Austin FC got kicked out of the CONCACAF Champions League after failing to overcome a 3-0 first-leg deficit against Violette AC of Haiti.
The MLS team triumphed 2-0 on Tuesday, but the result was embarrassing because they were unable to force overtime.
The fact that numerous players were unable to play because of “visa admission issues,” as stated on the MLS website, makes the defeat even more upsetting.
Austin FC trailed 3-0 in the first leg of the tie but scored twice within 12 minutes in the second leg to ignite the hope for a comeback.
The Texas team had 27 minutes plus stoppage time to force an additional 30 minutes, but it was not to be.
The MLS side did have a last-second opportunity, but Violette goalie Paul Robert Décius was up to the task.
Better news came for the Philadelphia Union, who defeated El Salvador’s Alianza FC 4-0 to easily advance into the CCL quarterfinals.
Going into Thursday night, the sides were equal on aggregate after a draw in the first leg.
In the final seconds of the first half, Damion Lowe opened the score before a Daniel Gazdag penalty appeared to seal the outcome.
With a late brace to excite the home crowd, Andres Perea helped to secure the victory.
“It’s disappointing to lose out and getting no goals away was damaging,” Austin Fc head coach Josh Wolff said.
“There were many opportunities tonight to put more on the board, and of course it feels like an opportunity lost because we aren’t advancing, but we’ll learn from it.”
“We didn’t capitalize on many, many opportunities, but we have to pick ourselves up,” Wolff continued.
“We’re two years into our build and there’s growth that needs to happen. We didn’t do well enough in these two games to advance.”
Austin FC
Austin FC is a Texas-based professional soccer team that plays in the United States.
The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Western Conference. The club debuted in 2021 after being founded in 2018. North of Austin’s Q2 Stadium serves as their home field.
They are the first team from a significant professional sports league to play in the state capital of Texas, which up until the year 2021 was the biggest city in the country without such a franchise.
2023 CONCACAF Champions League
The 2023 CONCACAF Champions League (officially the 2023 Scotiabank CONCACAF Champions League for sponsorship purposes) is the 15th edition of the CONCACAF Champions League under its present name, and the 58th edition of CONCACAF, the regional governing body of North America, Central America, and the Caribbean.
Prior to the 2018 competition, the tournament had a group stage; it now follows a knockout format.
The champion of the CONCACAF Champions League does not automatically advance to the following season’s competition, unlike its European and South American counterparts.
The victor of the championship game will be given the opportunity to compete in both the 2023 FIFA Club World Cup in Saudi Arabia and the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup alongside the 2021–2024 champions.
Seattle Sounders FC held the championship, but they were unable to defend it because they failed to earn a spot in the competition.
