Josh Wolff is hoping Austin FC can regain some urgency after their mid-season break, starting with their trip to Colorado Rapids.
Austin are on a three-game winless streak, losing their last two outings, leaving them sixth in the Western Conference.
With teams below them catching up to their 23-point tally, Wolff admitted there is still room for improvement, but remained upbeat about his team’s progress this season.
"We're pleased with where we're at. There's still a long way to go, there's a lot to improve on," Wolff said.
"The second half of the season will be challenging. You've got to quickly generate urgency to get back on the field and perform. Colorado is the most important game - because it's the next one.
"I want to create urgency and focus on the things we need to keep improving on while keeping our guys healthy. We are going to put everything we can into this game."
Colorado are one of the teams closing in on Austin, sitting just one point and two places below them in the table.
The Rapids have won just one of their last five matches in the MLS, but head coach Chris Armas is confident his side can turn good performances into results.
Armas said, "We really want to get these performances to turn into points. We think we're doing alright, but we know there's room to improve so that's where all of our energy went over the break.
"We're going to get there. We've got a good group, they're hungry and they come to learn. They're giving everything. We're still a work in progress, but I still believe in this."
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Colorado Rapids – Djordje Mihailovic
After failing to contribute to a goal in his first five Rapids appearances, Mihailovic has 10 goal contributions in his last 11 matches (five goals, five assists) including recording one in three straight games.
Austin FC – Alexander Ring
Austin attempted just eight shots in their defeat to Real Salt Lake on June 1 – it was the league-high 10th time Austin have attempted fewer than 10 shots in a match this season.
All those efforts came in the second half, with Ring scoring a consolation goal from the penalty spot in stoppage time.
MATCH PREDICTION: COLORADO RAPIDS WIN
The Rapids hold the slight edge in the head-to-head between the teams, winning three times to Austin’s two wins (D2). Colorado have scored in all seven meetings between the sides.
However, the Rapids have lost back-to-back matches for the first time this season following defeats at Houston Dynamo and Vancouver Whitecaps. Colorado have lost three of their last four matches (D1) after dropping only three of their previous 12 in league play dating back to the start of March (W6 D3).
Austin have lost consecutive matches for the first time since last August with defeats to Portland Timbers and Real Salt Lake. Austin had lost only three of their previous 14 matches (W6 D5) dating back to the beginning of March.
OPTA WIN PROBABILITY
Colorado Rapids – 47.8%
Draw – 26%
Austin FC – 26.2%
Neville says England are mismanaging stars, calls for Mainoo to start
Gary Neville believes England are mismanaging their star players and has called on Gareth Southgate to start Kobbie Mainoo in the Euro 2024 knockout stages.
England topped Group C as a result of Tuesday's goalless draw with Slovenia, but they were booed off by their fans after producing another flat performance.
The Three Lions created just 0.8 expected goals (xG) despite enjoying 74% of the possession, the latter being their highest figure ever recorded in a major tournament match where they failed to score (since 1966 for World Cup and 1980 for Euros).
Southgate's team failed to attempt a single shot until the 30th minute, their longest wait for an attempt in a Euros match since 2000 (35th minute versus Germany).
The England boss only made one change to the team that toiled in a 1-1 draw with Denmark on matchday two, replacing Trent Alexander-Arnold with Conor Gallagher, as Phil Foden and Harry Kane continued to struggle in attack.
Speaking in his role as a pundit for ITV Sport, Neville said: "England have Cole Palmer, Bukayo Saka, Jude Bellingham, Kobbie Mainoo, Phil Foden… massive, massive talents and we cannot afford to mismanage them," he said.
"We are the only country in the world who continually ask, 'where can these players fit?'"
Manchester United midfielder Mainoo had a positive impact when he replaced Gallagher at half-time, and Southgate feels he should start Sunday's last-16 clash, which will pit England against a third-place finisher from either Group D or E.
"Every time England made a change, they got better," Neville said. "I am certain Mainoo will start the next game.
"Southgate thought Gallagher was the option for energy, but it was quite obvious we needed someone on there to get us playing and Adam Wharton is capable of doing that as well.
"The more substitutions we made, the less rigid we looked. We looked so basic in the first half, it was a struggle to watch that and I think we moved forward in the second half. We did not get the result, but there were glimpses of what we can be."
Reggae Boyz eye first Copa America win against Ecuador
As Jamaica’s senior Reggae Boyz eye their pivotal Copa America clash against Ecuador, Head Coach Heimir Hallgrimsson has expressed a blend of cautious optimism and strategic focus, as they chase history in the Group B fixture at the Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, on Wednesday.
