Welcome back to the final(!) regular season edition of our two-part weekly MLS column here at Backheeled, where we break down all 29 teams in the league.
I’ve got the West. Ben Wright’s got the East. LAFC owe the Houston Dynamo a beer. Let’s chat about the latest for each Western Conference squad, shall we?
To read up on the East, check out Ben’s rundown.
Ben Wright
Austin FC
Result: 3-2 win vs. Colorado Rapids
Austin, like several of their Western Conference counterparts, had nothing to play for on Saturday — at least not as far as their 2024 campaign was concerned. Decision Day reshuffled the Eastern Conference playoff field a bit, but the postseason field was locked in, save for some seeding shifts, out West heading into Saturday. Eliminated from playoff contention weeks ago, Austin FC wasn’t one of the teams fighting for a better seed.
No, they were fighting for 2025.
In their first and only game of the season since Josh Wolff was fired as manager, Austin picked up three points against the Rapids. What caught my eye, however, was a forward-thinking move from the club: 16-year-old Ervin Torres made his MLS debut for Austin, becoming the first player to play for Austin FC in the academy, the second team, and the first team.
That’s really stinking cool.
The U.S. youth international won’t solve every problem for Austin next season. The size of his role will be heavily impacted by whoever is brought in by sporting director Rodolfo Borrell to coach this team. But make no mistake: Austin FC need talent. Their biggest offseason priority has to be further retooling the roster after their wheeling and dealing in the summer window had far less impact than they would’ve hoped.
Between looking to offload Sebastian Driussi to replace him with a better chance-creator, searching for a No. 9, and rebuilding the spine, there’s plenty to do. Getting useful minutes out of a couple of academy players already inside the house could help smooth things in ’25.
Colorado Rapids
Result: 3-2 loss at Austin FC
The good news? The Colorado Rapids are back in the playoffs after their best regular season finish in three years. They’ll take on the LA Galaxy in Round One.
The bad news? Djordje Mihailovic sprained his ankle this weekend.
Chris Armas says they think it's an ankle sprain for Djordje Mihailović. Not as bad after the game as initially thought. Imaging is scheduled for tomorrow. We'll see.
— Burgundy Wave (@Burgundywave) October 20, 2024
The other piece of bad news? Even with Mihailovic on the field, the Rapids have been a shell of their former selves in the absence of Cole Bassett. The 23-year-old central midfielder has missed the last four matches for Chris Armas’ team with a leg injury. Listed as “questionable” by the league’s availability report for Colorado’s eventual 3-2 loss on the road in Austin on Saturday, Colorado truly missed Bassett’s all-around contributions.
“Cole Bassett covers a ton of ground, he’s a guy that can win second balls, he’s a guy that helps the build. He’s the best player in our team at breaking lines with a dribble,” Armas told me earlier this year.
Without him, the Rapids have put together the 22nd-worst expected goal differential per game in the league over the last month, according to American Soccer Analysis. Their xGD per game without Bassett has been worse than all 17 other playoff teams. Their press hasn’t been as effective, nor has their shift from the press to the mid-block. They left too many gaps open through the center against Austin FC, gaps that may have been covered earlier in the season by Bassett’s workrate and Moise Bombito’s almost supernatural speed.
I’m really, really worried about this team heading into the playoffs. It doesn’t look like they’re going to have the horses (healthy or otherwise) to make a run.
FC Dallas
Result: 2-1 win vs. Sporting Kansas City
