Austin FC could be considered one of the surprises of the 2022 MLS season. Despite being in the league for the second time, after they finished second-to-last in the Western Conference, Austin FC now ranks as one of the best clubs in the entire league. They hold the fourth spot in the conference and sixth overall. They are also just a point away from the second seed and just five from the first-seeded LAFC.
Despite them being behind the leaders of the league and the conference, there are analysts out there that have Austin FC as one of the favorites. Here are two reasons why Austin FC will win the 2022 MLS Cup.
Why Austin FC will win 2022 MLS Cup
Incredibly strong offense
Right now, the only better offense than Austin FC is LAFC, leaders of the conference and the entire league. With 28 goals in 14 games, the Texas team has shown that their attackers are very much in form this season. A very impressive thing to consider is also that it is not a singular player who is dominating, although they have a leader.
Overall, 11 players are on the goal scoresheet this season. Four players have one, the same amount have two, two players have four and the pack leader is Sebastián Driussi with eight. Just because he has eight does not mean he is the only threat. When he is not playing well, his teammates are able to pick up the tab.
When it comes to Driussi, he has been fantastic since coming over from Zenit Saint Petersburg in 2021. The first year was a year of accommodation and he was playing for a team that lost 24 games in the season. However, this year, he has been great and already has three more goals in three fewer games played.
But, again, it is not always Driussi bailing out Austin FC. Goals by Diego Fagúndez and Ruben Gabrielsen got Austin FC all the points away to LAFC, and it was Gabrielsen earlier in the season scoring a 90th-minute winner versus DC United to get all three points.
It would be wrong not to specifically talk about the performance of Diego Fagúndez in this offensive context. Driussi might lead the team in terms of goals, but with seven assists, the Uruguayan midfielder has been doing great things for this Austin FC team. According to WhoScored, he is their second-highest rated player, converts on 86.9% of his passes, and has added three goals to his seven-assist tally. He also leads the team in key passes, and he has generally played the second fiddle to Driussi perfectly for the entire season.
When it comes to MLS, Fagundez is a bit more experienced, with 261 appearances for the New England Revolution, but both of these players have the potential to lead this team to MLS glory.
They have had good performances against playoff teams
In their first two games of the season, Austin FC beat Cinncinati and Inter Miami by a combined scoreline of 10-1. Both of these clubs are playoff teams, as of right now, in the Eastern Conference, and they should be in the postseason come the end of the season.
Additionally, they have also beaten LAFC, the Houston Dynamo, and played Orlando City SC to a 2-2 draw, where they came back from being 2-0 down. These results show that this Austin FC roster can really tussle with the best. Even though some of these teams are fringe playoff outfits, it is still the type of club they will be seeing in the first round.
Now, one could easily say that Austin FC also played some good teams and lost. That would be true, as they just dropped all six points in two games versus the LA Galaxy and also lost to Real Salt Lake. However, two of these defeats came away from home, and while a 4-1 loss to the Galaxy stung, the RSL defeat came through a comeback and an 88th-minute winner for RSL, after they lost Daniel Pereira due to a red card. The good thing for Austin FC is that they will have a lot of matches against top opposition, and they will be golden if they play like they did versus Orlando and LAFC.
Ultimately, while there have been some ups and downs for Austin FC, the potential of this team is huge. Where some would struggle, this club has dominated and it is all about showing up when it matters most.
Now, they have a few playoff teams ahead on the schedule, so it will be interesting to see what happens. Either way, what they have shown up until this point should be enough to brand them as a legitimate dark-horse favorite for the 2022 MLS Cup.
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