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AUSTIN, TEXAS - MAY 16: Jon Bell #15 of Austin FC and Calvin Harris #11 of Sporting Kansas City battle for the ball during the second half at Q2 Stadium on May 16, 2026 in Austin, Texas. (Photo by Scott Wachter/Getty Images) (Scott Wachter/Getty Images)
Things seem to be unraveling for Austin FC.
Three days after the worst defeat in club history, the Verde & Black fell to the last-place team in the Western Conference at home Saturday with a 2-1 loss to Sporting Kansas City at Q2 Stadium.
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AUSTIN FC VS. ST. LOUIS CITY SC
When/where: 7:30 p.m. Saturday at Energizer Park in St. Louis
TV/radio: Apple TV; 97.5 FM, 104.3 FM (Spanish).
And to make things worse, Austin FC looked awful doing it, playing arguably its worst half of the year in the first half and having defensive lapses in the second half.
The Verde & Black left goalie Brad Stuver out to dry. He faced 21 shots and, somewhat predictably, was scored on twice in the game’s final 12 minutes after Kansas City had dictated play and threatened for most of the match.
Mikkel Desler’s brilliant one-touch goal on a cross saved a terrible opening 45 minutes and gave Austin FC a 1-0 halftime lead it didn’t deserve.
Manu Garcia and Stephen Afrifa scored for Kansas City within a three-minute span late in the game.
Here are two key takeaways from the contest as Austin FC (3-6-5, 14 points) plays Saturday at St. Louis in its final match before the two-month break for the World Cup.
This was a dreadful loss for Austin FC
It’s unacceptable to lose to a club like Kansas City at home.
Not only did it enter the match last in the West with the worst goal differential (minus-22) in MLS, with its lack of notable moves in the offseason, one can argue Kansas City’s ownership didn’t even try to field a team this season that could compete to make the playoffs.
Austin FC coach Nico Estévez set his team up to go for the win Saturday, almost sacrificing the team’s midweek game against San Diego to do so.
Then the Verde & Black no-showed most of the match.
It was a bizarre performance considering the players had to know the circumstances.
Estévez admitted the team came out flat and didn’t play as desperately as it needed to.
Austin FC has been hampered by injuries this year, which has unquestionably affected its results.
But this performance was lacking across the board from a starting lineup that featured eight regulars and no weak links. Substitutes Jayden Nelson, Dani Pereira, Brandon Vazquez and Jon Gallagher increased the Verde & Black’s quality a bit, but all four were on the field for both of Kansas City’s goals.
In a sign of how the match went for Austin FC, Stuver huddled the team after Kansas City's second goal for a few demonstrably passionate — and probably not flattering — words.
The World Cup break can’t get here soon enough for Austin FC, which needs a hard reset physically and mentally for the second half of the season.
All eyes on Austin FC owner Anthony Precourt
As discussed with fellow media in the press box, this is a four-day stretch that can cause a coaching change, especially in a sport where there’s little patience.
Austin FC’s ownership has previously shown that it doesn’t make rash or knee-jerk decisions with coaches. And it shouldn’t do so here, despite the club being near the bottom of the standings and Saturday's debacle.
The Verde & Black have never been close to being fully healthy this year.
Owen Wolff was the team’s best player a year ago and has played meaningful minutes in only three matches. (It’s also clear from he’s not in game shape yet.)
Nelson, Mikkel Desler, Pereira and Brendan Hines-Ike have all missed considerable time, while Vazquez is just returning from last summer’s major knee injury.
Estévez deserves a chance after the World Cup break to work things out, especially after guiding the club to a sixth-place finish in the West and the playoffs last season.
On paper, Austin FC should be a strong club with a fully healthy roster. But that won’t happen — if it ever does — until late July.
Still, Estévez is responsible for Saturday’s fiasco. And potentially being good on paper doesn’t always translate to the field.
When the club reconvenes for the second half of the season, Estévez needs to start winning games quickly. (He’d also do himself a favor by not losing at St. Louis.)
Austin FC has put itself in a hole. If it wants to climb out of it and be in the playoffs in late November, it can’t have anymore performances like Saturday.
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AUSTIN, TEXAS - MAY 16: Wyatt Meyer #28 of Sporting Kansas City and Joseph Rosales #30 of Austin FC battle for the ball during the second half at Q2 Stadium on May 16, 2026 in Austin, Texas. (Photo by Scott Wachter/Getty Images) (Scott Wachter/Getty Images)
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