Austin FC Fans Wanted More Goals. They’re Getting Worse Defense.

From a culture, brand, and marketing standpoint, you’d be hard-pressed to find many MLS clubs with a stronger identity than Austin FC. The crest, the color scheme, the stadium and atmosphere – it all works. But when it comes to on-the-field identity, well… that’s where things tend to fall apart. Through the first quarter of the 2026 season, the club’s lack of identity has been particularly glaring.

Identity is everything in team sports. Understanding who you are, what strengths and weaknesses you possess, what you strive to be on a good day and what you fall back upon on a bad day, are all crucial to maximizing a team’s capabilities. And it’s the first thing any coach aims to establish when they take over a new team.

Nico Estévez did exactly that when he replaced Josh Wolff as ATX head coach prior to the 2025 season. The former FC Dallas chief emphasized defense organization and commitment and quickly gave the club an identity of a team that was going to be tough for opponents to break down week in and week out. Austin conceded just three goals through the first seven matches in MLS play, before running into a Vancouver buzz saw and surrendering five goals in Match Week 8.

The club completed its eighth match of the 2026 season over the weekend, and though ATXFC has yet to suffer another five-goal barrage, it still conceded a total of 14 goals, tied for fifth-most in the Western Conference. If you think that stat signals an abandonment of the club’s identity from a year ago, you’d be right.

After scoring the fewest goals (37) in the West in Estévez’s first season, the coach clearly heard enough complaining from the peanut gallery to institute a complete change in approach.

“It’s something that I learned last year. I think the fans were happy that we played in a [U.S. Open] Cup final and made the playoffs, but they weren’t as happy because we were not a team that scored many goals,” he said. “This is something we talked about in the offseason. And it’s true that sometimes when you focus so much on improving one thing, you can get worse in other aspects.”

Estévez explained that he’s put more emphasis on getting players forward in attack this season, at the expense of the defense. Results so far have been mixed. On Saturday, for the first time all season, Austin FC scored more than two goals in a match, hanging three on the road against Toronto FC. But due to defensive vulnerabilities, it wasn’t enough for the club’s second win of the year, as Austin had to settle for a 3-3 draw. The club’s 11 goals scored, 10.38 expected goals created, and 36 shots on target all ranked in the bottom half of the league for the season coming into the week. 

Estévez wasn’t the first, and certainly won’t be the last, coach to approach a new season with the ambition to score more goals. But Estévez also knew that his club would be without the services of attacking stars Owen Wolff and Brandon Vazquez – both still working their way back from surgery – to start the year. If there was ever a time for pragmatism, for a renewal of defensive vows, the early stages of this season were it. At least until all the weapons are back in the arsenal.

Sure, fans love a goal. But what they’d love even more is a club that wins with consistency. And that’s something that this club under Estévez has yet to prove it can provide.

Austin FC faced San Jose Earthquakes away on Wednesday night after the Chronicle went to press. Next up: Austin FC plays Houston Dynamo FC at home on Saturday, April 25, 7:30pm.

For more Austin FC news and analysis, visit The Austin Chronicle’s Austin FC hub. Sign up for The Verde Report newsletter to get the latest news delivered straight to your inbox, and follow The Verde Report columnist Eric Goodman on X: @goodman.

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