Josh Wolff takes blame for 3-0 defeat in Concacaf Champions League

Austin FC marked their Concacaf Champions League debut on Tuesday with an embarrassing 3-0 defeat to Haiti’s Violette, as an own goal by Amro Tarek and strikes from Miche-Naider Chéry set up a nearly impossible comeback for the Verde and Black in the second leg of the series. 

Head coach Josh Wolff took full responsibility for the defeat, admitting he failed to prepare players mentally for the international competition. 

“I take responsibility for not having these guys mentally in the right space. Concacaf is a different animal. We talked about it, we tried to emphasize it. We have some of that experience inside the group, but I have to create more tension in their minds in understanding what this game's gonna look like,” said Wolff.

“It's going to be dramatic, it's going to be difficult, it's going to have ebbs and flows. And we talked about that at length, but I didn't do a good enough job getting them ready. That's on me.”

Violette found success when attacking the right side of Austin’s backline, taking advantage of the imbalance of the defense. It was all too easy for Roberto Louima to find space, and dribble into the box to connect with man-of-the-match striker Miche-Naider Chéry for the goals. 

But it was the third goal that highlighted the team’s failure, as Amro Tarek attempted to clear a shot on goal before sending it into the back of the net to seal the 0-3 defeat. 

“We don't have great relationships along the backline at the moment. Nick [Lima] was playing center back, Amro was also in there for the first time. Those relationships haven't been built out and developed yet,” added Wolff. 

“We're certainly undermanned at center back, to say the least at this point, but those players are good enough to handle it. We could have managed those situations better, but I think those relationships or lack thereof certainly make it a little more challenging.”

The Verde and Black must improve quickly as they face an uphill battle in the second leg on March 14 at Q2 Stadium in Austin, Texas.