PREVIEW: Austin FC comes off a historic win as they gear up for Minnesota

Austin FC vs. Minnesota United

Minnesota United is coming off of a 4th place finish in the Western Conference, but the Loons have only managed to score once in both matches played this season.

The club lost big (4-0) to the Seattle Sounders for their season opener, but that could've been more of a reflection of Seattle, an MLS Cup favorite, than themselves.

Minnesota's lone goal came from midfielder Robin Lod, who scored in the last five minutes of play against Real Salt Lake and was the closest to scoring against the Sounders. The Loons also like to keep possession, so ATXFC will need to capitalize on opportunities they get in the final third.

Austin FC has had its share of troubles too, including what looks to be lack of communication and some midfielding mishaps. With two starters like defender Matt Besler and midfielder Tomas Pochettino back, however, Austin FC is more poised than ever to live up to their potential, and they're definitely in higher spirits after Saturday's match.

Projected starting lineup

Last week's match saw several big changes to the lineup, several of which came out less than an hour before kickoff. With DP Tomas Pochettino out due to "registration issues" per a request by the MLS, Matt Besler out due to the birth of his third child and Rodney Redes swapped for Jared Stroud to resemble a 4-4-2 format, it took a while for Austin FC to get their footing.

They managed, however, and started that glorious 12-minute stretch that would secure the win with three back-to-back goals.

So, why change it up?

It wouldn't be a huge surprise if Redes made his way back onto the starting pitch, but Stroud gave no inclination that he was going to give it up easily. Redes did log the assist for Cecilio Dominguez's second goal, however, and he very nearly made the match 4-1 on his own toward the end of the second half. It's a bit of a toss-up.

Poche is back! Until Wednesday afternoon, we had only vague answers as to why he was mysteriously snatched out of the lineup at the MLS's request just before the Rapids match. In a brief announcement, Austin FC announced that Pochettino is available "for all future competitions."

Finally, Sweat was confirmed to have torn his ACL last week in the Rapids match. He'll be out for a while. Luckily, we've already seen potential in fellow left back Zan Kolmanic, the 20-year-old who recently joined the team after finishing out play in Slovenia. Wolff says he could be the fittest on the team since his season ended the latest, and he's positioned to get the most minutes in left back.

Austonia FC