Austin Bold currently sit in last place with four points from four games. Rising are in 14th spot, with seven points from five.
Austin’s goalscoring record is not good. There are 21 players across the USL Championship that have managed more than Austin’s entire tally of two goals. They take the third-lowest number of shots of any Championship side, and also have the third-lowest shot conversion rate.
Austin is asking fans to bring actual farm animals along to the game. This is presumably to prove that, contrary to opposing fans’ contentions, the team is in fact capable of hitting a cow’s arse with a banjo. Despite complaints from PETA, the promotion is set to go ahead.
Austin are also poor at keeping possession. They’ve averaged only 42.2% over their four games to date.
Both of Austin’s goals, and all three they have conceded, were scored from inside the penalty area.
Last time out
Austin lined up in a 4-4-2 formation in their last match, away to Sacramento Republic. Austin saw little of the ball with only 37% possession, but still had more shots than their opponent (10 – 6). They held on until the 85th minute, when Jaime Villarreal scored to give Sacramento a 1-0 victory.
Diego Restrepo is Austin’s first choice in goal. Formerly of San Antonio, Restrepo was named the 2017 USL Goalkeeper of the Year after keeping 12 clean sheets in 29 games. This season, he’s conceded three goals in four games with two clean sheets. Restrepo’s other former clubs include América di Cali (Colombia), Metropolitanos (Venezuela), the Tampa Bay Rowdies and Fort Lauderdale Strikers.
Fabien Garcia made his first start at right back against Sacramento. The 24-year-old Frenchman previously featured for Nîmes in the French Ligue 2, as well as Sedan-Ardennes and Guingamp.
Garcia was replaced after 71 minutes by Calum Mallace. A naturalized American who moved here from Scotland aged 9, Mallace had started all three previous games. He is also the third best passer on the team (81.7% accuracy), and joined Austin after being released by LAFC at the end of last season. Mallace broke through in the professional game with top-flight Montreal Impact.
Austin’s defense also featured another Frenchman, Thomas di Villardi. He’s been an ever-present at the back, starting all four of Austin’s games. For his position, di Villardi is strong in the air, winning ten aerial duels – the second highest on the team. He’s also a very clean player, giving up only two fouls to date. Di Villardi joined Austin from Minnesota United.
Captain Jermaine Taylor is one of the most notable names on the team. A good reader of the ball who leads the club in clearances (23), interceptions (11) and aerial duels won (12), Taylor has played for Jamaica 100 times and was named in the team of the tournament at the last Gold Cup. Formerly of Minnesota United, who released him at the end of the 2017 season. Taylor won the MLS Eastern Conference twice with Houston Dynamo.
Alongside Taylor is Amobi Okugo. A former US youth international, Okugo has had a fairly average season while starting every game. However, his below-average 68.8% pass completion rate suggests that Rising should pressure him when he has the ball. Okugo’s former clubs include Portland Timbers, Sporting Kansas City and the Philadelphia Union.
38-year-old Marcelo Saragosa brings experience in the defensive midfield position. However, he’s failed to win more than half of the duels in the two games he’s played this season. Saragosa spent nine years in the MLS, playing for LA Galaxy, FC Dallas, Chivas USA and DC United.
Valeriy Saramoutin has featured in three of Austin’s matches. The former Russian youth international boasts an 87% passing accuracy, and rarely slows play down by playing the ball backwards. Saramoutin has played in the Russian Premier League with Dynamo Moscow. He left Dynamo St Petersburg for Austin when his former club chose to move to Sochi.
Jorge Troncoso made his Austin debut on the wing against Sacramento, but was subbed off after 51 minutes after picking up a first half yellow card. This is Troncoso’s first club outside of his native Chile.
André Lima was his replacement. He’s featured off the bench in all four matches so far, but has only managed a single shot in that time. The 33-year-old Brazilian forward has played for several top clubs, including Botafogo, Hertha Berlin, São Paulo and Fluminense.
