minute Time is running out on Austin’s consecutive wins streak, but still they build from the back. Is there still another attack left in Austin? Another turn in this game which has seen both keepers save a penalty? [BBM] Leyva with a crisp pass to [CF] Flores who is dropping deep. Flores sends it around the corner first time to [LW] Druissi. [LB] Bidu charges wide on the overlap, Druissi sends it into the space in front of him. Bidu has acres of space. He cuts in towards the top of the box. He looks up…Flores making a run… FLORES!!!! IN THE 92ND MINUTE!!!! That’s another stoppage time winner for Austin’s first round draft pick! Like a natural forward, he simply sprinted towards goal the second he laid the ball off, and his run is rewarded. Bidu’s pass to the near post was weighted perfectly, but Flores still had plenty to do. His side footed effort was the perfect combination of power and placement to give the keeper no chance! The Q2 here in Austin is rocking again! They truly refuse to do anything but win this season! 1 June, 2025 Orlando 1 - Austin 0 93nd minute If you are joining us for bonus MLS coverage, you have tuned in for what is surely the end of Austin’s winning run. We’re three into the five minutes of added time and Austin are trailing a goal to nil. They’ve dominated this match from start to finish, but simply can’t find a way to put the ball in the net. Orlando, on the other hand, scored from their one shot on target - a lazily looping header from a set piece that Sivera could only deflect into the roof of his net. Austin with a promising move…cleared, but [CB] Carlos wins the header for Austin, nodding it down to his partner Ditta. He pauses, finds [CM(a)] Arouch, outside to RW Bender. Bender is in space…he sends an inswinging cross in… FLORES!!!!! HE’S DONE IT AGAIN!!!! FLORES IN STOPPAGE TIME!!! What a goal! The young man made it look so easy! He redirected that inswinging cross perfectly into the far corner and Austin are level! Surely their winning run is over, but it looks like they’ve just saved their unbeaten record. 96th minute Orlando 1 - Austin 1 We’re approaching the final whistle here, but Austin are trying to launch one final attack here down the left. Venegas…sends the ball wide to [LW] Gioacchini…he cuts into the box…sends a hard pass in.. FLORES…but he’s taken down…NO ITS BENDER AT THE FAR POST FOR A TAP IN!!!! AUSTIN HAVE WON IT! DOWN 1-0 THREE MINUTES INTO ADDED TIME, AUSTIN HAVE MANAGED TO WIN HERE IN ORLANDO!!!! It looked a sure penalty on Flores, only the ball zipped free to Bender to render it moot. What a game!!! What an incredible run by Austin FC!!! In a league known for its parity, there is simply no team that can match Austin! ___________ On the other side, there was also more of the same with injuries… 21 year old promising RB Ataide tore his ACL in early May and would miss the rest of the season [goes through November]. This was a massive blow to Austin’s depth at RB, and unlucky for a player who had been making excellent, steady progress. Lindsay was lucky he’d signed Taylor Booth, who had slotted in as the second choice BBM, but who would now play at RB a great deal. He had decent midfield depth, but it would also put more pressure on BBM Leyva, who was without a set backup. But Austin kept winning. Unlike the previous two months, there were easy wins in there. A 4-1 demolition of previously second place Houston sent their Texas rivals into a downwards spiral that would see them gain only 5 points in 11 matches. Austin destroyed LAFC 5-0 and previously tricky Colorado were swatted away 3-0 in consecutive away matches. That win over Colorado just so happened to earn Austin the record for most consecutive wins in the MLS’s short history with 16. Then they just kept going. As Austin’s attention turned to the Club World Cup, they managed to remain perfect in the league with 23 wins in a row. They even won the last game 4-3 even without BBM Leyva (US u21s) and GK Sivera, the latter of which had impressed enough to be called up to the Spanish national team. Austin were now 20 points ahead of second place Colorado, with a goal difference of 36 (47 goals and 11 against) in 20 matches. Austin simply looked like a plotting error. Next best attack Colorado had 33 goals (14 fewer), and second best defense in Philadelphia had conceded 17 (6 more) With 14 matches left in the season, with a record run of both victories and games without defeat, Austin now had record wins (23) and points (79) in a season firmly in their sights. Now Austin traveled to Italy for the Club World Cup, where they were drawn against Egyptian side Al-Ahly and Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City. Austin had very little chance to progress out of the three team group. Lindsay had no expectations to beat City, so their only chance was to somehow draw and beat Al-Ahly by more than City. Even that scenario was far fetched, and all Lindsay wanted was to be competitive in that match and hopefully beat Al-Ahly to go home with heads held high.

Really good form Id say. Obviously massive win over Spurs. I can see how you’re a bit frustrated though - draws where you just can’t get through are so annoying. On the whole, you seem to be making great progress

BELIEVE!

Pretty rough. Knowing that Austin had won the last two definitely made the bitter pull easier to swallow. I couldn’t agree more! Glad you agree it’s not just sour grapes. In the MLS you can put people on “injured reserve” - their wages still count against the salary cap, but it does open a roster spot. Austin have 27 players registered (max 30) so it’s not a huge deal there, but for international players it would make some sense to put them on reserve so that another international could be brought in on loan. Why am I thinking that specifically…could it be more injuries on the horizon?

