Austin FC players 'ashamed’ after third consecutive defeat

Austin FC head coach Josh Wolff was furious after 3-0 defeat to the Houston Dynamo - the team’s third consecutive loss as the team sit bottom of the Western Conference.

Wolff blamed players for a lack of intensity and concentration on the pitch that led to their downfall on Saturday. 

“Unacceptable. Completely unacceptable," Wolff said. 

"On a lot of levels, unacceptable. Players' responsibility, intensity when the ball is in play, just the general demeanor of some of our players at the beginning of the game is unacceptable. We talked about what this game was going to be, a team that hadn't won in 16 games, a level of intensity that you need to have first to walk on the field in this league to compete.

The players did not feel much better about the situation, admitting that the team must find their identity to avoid a further downward spiral. 

"I feel ashamed, the way the results have gone at home and the way they keep traveling – we don't deserve them at the moment," Ring said. "We have to find ourselves together and we have to right the ship because it's not good enough. It's that simple."

Wolff claimed there will be a shift in mentality and focus ahead of their next match on Wednesday against LAFC. 

With 19 points in 23 matches, Austin FC must outperform opponents to enter the fight for a 2021 Major League Soccer playoff position. 

"The starting point of all this is the mentality and the mindset of what it takes to come on the field," Wolff said. "These guys have played a number of games. Guys that have been a part of our league, guys that haven't been a part of our league, have played enough games to know what's required in MLS. There's just too much softness out there, not winning tackles, not competing, flopping around on the ground.

"It's unacceptable and these guys are going to need to dig in and so are we as a staff, and that's what this is about. We'll get the guys ready for the next game on Wednesday."