Xavier Báez is one to watch. As a winger, he leads the team in successful tackles (9), fouls won (12) and chances created (7). The 31-year-old boasts a long career in Mexico’s top flight, and was once involved in a swap deal for former Rising player Omar Bravo. He’s player over 100 times for (the real) Chivas, while also featuring for Toluca, Cruz Azul and Necaxa.
Brazilian striker Kléber is Austin’s main attacking threat, scoring both of the team’s goals this season. He’s also conceded twice the number of fouls of any other player on the team, and is the only player to have been booked more than once. This isn’t a new part of his game – in 2017, Kléber was given a 15 game ban after striking and spitting at an opponent, and previous fans have nicknamed him ‘Gladiador’. A product of the São Paulo academy, Kléber has played in the UEFA Champions League for Ukrainian side Dynamo Kiev. The good news for Rising is that Kléber is suspended tonight, following USL review of an incident away to Sacramento Republic on April 6.
Issac Promise started alongside Kléber, but has struggled so far this season. In his two appearances, he’s only recorded one shot on target. Promise was highly-rated as a youngster, and had an unsuccessful trial at Manchester United. The Nigerian striker ended up in Turkey with Gençlerbirliği and Trabzonspor. He joined Austin from NPSL side Georgia Revolution.
Sonny Guadarrama replaced Promise in the 76th minute against Sacramento. It was the 32-year-old’s third appearance this season, and in that time he’s proven sloppy with the ball at his feet (53.2% accuracy). Along with Restrepo, Guadarrama joined from San Antonio over the winter. He’s a local boy, and was a key goalscorer for the PDL’s Austin Lightning between 2004 and 2006.
Rest of the roster
Argentine attacking midfielder Darío Conca started in Austin’s first three games, but was subbed on each occasion. Renowned as a trendsetter for South Americans in Chinese football, Conca was the third-highest paid player in the world, behind Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi, when he was transferred to Chinese Super League club Guangzhou Evergrande in 2011. Over 3 seasons, he scored an impressive 54 goals in 99 games, and was known as “the king of Tianhe Stadium.” Conca started his career with Tigre in Argentina’s Primera B Nacional in 1999, and has also starred for River Plate and Fluminense. In 2010, he helped the latter win the Brazilian top flight, and was voted league player of the year. Signing for Shanghai SIPG in 2015, the 35-year-old missed 10 months with a cruciate ligament rupture but still returned 13 goals in 46 games. He’s still awaiting a goal or assist this season.
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 previously played in the USL for the Colorado Springs Switchbacks (29 games, 2 goals in 2016). A versatile player, McFarlane’s preferred position is right back, but he can also play center back and in midfield. He clocked up all 270 minutes in Bold’s first three games, and headed down the ball for Kléber to finish in the 1-0 home win against San Antonio, but was omitted from the matchday roster against Sacramento.
Forward Kris Tyrpak scored 14 in 61 games for Swope and San Antonio between 2015 and 2018. The 27-year-old was drafted by Chivas USA in 2014, and played nine games in the MLS. He joined Austin from Nashville SC, and has a good record against Rising’s predecessor, Arizona United. He scored for Swope’s in a 1-1 draw against United in July 2016, and contributed the assist in San Antonio’s 1-0 home win in May 2017. Tyrpak clocked up 63 minutes per game against LV Lights and Reno, but has failed to even make the bench in the last two games.
Midfielder Faris Abdi is a Saudi Arabian international who joined Austin from Swiss side Lausanne. Born in San Diego, he represented Saudi Arabia in the 2018 Asian Football Confederation (AFC) U-19 Championships in Indonesia, after making his full international debut as a substitute against Jamaica in 2017. He has two substitutes appearances for Bold to date, earned in the first two games of the 2019 season.
Louisiana-born Clayton Adams is a 24-year-old forward who joined from Georgia Revolution in the NPSL. One of over 180 players who competed in open tryouts last November, Adams is known for his speed on the ball and having a powerful shot. He enjoyed a 30-minute substitute appearance against Lights, and was a non-playing substitute in Austin’s last game against Republic.
From the Ashes Prediction: Rising to end the Texas road trip with maximum points: 1-0.