Austin Bold is in 4th place in the USL Western Conference with 29 points. That’s nine points and three spots behind Rising, who top the West.
More tellingly, Rising’s goal difference is 26 goals ahead of Bold.
Bold has proven itself to be solid at home – winning six of ten, and losing only one – but is nowhere near as successful away from home, losing five of their nine away matches.
Goals are few and far between on a Bold road trip. They’ve found the net a mere 7 times away from home, while conceding 12. Bold appear most vulnerable during the first 15 minutes after half time, and the last 15 minutes.
Austin are also one of the dirtiest teams in the USL Championship. They’re third for fouls committed, and fourth for yellow cards. Six players have already received five yellow cards this season; and three of their players are one yellow away from a suspension: Xavier Baez, Andre Lima and Sonny Guadarrama.
Probaby Better Watching Riverdale…
Rising’s last (and only) meeting with Austin was a 1-0 defeat in Texas. A poor performance from Phoenix was topped only by local TV station CW switching to Riverdale as the game came to its conclusion.
That game was marked by six changes to the Rising lineup that won 2-0 in El Paso Locomotive. Notably included among the starters that day, but not part of Rising’s subsequent winning run starting lineups, are Lamar Batista, Triston Blackmon, Javier Perez, Jason Johnson and Ben Spencer.
Rising’s 4-3-3 in Austin held the majority of possession with 60.7%. They also recorded more shots – both on and off target.
However, left-winger Sonny Guadarrama was the difference with a right-footed strike in the 52nd minute. That is Guadarrama’s only goal of the season so far.
Last Time Out
Last Saturday, Bold defeated Orange County 3-2 at Bold Stadium, registering their sixth win in 10 home games. Leading goalscorer André Lima and defender Sean McFarlane had given Bold a 2-0 lead inside 21 minutes, but OC were level by the 67th minute with goals from Alvardo and Seaton. However, substitute Kris Tyrpak proved to be the hero with an injury time left footed shot from the centre of the box to the top right corner.
Bold’s keeper last Saturday was the 2017 USL Goalkeeper of the Year Diego Restrepo. Signed from San Antonio, Restrepo’s other former clubs include América di Cali (Colombia), Metropolitanos (Venezuela), the Tampa Bay Rowdies and Fort Lauderdale Strikers. He’s kept 6 clean sheets in 17 league games this season, including Bold’s 1-0 win over Rising on April 17. A former U.S. U-17 and U-20 international, Restrepo has a 71.2% save success rate this season.
Only two of the starting defenders last week featured against Rising in April. These were full back Sean MacFarlane and center back Jermaine Taylor.
Jamaican U-20 and U-23 international defender Sean McFarlane joined Austin from NASL club Miami FC, where he played 17 games in 2018. McFarlane has featured in 18 of Bold’s 19 championship games this season. His sole omission came in a road trip to Sacramento at the beginning of April. McFarlane scored his second goal of the season last Saturday – a right-footed shot from inside the box to the bottom left corner of the net following a corner. He also opened the scoring in a 3-2 home win over the Monarchs in April.
Fellow Jamaican and Bold Captain Jermaine Taylor won the MLS Eastern Conference twice with Houston Dynamo. A good passer of the ball (81.1%), Taylor has also previously played for Portland Timbers in 2016 and Minnesota United in 2017. The experienced 34-year-old is the seventh most capped player in Jamaican history with 101 games for the Reggae Boyz.
Bold’s other defenders last week were Josue Soto and Edson Braafheid.
Josue Soto was a non-playing substitute against Rising earlier this season. The 23-year-old Mexican featured in his ninth game of the season against Orange County, and is possibly the weakest tackler on the Bold roster with a 30% success rate.
Suriname-born defender Edson Braafheid was one of Bold’s first signings in August 2018, but was unable to make his debut for ten months due to an immigration issue. The 36-year-old grew up in Amsterdam, and has played over 270 games in Europe for FC Utrecht and FC Twente (Netherlands), Bayern Munich and 1899 Hoffenheim (Germany), Lazio (Italy) and Celtic (Scotland). Capped 10 times by the Netherlands, Braafheid featured in the 2010 World Cup Finals, and is equally at home in defense or midfield. In his three games to date for Bold, he has a 100% tackle success rate and 89.8% pass success rate.
Two of Austin’s midfield three last week started the game against Rising in April. These were Okugo and Baéz.
Amobi Okugo played in the hole between defense and midfield against Rising, but took up a more central position against OC. One of only three Bold players to appear in all 19 games this season (18 of them as a starter), the former U.S. youth international boasts an 81.5% pass success rate and 74.2% tackle success rate. Okugo’s former clubs include Portland Timbers, Sporting Kansas City and the Philadelphia Union.
