On MLS Decision Day, Austin FC fans give their wants from a new ...

The curtain closed on another Austin FC season Saturday night with a come-from-behind 3-2 win over Colorado at Q2 Stadium thanks to late goals from Ethan Finlay and Brendan Hines-Ike. 

It was more of a glorified scrimmage for the Verde & Black — in a bit of irony, Austin FC scored three goals for the first time since mid-May and won a league game at home for only the second time in the season’s final five months — with the club out of playoff contention, and the attention now fully turns to who will lead Austin FC in its fifth season. 

Fans at the match had varying opinions of what they want to see from a new coach, from his background and tactics to the way he deals with the media. 

More: Austin FC coaches, players have uncertain future entering MLS Decision Day

For Miguel Gonzalez, who has attended at least a dozen matches a season since the club began play in 2021 and was with three friends for Saturday’s contest, the most important aspect for a new coach is to utilize the team’s top talent. 

“I think we probably need a style that fits our players a little bit more, and I know we have (sporting director Rodolfo Borrell) trying to implement that,” Gonzalez said. “Honestly, what I really want to see is getting (Sebastián) Driussi in better positions and with better options around him. We have to utilize him better. He went from being nearly MVP to kind of missing the past two seasons. So it’s been rough.” 

“I think he clearly wasn’t able to communicate the system (to the players), and he wasn’t able to be an effective spokesperson for the team to the public,” Biles said. “I’d like to see someone who can be kind of that champion for the team and the public. … (Borrell) clearly has a vision for what he wants for the team, and I feel confident that he has the right eye for the coach that will put a system more effectively in place.” 

While waiting for his son to exit one of the concession areas, John Alexander said he attends roughly 60% of the matches a season. Besides pointing to the price of food and drinks as a concern, on the field he’s looking for a coach that gets more out of the players. 

“I would like to see the work rate of the players be higher consistently all the time,” Alexander said. “When I come to the stadium I want the players giving everything. … And I want goals. And if they’d win, that would be nice, too. … I’m flexible on the system the new coach uses. Whatever he thinks will get the best results with the players he has.”

Out on a concourse talking with a friend at halftime, Alex Ortiz noted he thinks hiring a coach with a South American background could be beneficial. 

“A lot of the best football players come from there, particularly Colombia, Brazil and Argentina,” he said. “But the big thing for me is for the team to be more aggressive. They hold on to the ball for a little bit too long.” 

Dressed in an Austin FC jersey and scarf as he exited a concessions area, Will Farr echoed Ortiz’s sentiments. 

“I’d definitely like to see a more aggressive offense,” said Farr, who noted he’s been to seven different MLS stadiums while traveling for work. “Things have kind of gotten stagnant the last year, so I’d like to see some good shakeups.” 

Austin FC will likely announce a new coach prior to Thanksgiving, but whoever the club brings in will probably be dealing with a slightly different roster. That’s also something fans are looking forward to. 

“Obviously we need some players,” Biles said. “We need to fill out the roster in a meaningful way. We were thin all year, so whatever coach lands here, hopefully he’ll have a better roster to work with.”