Austin FC Suffers Heavy Loss to San Jose Earthquakes | Jorge Alastuey

Austin FC suffered a 5-1 loss to San Jose Earthquakes on Wednesday night. The Verde & Black took an early lead through Joseph Rosales' goal in the 9th minute.

What happened?

San Jose Earthquakes scored four times in an eight-minute span to seal the win. Jack Jasinski tied the game in the 58th minute, and Timo Werner's penalty conversion started the Earthquakes' late goals.

Preston Judd scored twice, and Ousseni Bouda found the net to reach the game's final tally. Austin FC coach Nico Estévez lamented his team losing its mindset and shape over the final 20 minutes.

Why it matters for Austin FC

The loss highlights Austin FC's injury woes, with several key players missing from the lineup. Midfielder Jorge Alastuey, who was called up from the second team, started in the game.

Goalie Brad Stuver almost single-handedly kept the Verde & Black in the contest for the first 80 minutes. Estévez made the right call in not bringing Oleksandr Svatok and Ilie Sánchez off the bench once San Jose scored its second goal.

What comes next?

Austin FC hosts Houston Dynamo on Saturday at Q2 Stadium. The team needs to hope that Joseph Rosales, Facundo Torres, and Jon Gallagher hold up physically after having played a lot of minutes this season.