For Austin FC, Leagues Cup Is a Cause Worth Fighting For

In spite of all the misfortune and ineptitude that has defined Austin FC’s 2026 season, the Verde and Black find themselves with a real opportunity to properly make something out of this otherwise lost year.

That opportunity has emerged in the Leagues Cup, where Austin FC tied for the top-ranked team in the entire competition after the first two matchdays. The club kicked things off with an impressive – albeit somewhat fortunate – 2-0 victory over Tijuana in the opening game, and followed it up with a 3-0 stomping of Puebla, which featured a hat trick by Myrto Uzuni, who joined Moussa Djitté as just the second-ever ATXFC player to register a three-goal game (in both instances, incredibly, the goals were all scored inside a single half).

Uzuni’s was one of the better hat tricks you’ll see all season. The Albanian DP first scored a spectacular free kick goal in the fourth minute from 28 yards out, curling the shot beautifully around the wall and inside the far post. Just three minutes later, Uzuni capped off a clinical 27-pass buildup in which 10 of the 11 ATX players touched the ball, culminating in a Christian Ramirez back heel pass inside the 18-yard box that Uzuni tapped in for the 2-0 lead. And finally, in the 34th minute, Facundo Torres lofted a corner kick toward Uzuni, who was lurking at the top of the box without a Puebla defender within 10 yards of him. Uzuni calmly struck the ball on the volley and rifled it into the bottom corner for a 3-0 Verde advantage.

It was, without question, the best Uzuni has looked since joining the club as its record signing prior to the 2025 season.

“Many times the people here [are] criticizing me, like, don’t believe in me. But I have more games to prove to them they are making a mistake with me, because I didn’t feel, like, so much welcome in Austin,” Uzuni said. “But I’m still going, working hard, and I want to give the happiness to everyone who is supporting me.”

ATXFC’s Leagues Cup hopes now rest on its final Phase One match, Thursday night against Club América. The Mexican giants are also 2-0 in Leagues Cup play following a pair of 3-1 wins against San Diego and Portland. The immensely popular CDMX club will no doubt have great support inside Q2 Stadium, with tickets for the match reselling way above the norm for an Austin FC match this season.

Given Leagues Cup’s inexplicably small knockout phase – only the top four MLS and top four Liga MX teams advance out of the 36 participating clubs – Thursday’s match likely represents a win-or-go-home scenario for both Austin and América (a draw would suit América much better than it would suit Austin).

“It’s a really big game, we know that,” ATXFC interim coach Davy Arnaud said. “You could feel it was already going to be a big game and a big atmosphere, but I think where we’re at now, it makes it probably bigger. And if we can get the result that we’re hoping to get, I think it can be a big night for the club.”

Should Austin FC make it through to the Leagues Cup quarterfinals, it would be just two wins away from securing a coveted place in next season’s CONCACAF Champions Cup which, given the club’s MLS record, would be a rather stunning achievement.

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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