By Alejandro Guzmán
Austin FC opened its 2026 Leagues Cup campaign with a 2-0 victory over Club Tijuana on Wednesday night at Q2 Stadium, handing the Liga MX side its first defeat since March.
The visitors started aggressively, forcing a series of early corner kicks and creating danger through Adonis Preciado, Mourad El Ghezouani and Joban González, but Austin capitalized on its first clear opportunity.
The MLS side took the lead in the 16th minute when Myrto Uzuni slipped a through ball to Joseph Rosales, who finished low into the corner to open the scoring.
Xolos continued to push forward and nearly equalized before halftime. Gilberto Mora set up Preciado for a close-range effort that was denied by goalkeeper Brad Stuver, while Mora later sent another attempt just over the crossbar on a fast break.
Austin doubled its advantage when Jon Gallagher reacted quickest inside the penalty area to make it 2-0 two minutes into first-half additional time.
The second half brought more drama. Referee Víctor Rivas initially showed a red card to Austin defender Oleksandr Svatok, but the decision was overturned following a VAR review, with the booking reduced to a yellow card.
Tijuana thought it had pulled one back in the 66th minute when Alan Vega found the net, only for the goal to be ruled out after VAR confirmed he was offside.
Four minutes later, the visitors were reduced to 10 men after Iván Tona was shown a straight red card for dissent. The disallowed goal and the red card came within four minutes, ending Tijuana's best stretch of pressure.
Despite playing a man down, Xolos continued searching for a goal, but Stuver preserved the clean sheet with late saves against Adonis Preciado, while Austin comfortably managed the closing minutes.
Austin finished with a slight edge in possession (54%) and shots on target (6-2), while Tijuana earned more corner kicks (8-6) but was unable to convert its opportunities.
REACTIONS
- Austin Head Coach Davy Arnaud:
- “I thought we did a good job tonight. We’re seeing good progress, but the final version of this team is not here yet. We’re still working toward that.”
- “When you have eleven guys committed and believing, even when things aren’t going well, that leads to good things.”
- Tijuana Head Coach Sebastián Abreu:
- “They had their chances, they converted them. We had ours, and we didn’t. That was the difference.”
- “What I value the most is the effort and organization the team showed after going down to ten men.”
PLAYERS OF THE MATCH
- Austin:
- The Honduran midfielder, Joseph Rosales, scored the opening goal, was named Man of the Match, and remained one of Austin's most influential players on both ends of the field.
GAME NOTES
- Austin FC opened the 2026 Leagues Cup with a 2-0 win, extending its streak to three straight victories over Liga MX opponents after beating Pumas UNAM and Monterrey in 2024.
- Oleksandr Svatok's first-half red card was overturned by VAR and changed to a yellow card.
- Club Tijuana suffered its first defeat since March.
- Alan Vega had a goal disallowed for offside following a VAR review.
- Iván Tona was sent off in the 70th minute after receiving a straight red card for dissent.
- Tijuana earned more corner kicks (8-6), while Austin finished with 54% possession and a 6-2 advantage in shots on target.
CARDS/INJURY REPORT
- Yellow Cards:
- Austin: Oleksandr Svatok (36'), Mateja Djordjevic (50'), Myrto Uzuni (65')
- Tijuana: Rafael Fernández (22'), Ignacio Rivero (86')
- Red Card:
- Tijuana: Iván Tona (70')
LOOKING AHEAD
- Austin: Aug. 9 vs. Puebla
- Tijuana: Aug. 9 vs. San Diego
