Austin FC visit Nashville SC on Saturday, with both teams out to solidify their playoff positioning in the Western Conference.
Austin (15-7-6, 51 points) sits second in the conference standings while Nashville (11-9-9, 42 points) is in fifth, with the top seven earning their way into the playoffs.
Austin is now 8-4-2 on the road and enters after dropping a tough 2-1 decision against the Portland Timbers at home Wednesday. MVP and Golden Boot contender Sebastian Driussi scored in the 79th minute to get Austin within a goal, but the comeback ended there.
Driussi’s goal was his 20th of the season, making him the first MLS player to reach the mark this season. It marked the 11th consecutive game where he either had a goal or an assist, the third-longest stretch in MLS history, with only Sebastian Giovinco (12) and Josef Martinez (15) going longer.
“We’ve got to brush ourselves off,” Austin coach Josh Wolff said about the short turnaround. “The game will come quick against Nashville. It’s another good opportunity.”
Nashville is now 5-4-5 at home after a 4-1 win against the Colorado Rapids on Wednesday. Hany Mukhtar, Nashville’s MVP contender, recorded a hat trick in the win, making him the only player in the league to deliver a hat trick the last two seasons.
Mukhtar has been lethal at home with at least one goal contribution in eight consecutive home games, totaling 10 goals and four assists in that span. Mukhtar sits one back of Driussi with 19 goals.
“I think it’s incumbent upon myself to come up here as the team captain and talk about how important Hany Mukhtar has been to our club this year,” midfielder Dax McCarty said. “Not just this year, but for the past three years. … In 2021 and 2022, I think everyone is getting a glimpse of just the potential Hany has as a player, but I still think he has more to give.”
Mukhtar’s hat trick helped Nashville secure a third consecutive win and the club has outscored opponents 11-1 during that streak.
Austin and Nashville have only met once, a 1-0 win for Nashville at home in May of 2021.
–Field Level Media
