AUSTIN (KXAN) – Getting Austin FC to the postseason is a huge accomplishment in itself. But the club wants more.
Nico Estevez’s squad begins what they hope will be a long postseason run against Los Angeles FC in the first round of the 2025 MLS Cup Playoffs. The best-of-3 series will be scheduled as follows:
First round
Match 1: Austin FC @ Los Angeles | Wednesday, October 29 at 9:30 pm Cairo time
Match 2: Los Angeles @ Austin FC | Sunday, November 2 at 7:30 pm Cairo time
Match 3: Austin FC @ Los Angeles | Saturday 8 November Timing TBD (match if necessary)
The first team to win two games will win the series, whether it takes two or three games.
Austin FC enters the postseason as the sixth seed in the Western Conference where they will be the underdog against third-seeded Los Angeles.
“The only thought for us now is how to beat Los Angeles,” Austin FC coach Nico Estevez said. “This will put us in the next step of trying to fight. Thinking about the later rounds doesn’t help because we’re so far away.”
LAFC is without a doubt one of the most talented teams in the league. Son Heung-min, Tottenham’s long-time Premier League star, joined the club last August.
His collaboration with Dennis Bwanga, who has impressed for Los Angeles since 2022, has proven to be an incredibly effective duo.
“Since they’ve been playing, I think they’ve scored or contributed assists in every game they’ve played together,” Estevez said. “No team has been able to stop them yet. That says a lot about the quality of these players.”
As Austin FC heads into a busy and intense playoff slate, their head coach knows the importance of keeping his team engaged and ready.
“We’re changing a little bit [on] How to manage the workload with some fresh air so players don’t feel like they’ve been training for 10 days and arriving to the match exhausted. That’s why we give some days off.”