- Cahal McAuley
- Wed, Mar 22 2023
Austin FC were stunned by Haitian side Violette AC as the Verde’s maiden continental campaign ended after a 3-2 aggregate defeat in the CONCACAF Champions League round of 16.
A 2-0 win in the return leg at the Q2 Stadium in North Austin was not enough to overturn the resounding 3-0 defeat the MLS side suffered in the Caribbean as Violette became the first team from Haiti to progress to the competition’s quarter final stage in its modern era in an incredible story.
Austin came into the tie as overwhelming favourites and their clear advantage was made even greater by the fact that Violette’s Ligue Haitienne has not been contested since the 2020/21 season due to unrest in the troubled nation.
The first leg could not be played in Port-au-Prince due to these reasons and instead took place in Santiago, Dominican Republic where Austin boss Josh Wolff started a weakened side with many key players not making the trip.
This gamble to rest his stars proved to be a costly one as Violette raced into a 3-0 lead with a humiliating debut own goal from Egyptian defender Amro Tarek capping off a night to forget for the Verde with the Haitian side pulling off an unbelievable upset in their first competitive game in ten months.
In an unusual build-up, Austin remained strong favourites to progress despite the large deficit from the first leg while Violette’s preparations became even more chaotic just days before the return leg in Texas.
Several of the Haitian side’s first team players were denied visa entry to the United States including their first choice goalkeeper Steve Youkens Sanon, forcing Violette to sign several players from the lower leagues of U.S. soccer on short term deals in order to have the minimum number for a matchday squad.
Optimism was high around the Q2 stadium coming up to kick-off and the Verde flew out of the traps, almost scoring twice in the opening seconds of the game against their opponents who arrived with only three substitutes on the bench and one goalkeeper in the group.
Sebastian Driussi tested second string Violette keeper Paul Robert Decius in the opening attack, forcing the Haitian down to his right to make the save and get straight back up to deny Ethan Finlay from the rebound in an impressive double stop.
The ball came right back towards the Haitians’ goal as a cross from the right wing found new signing Gyasi Zardes in the box, however, Robbie Keane’s former LA Galaxy strike partner squeezed the ball inches wide of the post.
It was looking like being a long night for the visitors after a frantic opening two minutes, but the underdogs weathered the early storm and settled into a more compact defensive shape, limiting Austin’s chances to find openings in the final third.
The Verde found space in the box again however shortly after the ten minute mark but were denied by heroic defending from the Violette defenders who hurled themselves in front of any shot, blocking goal bound efforts from Driussi and Emiliano Rigoni.
Opportunities continued to present themselves but Austin’s wastefulness persisted, with teenager Owen Wolff, son of manager Josh, selfishly dragging a shot wide from outside the box when his team had superior numbers in a four on two break.
The Verde thought they had finally got the decisive first goal after 25 minutes as an Ethan Finlay attempt was cleverly flicked into the net by Driussi, however the elation was short lived when a VAR check disallowed the effort for a handball in the build-up by Finlay which was extremely close to being on the forward’s shoulder.
Dundalk’s own Jon Gallagher, who has had a flying start to the season with two goals in the first three games from full-back, attempted to turn creator by aiming a pinpoint cross into the box, but the close range header from Driussi was brilliantly saved by Decius.
The Verde had their first big penalty shout of the night as Driussi went to ground after contact with Fernando Ciceron, though the referee remained unmoved as the Argentine forward looked to be already heading to ground before the collision occurred.
Austin were desperate to get at least one on the scoreboard before the break but more wayward headers from Alex Ring and Driussi either side of a Zardes goal chalked off for offside meant that the home side still had it all to do in the second half.
The Texans finally got the ball rolling minutes after the restart as a Rigoni cross picked out Driussi who slammed a volley home to finally beat Decius and get the comeback started.
The advantage on the night should have been doubled moments later with Rigoni again causing problems with his delivery. The cross eventually found its way to the back post but substitute Diego Fagundez could only hit the side netting with the goal gaping although the acute angle added difficulty to the shot.
The second goal came a couple of minutes after the hour mark in unexpected fashion. A cross from Ring found the head of Driussi but his attempt was tame and looked to be heading straight into the arms of Decius yet again, but the stand-in keeper managed to spill the ball into his own net after being mostly solid between the sticks all night.
With their backs against the wall the reigning Haitian champions used every manner of dark arts in their arsenal from playacting to time wasting in a display that would have made “El Cholo” Simeone shed a tear of pride.
The highlight of the debauchery came after the goal as Lens Pierre was stretchered off to the sideline, stood up, and immediately jogged back onto the field to the fury of the Austin faithful.
The evening only became more frustrating however, as Zardes looked to be cleaned out from behind in the box. The referee was told to go and check it on the VAR monitor in what seemed like a clear as day penalty, but after an absurdly long wait the Jamaican official stuck with his on field opinion in a quite baffling decision.
The check took up at least five minutes and killed the Verde’s momentum going forward, chances came in the final few minutes through an agonizingly close bicycle kick from Wolff, and a final decisive save from Decius to deny Driussi in the 100th minute led to the final whistle and elation for the visitors who put in an almighty shift to see out the win.
The Verde have cause to be frustrated after having 35 shots, two disallowed goals and a clear penalty not given, but the damage was done in the first leg defeat in one of the biggest upsets in North American club football history.
Violette did their nation proud, giving Haitian football fans something to smile about during a difficult time for their country, despite a heavily depleted squad. They will hope to continue their fairytale run in the quarter finals against Club Leon of Mexico or Tauro of Panama.
Austin FC must now regroup and focus on the MLS after an embarrassing result in a low point in the club’s young history as they travel to local rivals Houston Dynamo on Saturday.
