Besard Sabovic didn’t mince his words.
When asked if there was a little more focus this week playing the first-place team in the Western Conference, Austin FC’s defensive midfielder noted the team is certainly aware of the circumstances when it takes the field Saturday at Vancouver.
“Of course,” said Sabovic, an offseason acquisition who has been stellar for the club through its first seven games. “It motivates you to get a result when you’re playing a good team, so we are very excited.”
Here’s what you need to know about the match as Austin FC (4-2-1, 13 points) tries to push its unbeaten streak to five:
Vancouver Whitecaps FC off to sizzling start
No team in MLS outside of Miami has been more impressive than Vancouver through the first two months of the season. But it’s not just what the Whitecaps have done in league play, starting out 5-1-1 and leading the West, that has the soccer world noticing what’s going on in southwest Canada.
Vancouver has also reached the semifinals of the CONCACAF Champions Cup and did so by defeating three Mexican league teams. The club’s hot start has new coach Jesper Sørensen as the early front-runner for MLS coach of the year.
But if there’s one detriment that a long run in the Champions Cup could bring, it’s fatigue. The Whitecaps have played six additional games this season and will be on less than 72 hours rest after playing Pumas UNAM on Wednesday night in Mexico City.
Austin FC coach Nico Estévez downplayed the fact that Vancouver will be affected by consistently playing midweek games the last eight weeks.
“You can see that they have handled that really well,” said Estévez, who would also be an early candidate for coach of the year. “They’ve played in Mexico before and got good results in the games afterwards. And the only time they didn’t was when they had guys away (on national team duty). … It doesn’t change anything for us.”
At some point, the constant travel will probably be a factor for the Whitecaps, especially with them being without dynamic midfielder Ryan Gauld, who is still out with an injury he suffered a month ago against Montreal. And though those are factors that are out of Austin FC’s control, it’s a better situation for the Verde & Black than playing a team on a full week of rest with a complete roster.
Austin FC's defense is an MLS storyline
If Austin FC’s defense keeps up its early season form, it will have a chance for a result in any match.
The Verde & Black lead the MLS with only three goals allowed, which is due to a collective team effort, but especially one from the backline.
Center back Oleksandr Svatok has quietly had a phenomenal five-game stretch after coming on in the first half at Portland on March 1 following an injury to Julio Cascante.
“He’s a real defender,” Estévez said. “He’s very intense, focused, aggressive and covers well. … And we’re working with him on buildup. We’re seeing that progression of feeling more comfortable with the ball and … helping him to become a more complete player.”
Verde & Black offense still a work in progress
Estévez continues to preach patience with an attack that has only produced five goals.
New forwards and designated players Brandon Vazquez and Myrto Uzuni only have one goal apiece, though Estévez noted most of their contributions don’t show up on the stat sheet.
“They do so many good things for the team with their runs, buildup and defending,” he said. “That’s why we have the points we do.”
And like defense being a team effort, Estévez said other players besides the forwards have ...
