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USL Austin Bold FC

Preview: Austin Bold FC at OKC Energy FC

August 28, 2020 - United Soccer League Championship (USL)
Austin Bold FC News Release


GET PREPARED FOR SUNDAY'S MATCH IN OKC

Austin, TX (Wednesday, August 28) The final match of Austin Bold FC's difficult five-game road trip is this Saturday at Taft Stadium against OKC Energy FC. This will be the second meeting between the two sides, with the Oklahoma club defeating The Bold 3-1 at Bold Stadium in early July. Things have shifted a lot for both clubs since that first match. OKC has struggled to pick up points, managing no wins in that time, whereas Marcelo Serrano's men have gone on a five-match unbeaten run with three draws and two wins. Getting all three points is vital for The Bold after failing to distance themselves from FC Tulsa during midweek action. Don't forget to watch the match on ESPN+.

Game Changer: Xavi Baez

The Bold's Mexican midfielder has been in stellar form during the unbeaten run. In those five matches, Xavi Baez recorded three goals and four assists. Baez's prowess as a playmaker was on display in 2019 and has continued into 2020, and his stats show it with 82.3% successful pass rate and 13 key passes. The surprising addition to his game is the goalscoring. Throughout his illustrious career in Mexico at some of the country's biggest clubs, Baez was never known as a scoring threat and played deeper in midfield. In 2020, Baez found his shooting boots. The increase in goal production comes from a new pacier front line that draws attention away from Baez. This shift helps him find space at the top of the box. Which can be seen in his most recent goal against Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC. Baez spoke on his form earlier this week, "I'm very happy to be able to score in two games in a row and to be able to help my team in this way. I'll continue to work harder and harder to help achieve our team goal. That the most important thing in this family that we have formed. I want to dedicate these goals to our fans who always support us and we hope to celebrate together soon."

OKC Energy FC Looking For a Spark

Energy FC looked primed to make a run for the 2020 USL Championship Playoffs after the league's Return to Play. OKC netted an impressive five points in the first three matches, including a win against The Bold. Since then, points have been hard to come by. Energy has failed to score a goal in August, which has led to multiple 3-0 losses. Their biggest tormentors being San Anotiono FC, who put seven by OKC over two matches. As we have written in multiple match previews, form means little in USL Championship. Especially in a season when teams are playing multiple matches in a short period. The Bold will have to come prepared to make sure an Energy FC resurgence doesn't start with them.

First Goal for Kleber

Forward Kleber scored his first goal of 2020 in last Wednesday's 4-4 draw with Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC. This may be concerning to those familiar with the Brazilians high scoring numbers in 2019 (11), but don't worry. It all comes from league and positional changes. Due to the more compact season, Kleber hasn't taken on the same workload as he did the previous year and has regularly alternated with Ates Diouf. The main difference is positional. In the offseason, Kleber moved from the #9 jersey to #10. This wasn't purely cosmetic. The 37-year-old has adopted a more traditional ten role and pulling strings for his strikers. Don't be fooled by this new position; the man can still score. Just ask the Switchbacks.

Get to know OKC Energy FC by the numbers

Head Coach: John Pascarella

2020 Record: 1-5-3 (W-L-D)

2020 Group D Standing: 4th (6 PTS)

Goals: 6

Top Goalscorers: Jamie Chavez (2)

Clean Sheets: 1

Goals Conceded: 18

Check out the Austin Bold FC Statistics



United Soccer League Championship Stories from August 28, 2020


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