This is the goal! Preston were nearly relegated so it makes sense that it’d take a bit of doing.

The harder they come In the NACL, Austin managed to progress to a third consecutive final, disappointingly facing all MLS sides - other than a glorified friendly of a tie against El Salvadoran side Isido Metophan that ended in a 10-1 aggregate win. Austin then crushed Orlando City in a 2-1 aggregate win that had no business being as close as it was. Orlando managed to create two good chances in their place and scored once, but the fact that Austin only won by one at home had everything to do with their poor finishing - managing just one goal from an xG of 2.57, though it was also one of those matches with a lot of low quality chances. In the next round, Wayne Rooney’s DC United gave Austin everything they could handle across two legs. A ridiculous first ten minutes in Washington DC saw three goals scored to make it 2-1 to DC. Austin would later equalize and take the lead, before DC had the last say. In the end, Austin escaped with a draw, with DC looking far better in the second half. Also - six total goals from a combined xG of less than 2.5!!! Back home, with 3 away goals, Austin were able to control the tie. They took the lead in the 20th minute, but squandered it with a poor piece of defending just before the half. DC United were even starting to look the more dangerous side, but then Lindsay switched to the Ace in the Hole WB/IF combination on the left and Gioacchini scored a beautiful goal from the left IF(a) position. Then came Austin’s third consecutive NACL final where they faced Atlanta. Their league form was poor, but they had beaten two excellent Liga MX sides in Atlas and Monterrey on their way to the final. It would not be three in a row for Austin, as they lost on penalties with Ben Bender skying his, while Atlanta went 5 for 5. For the first time in three years, Austin lost in a knockout round of the NACL. The match was not worth much of a write up. Atlanta parked the bus and Austin weren’t able to break them down. Austin absolutely controlled the game, and they had their chances, but couldn’t convert and it had to be said that none of those chances were easy. Lindsay couldn’t blame another manager for playing defensively, but what he didn’t appreciate was the way Atlanta set out to foul and injure Austin. In the first half Austin lost CF Garcia, in the second they lost RW Rigoni (who would be out for 2-3 months). They fouled at a rate of nearly twice that of Austin until Lindsay told his players to get stuck in too as it seemed the ref was only penalizing horror tackles. Still Atlanta ended the match with 28 fouls, and six yellow cards, but only had a player sent off in the 107th minute. Yet was that on the ref or Atlanta’s manager? Either way it was sour grapes to be sure. Lindsay didn’t blame the loss on the persistent fouling. Just like in the 2023 Western Conference final against Colorado, Austin weren't sharp enough on the day, and it was as simple as that. Losing Rigoni for months was a massive disappointment however, and that was what left the bitterest taste in Lindsay’s mouth.

Wow! Even if the other big clubs do a bit better next season and you regress a bit, the bank balance from a dabble in the CL is a platform that’ll help you build the club. Who knows, maybe you’ll just go on to surprise everyone in the CL too?

A few disappointing results to be sure, but still looking good for Jester’s first season. Only 3 points off the playoff spots! Maybe gets worse based on your comments, but promising signs…

What a cup win! Stoppage time goal! Domestic cup is step one in the challenge right?

Excellent start. The tactic seems right, the use of a slow rebuild makes a lot of sense rather than the quick clear out. It takes time, and seems like this is a good project to start slow and gain momentum over time. Though with this kind of form you’ll be pushing for promotion!

Good to have you back, congrats on promotion, and always love a good narrative. It’s the end of the beginning now - onto the beginning of the middle!

We’ll see. Or more could get injured! Been true! It’s been hard work considering the form, but that makes it more satisfying! It’s making me glad for my choice. Kind of a final reward for the seasons of work on the project. Ive been leaning more and more in this direction. I try to find ways to exploit certain weaknesses or counter strengths within the same system so only one or two parts change. I think familiarity is playing a bigger role these days (which is realistic) and training one shape, one main way of playing, and then using variations focused on your best, most intelligent players (while the others do their usual jobs) is really effective.

Looking forward to it!