The 53rd-ranked Jamaicans are hunting their first goal, first point and, by extension, first victory in three appearances at the prestigious CONMEBOL tournament, a feat they will be hoping to achieve against the 30-ranked Ecuadorians to bounce back from a 0-1 defeat to Mexico in their opening fixture.
Kickoff is 5:00pm Jamaica time.
A victory would keep Hallgrimsson’s side in the hunt for one of the top two spots to the knockout stage. However, that is easier said than done, and despite their gallant effort against Mexico in Saturday’s defeat, Ecuador represents a different challenge, one which Hallgrimsson knows they can by no means scoff at even though their opponents also suffered a 1-2 loss to Venezuela in their opening encounter.
“It's going to be a tough match. Really a tough match,” Hallgrimsson stressed.
“They (Ecuador) came into this group for the media as favorites and have done brilliant in terms of their results prior to the tournament. A tough team to beat is a tough team to play against, and like I said, they have managed to get good results against the biggest teams in South America, and it's always low scoring matches. They conceded two goals, against Venezuela, but this was after they had been playing one man down for close to 50 minutes,” he noted.
“So the reason why Venezuela scored two goals was probably down to fatigue, and we need to be aware of that. We cannot go all in and concede a goal because it's difficult to get back against a team like Ecuador and Venezuela. So we need to be careful, but we need to be brave as well at the same time. It needs to be a calculated risk that we take,” the Icelandic coach added.
Though Jamaica and Ecuador have crossed swords in international friendlies on four occasions, this will be their first Copa America meeting. It should be noted that Jamaica has never defeated Ecuador, which means Wednesday’s contest takes on added significance for Hallgrimsson’s side to possibly achieve two significant milestones in one go.
But, again, that is easier said than done, as in their four meetings to date, Ecuador has won three, while the other ended in a stalemate. The last encounter between the two, in 2018, ended 2-0 in favour of the South Americans.
Across those four games, Jamaica has only scored three goals, while Ecuador tallied nine. With all the stats lining up against the Boyz, Hallgrimsson highlighted the importance of maintaining a balanced approach.
“We had a good game against Mexico the players performed well, but we just didn’t win. We are the underdogs in the group so we just want to show the same performance against Ecuador and see what it brings us. Hopefully it will bring us three points, but certainly we want to build on the performance against Mexico because we really are doing everything to stay in this tournament, I believe we have the squad to do that and so that is the focus,” Hallgrimsson declared.
Despite his familiarity with Ecuadorian counterpart Felix Sanchez, Hallgrimsson pointed out that it offers very little comfort.
“I know Felix so I know what kind of football they will play, and of course we have analysed them really well. They are really aggressive and physical and they have a strong midfield, but I think it’s the energy and commitment of this Ecuador team that is going to be the trickiest thing for us. Like I said they lost their first game as well which puts them under pressure so I know they are going to be more intense against us,” he opined.
Still, the tactician expressed delight that the Boyz are in high spirit with every player eager to give their best.
“Everybody's fit and ready, and that's a good sign. Normally, the first game causes some injuries after a long break for some players, but everybody's fresh. Everybody wants to play big games for Jamaica, so everybody's fighting for a spot in the team, and that's a good and healthy sign for us,” Hallgrimsson ended.
Balance key for Argentina as Martinez states his case with Chile winner
Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni will prioritise balance throughout the Copa America, with Lautaro Martinez pushing for a start after scoring twice from the bench.
Having come on to add Argentina's second goal in a 2-0 win over Canada last week, Martinez struck an 88th-minute winner in Tuesday's 1-0 victory over Chile.
Martinez's three competitive goals off the bench for Argentina are more than any other player has managed for the team since his international debut in 2018.
The Inter man's impact has led to suggestions he could edge out Julian Alvarez to start alongside Lionel Messi, but Scaloni will select his number nine on a game-by-game basis.
"Lautaro and Julian have played together," Scaloni said. "There's always the need for balance.
"Lautaro is very happy today, and Julian is too. I will always choose the one that I think is best suited for that match.
"Today Julian played, but we have 11 players. We have to balance the gameplan.
"Sometimes there might be a disruption of that balance for any reason, but usually, I like playing with a good structure. We will be making choices throughout the tournament."
Argentina have secured their place in the quarter-finals with a game to spare and will top Group A if they avoid defeat against Peru on Saturday.
Despite overseeing a perfect start to the Albiceleste's title defence, Scaloni has been questioned for not calling upon Alejandro Garnacho, who has been an unused substitute in both matches after enjoying a breakout campaign with Manchester United.
"We would love to see him because he is young and he is a fresh player," Scaloni said of the winger.
"Sometimes we think that given the match, we could send him in. But then as the match evolves, we think maybe it is not the right match.
"Hopefully when we give the young players the opportunity, they will be able to seize it."
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