- Austin FC has won one, drawn one and lost three of their last five MLS 2026 matches.
- Saint Louis City SC has won one, drawn two and lost two of their last five MLS 2026 games.
Austin FC and Saint Louis City SC in search of form
Two sides in search of consistency meet on Sunday when Austin FC and Saint Louis City SC go head-to-head in the MLS 2026 Western Conference.
The Verdes have failed to build any momentum this term and are 24th on the table with ten points from ten matches, while Saint Louis City SC occupy 28th with six points from nine games.
A 3-3 away draw with Toronto FC was followed by a 5-1 thrashing at San Jose Earthquakes before they beat Houston Dynamo 2-0 at home last time out.
These two sides have split the last two meetings between them, with the City’s 3-1 away win at Austin in MLS 2025 still a fresh memory in the minds of the home fans.
Structured possession vs direct pressing
Nico Estevez is attempting to build an MLS side that plays a possession-based style of football, with his 4-2-3-1 formation trying to control the ball in the central areas before building from the back in a disciplined manner.
His side has players in all positions that do this job well, but they are not prolific finishers and rely on their creative midfielders to get the ball into the penalty area and their full-backs to overlap into advanced positions.
That is why they are not as potent in the final third as other sides, but they are disciplined in their pressing and this has begun to show in their results with that 2-0 home win against Houston Dynamo.
Yoann Damet has been trying to blend his pressing approach to the game with a more structured, possession-based side that has some identity in the middle third and can transition quickly at both ends of the field.
His midfielders, particularly, have a dual responsibility to keep things flowing in midfield while maintaining the pressing DNA mentioned earlier.
Rivals could serve up a ripper match
The visitors are winless in three away games (D2, L1), but will no doubt be keen to get the better of their Texan rivals this time out.
Both sides are looking for consistency and victories to move up the table, so we could see a bit of a firecracker match in the Lone Star State.
Myrto Uzuni is the top scorer for Austin FC with three goals in nine appearances, so he could be an any-time scorer.
Marcel Hartel leads the way for City with three in eight, so he will be the best option in the ‘any-time scorer’ market for the away side.
But we like Austin to take the points on Sunday in what could be a high-scoring game with both teams getting on the scoresheet.
