Austin FC will play its first league home match in over a month this Saturday night at Q2 Stadium. The Verde & Black are set to host Vancouver Whitecaps FC with kickoff at 7:30 p.m. CT.
Fans can watch the match in English or Spanish in over 100 countries on MLS Season Pass on Apple TV. The match will be broadcast live locally in English on iHeart Radio’s Alt 97.5, and in Spanish on Univision’s TUDN Radio Austin (104.3-HD2, KLQB-FM).
Austin FC defeated Nashville SC last weekend 2-0 away at GEODIS Park as MLS regular season play resumed. The eventful match saw goals from Jon Gallagher and Osman Bukari, marking the first goal of the Ghanaian winger’s MLS career. Alex Ring’s assist on Gallagher’s goal made him the Club’s all-time leader in assists with 24 across all competitions.
Led by several key saves by Brad Stuver, including a penalty kick save early in the match, the team kept its seventh shutout of the season and fifth on the road. Stuver was also an important figure the last time these two teams met, back on May 4th at BC Place. The Verde & Black goalkeeper made six saves in a 0-0 draw that day.
Austin’s win in Nashville took the team back above the playoff line in the MLS Western Conference. A win against Vancouver would build further momentum for the postseason push ahead of back-to-back upcoming away games vs. Toronto FC and LAFC.
Vancouver have not played an MLS match since July 20 but returned from their Leagues Cup break with Canadian Championship action on Tuesday night. The Whitecaps defeated Pacific FC thanks to a 14th-minute goal by Ryan Gauld, which proved to be the only goal of the night. With the win, Vancouver advanced to the Canadian Championship Final against Toronto.
Vancouver is in sixth place in the Western Conference, with an 11-8-5 overall record. The Whitecaps have failed to score on both of their most recent visits to Q2 – a 0-0 draw in 2023 and a 3-0 win for Austin FC in 2022.
Gauld’s goal vs. Pacific was his eleventh of the season in all competitions and fifth goal in the Canadian Championship, making him Vancouver’s all-time leading scorer in the tournament. Brian White leads the team in league goals with eleven.