Two very different midseason additions, Moussa Djitte and McKinze Gaines, got their first-ever MLS goals, leading Austin FC to a 2-0 win over LA Galaxy before a boisterous home crowd at Q2 Stadium on Sunday night.
Early in the match, the Galaxy got the best of the chances, with Chicharito in on goal in the 2nd minute but sending his shot straight at Brad Stuver, Victor Vazquez going just wide of the post in the 6th minute. Austin, meanwhile, put on a passing clinic between the 18s but didn't get a shot on goal until the 33rd minute, when Julio Cascante got his head on a Tomas Pochettino free kick.
Late in the half — specifically in the 44th minute — Djitte had Austin's best chance of the half, getting off his own shot rather than finding a streaking Diego Fagundez. The Senegalese striker showed his power on the shot but it flashed just off-target.
The teams traded some early chances in the second half giving the keepers a workout, including a 49th-minute Kevin Cabral attempt that Stuver was able to block, and a 55th-minute Cecilio Dominguez attempt that went right to Jonathan Bond.
But then Djitte — the U22 Initiative player brought in to bolster Austin's offense this summer from Ligue 2 side Grenoble — got the elusive opener in the 64th minute. He put a shot on frame that Bond parried, but then getting the rebound and rifling that past him on the second attempt. Pochettino nearly doubled the lead on a 70th-minute free kick notable for its long set-up and for Chicharito lying behind the wall, which just skimmed over the crossbar.
Then, in the 79th minute, Gaines — who grew up playing soccer with an Austin youth club, picking up a midseason contract with his hometown club after four years playing professionally in Germany — was played in front of goal by Nick Lima and hit a highlight-reel-worthy finish.
Goals
- 64' — ATX — Moussa Djitte
- 79' — ATX — McKinze Gaines