Austin don’t like it up ‘em We use war metaphors constantly when taking sport. We use terms like squads, midfield battles, counter-attacks, bombarding the goal, etc etc. Yet in the 2025 season, this metaphor bent dangerously close to reality for Austin. It seemed as though MLS teams had decided that if they couldn’t compete with Austin, they would just kick them instead. This meant injuries, so many injuries. As mentioned in the last post, CM(a) Roldan was taken out with a crunching tackle only two games into the season, and would be out for 2-3 months. Another nasty tackle a few weeks later by Orlando took down star Druissi in a NACL match, though “luckily” only for 2-3 weeks (which is 4-6 matches in this league). The same game saw RB Lima forced off with a minor impact injury as well. Another NACL match against MLS side Atlanta saw two starters get injured and require in game subs. Of course, injuries are part of the game, and over a season injuries happen. Austin had been pretty lucky with injuries in 2024, so it makes sense that things would be worse in 2025. Thing is - this all from the first two months of the season and all these examples came from in match tackles by MLS sides to first 11 players. It wasn’t just the injuries either - Austin led the league with 15.6 fouls against per 90 - though it was very often much more than that, with 20+ fouls against not uncommon. Austin don’t like it up ‘em to use and alter good old Sam Allerdyce’s quote. Except, unlike late-Wenger Arsenal, Austin aren’t a side who could be dominated. Or rather, they had the physicality and mentality to hold their own in a dogfight. [I say this as someone who became an Arsenal supporter in 2007/2008, preparing me nicely for the heartbreak of this season] 11 league games: 11 wins, 0 draws, 0 losses. 23 goals scored, 6 conceded, 8 clean sheets. Austin didn’t just refuse to lose, they refused to settle for anything less than 3 points. One caveat is that somehow 8 of the 11 matches were at home, but it was still an incredible run, and one that had put Austin into the record books. On the 4th of March they broke the MLS record of matches unbeaten at 34 to go an entire season’s worth of games without defeat… …then they kept going, ending April with the run at 44 MLS matches and still going. Yet it was never easy. Austin’s three years of dominance meant that teams not only kicked them at every opportunity, they also sat back and refused to come forward and give Austin space. The Big Club Football (quicker tempo, higher lines, more pressing) tactic got a lot of effective use, but it seemed like every game was hard work. A few examples just to show how things went… An early 3-2 win over Vancouver required a stoppage time goal from young forward Flores after Austin gave up a 2-0 lead in the final 20 minutes. [Flores would go on to score against Chicago in his next appearance off the bench which, incredibly, brought him 2 goals from only 25 league minutes played! Unsurprisingly, he slowed down after that, but what a way to introduce himself.] Against Eastern Conference leading NY Red Bulls(h!t), Austin needed a fantastic penalty save from GK Sivera and an 84th minute Taylor Booth goal to win, despite dominating the vast majority of the match, scoring only once from an xG of 2.86. Against Inter Miami, Austin labored to a 1-0 win and had to hold on with ten men when LB Bidu got sent off for a second yellow in the 74th minute. An absolutely wild 5-3 win over LAFC was remarkable for two things. First, Lindsay picked a completely rotated outfield 10 that still manged to win. Second, it featured a fantastic fight back from 2-0 down. After LAFC scored their second, only 21 minutes in, Lindsay instructed the team to go narrow to punch through the center of LAFC’s 4-4-2, and Austin scored 4 in the following 20 minutes to end the half with an incredible scoreline of 4-2. The win over LAFC was indicative of what was so incredible about Austin’s run - it was powered in no small part by the “second” 11 as Austin again went deep in the NACL and Lindsay rotated heavily in the league. The LAFC win specifically featured summer acquisition Gioacchini playing exceptionally well, registering a hat trick of assists from the left wing. He’d often featured there with drafted 20 year old forward Flores doing so well in the center. It was also a wonderfully taken goal by 2nd choice RW Ben Bender that won the day against Miami, and 2nd choice BBM Booth who’s goal gave Austin 3 points against NY Red Bulls(h!t). With a 100% record it was no surprise that Austin were running away with the league. Houston, second place in both the Western Conference and the overall standings, were already 11 points back. Eastern Conference leaders New York Red Bulls(h!t) were 12 back. Knowing that he had such incredible depth meant Lindsay could keep his players fresh. Except that they kept getting injured…

Green Cards and Loans So - remember how Lindsay needed to worry about International Player slots? Just kidding. Both CB Gabrielsen and DM Valencia were granted Green Cards right about as the season started, meaning they could claim American nationality and freed up two international slots for Austin to play with. [A Green Card does not make you an American citizen, but it does allow you to permanently work and live in the US rather than apply for and renew visas…and count as an American for MLS registration purposes!] The first would be taken by a graduate of Manchester City’s academy who couldn’t quite make it to their vaunted first team, 23 year old Englishman Tommy Doyle. He was another very well rounded midfielder with room to grow, BUT he wouldn’t be arriving until the summer at the end of his contract with City. This turned out to be a shame because… First choice CM(a) and new club captain Roldan got a bad hip injury in the second game of the season which would keep him out for 2-3 months. Fagundez had been the preferred CM(a) option before Roldan, but he was a natural winger. More importantly, he couldn’t be expected to play two matches a week for three months, and he’d be needed on the wings as well. Especially with Doyle arriving in the summer, Lindsay didn’t want to sign someone permanently, but instead looked to the loan market. In comes 20 year old Mohamed el Arouch from Lyon. He had quality across the board but needed to get a bit more experience before breaking into the first team in France. A three month loan was agreed to and Lindsay felt as if all parties would very much benefit from this arrangement. There was a $10.5m optional transfer fee, though Lindsay had no intention of triggering it…

Excellent first season! Do you think you can carry on into the top flight? Lots of solid signings will hopefully keep you safe.

Glad to see things going well after a worrying preseason start. Takes a bit to get used to the new tactics and all. Seems like a good fit for a midtable club too - should be defensively solid and score even with limited players.