Winger Xavier Báez has also featured in all 19 USL championship games this season, but has been subbed off twice. The Mexican 31-year-old, who previously played for Chivas, Toluca, Cruz Azul and Necaxa has scored one goal this season – a 50th minute right-footed shot from outside the penalty area in a 5-0 home win against the Switchbacks on June 29.
Bold’s other midfielder against OC – Valeriy Saramoutin – came on as a 72nd minute substitute against Rising in April. The former Russian youth international, who joined Austin when Dynamo St Petersburg relocated to Sochi, made his 16th appearance and 10th start for Bold last Saturday. A fine passer of the ball (86% success rate), Saramoutin has found the net once this season. That was the opener against OKC on May 10, scored with his left inside the box. He is also one of two Bold players to receive a red card this season.
Two of Austin’s forward line against OC played in their 1-0 defeat of Rising. These were Lima and Promise.
Brazilian André Lima is Bold’s current lead goalscorer with 8 goals in 19 games (15 games as a starter). The 33-year-old previously played for Botafogo, São Paulo and Fluminense (Brazil), and Hertha Berlin (Germany). Averaging a goal every other game, six of his goals have been scored at Bold Park, and only two on the road. Lima’s away goals were scored in a 2-2 draw at OCSC, and a 1-0 win at RGV.
Isaac Promise joined Austin from NPSL side Georgia Revolution. The Nigerian has contributed a single goal in 14 appearances this season – a header from inside the box in a 3-1 home defeat to New Mexico. A former Manchester United trialist, Promise has also played in Turkey for Gençlerbirliği and Trabzonspor.
Austin’s other forward last Saturday – Kléber – missed the Rising game through suspension. The Brazilian is Bold’s second top scorer with four goals. A product of the São Paulo academy, Kléber has played in the UEFA Champions League for Ukrainian side Dynamo Kiev, but sometimes finds himself in trouble with match officials. One of six Bold players to already earn 5 yellow cards this season, in 2017 Kléber was given a 15-game ban at Coritiba (Brazil) after striking and spitting at an opponent in 2017.
Bold’s goalscorer against Rising – Sonny Guadarrama – had to make do with a 19 minute cameo off the bench against OC, replacing Saramoutin. He boasts a throughly average passing accuracy, along with winning less than half of all tackles and duels.
Two other Bold players on the bench last Saturday previously featured against Rising – Mallace and Tyrpak.
Calum Mallace, who supplied the assist against Rising, was a non-playing substitute.
Forward Swope and San Antonio forward Kris Tyrpak came off the bench to score his fifth goal in 13 games, only five of which have been as a starter. The 27-year-old was drafted by Chivas USA in 2014, and played nine games in the MLS. He joined Austin from Nashville SC.
One familiar face on the bench against OC was defender London Woodberry. The 28-year-old Texan defender played 24 games for Arizona United in 2014, scoring 3 goals. Signed from Nashville SC, Woodberry has three U-18 caps for the United States, and played 46 games over three seasons for New England Revolution (2015-17).
Jamaican 35-year-old midfielder Demar Phillips came on in the 57th minute against OC. Released by Real Salt Lake at the end of 2018, the left wingback has signed a two-year contract for Bold, and boats an 80% pass success rate in seven games this season. Phillips previously played in Europe for Stoke City (England) and Aalesunds FK (Norway). He has 72 full caps for the Reggae Boyz.
Bold’s reserve keeper against OC was Juan David Ramírez. Currently on loan from Atlético Nacional (Columbia), the 22-year-old has conceded four goals in two games this season, and has a 63.6% save success rate.
The other non-playing substitute last week was the 6ft Ghanian forward Ema Twumasi. Currently on loan from FC Dallas, Twumasi was selected 11th overall in the 2018 MLS SuperDraft, and has made four appearances for Bold this season. However, he is still awaiting his first goal.
Other Players
Fabien Garcia has made eight appearances. The full-back was an unused substitute against Rising, and joined Austin from French-side Nîmes. Garcia has impressed when he’s been on the pitch – the Frenchman has won the vast majority of tackles, plus duels on and off the ground.
Jorge Troncosco has also featured eight times for Austin. Bold is his first club outside of his native Chile, but Troncosco hasn’t been seen since his injury against New Mexico United on May 25.
Thomas de Villardi made eight appearances to start the season, but appears to have dropped off the face of the earth about a month after their match against Rising. The French defender – previously of Minnesota United – hasn’t performed badly, but was last seen on the bench against Orange County in the middle of May.
From The Ashes Prediction: The numbers speak for themselves, don’t they? Football isn’t played on paper, but Rising should take it by a couple of goals tonight.