Austin FC goalkeeper Brad Stuver doesn’t mind the boos that come his way at BMO Stadium.
They remind him of fans back in the Texas state capital chanting “Stuuuuuu.”
Stuver would obviously prefer to host the Los Angeles Football Club at Q2 Stadium on Wednesday night instead of acting like people are rooting for him, but the competition guidelines for the 2024 Leagues Cup have dictated otherwise.
While Austin FC won its group with six points, beating Mexican powerhouses Pumas by holding on while playing a man down and then blanking Monterrey, LAFC finished second behind Vancouver in its three-team pod.
After a pair of home games, Stuver’s team must travel to L.A. for the start of the knockout stage due to the tournament organizers’ pre-competition ranking system.
Based on last year’s Supporters’ Shield standings and records over the past 34 Liga MX games, Austin was placed into the third tier, 37th overall, while LAFC occupied the 15th spot in tier one.
The way the bracket sets up heading into the Round of 32, LAFC won’t have to leave L.A. until the Leagues Cup quarterfinal – if the Seattle Sounders also advance that far.
“We’re happy to have home games,” head coach Steve Cherundolo said.
The last time LAFC faced Austin it came away from BMO Stadium as Cherundolo’s group was in the midst of a 13-game unbeaten run.
A 1-1 draw in Texas, the back-end of a two-city road trip that started in Orlando, marked the only time LAFC dropped points over that two-month stretch.
Still, Kei Kamara’s goal in the 90th minute, which tied Landon Donovan for the second-most goals in MLS history (a mark he soon surpassed), helped LAFC maintain momentum.
It also left a bitter aftertaste for Stuver and his teammates.
Instead of ending a three-game losing streak in style, Austin coughed up points against the team that has had its number since Day 1. Literally. LAFC spoiled Austin’s club debut in 2021, and the following season won the conference title against them.
Said Stuver, whose team is 2-6-1 all-time against the Black & Gold: “We do kind of have this remembrance of them knocking us out of our first Western Conference final.
“It’s pretty easy for the guys to get up for this game.”
Austin will bring several new additions, including 25-year-old Ghanaian winger Osman Bukari, who joined as a Designated Player during the current transfer window, as well as a pair of defenders who might get to meet Kamara instead of Olivier Giroud.
Stuver and his head coach, Josh Wolff, expected to play against LAFC’s new striker, however that will have to wait.
Both Giroud and Cherundolo said it will be a few more days before the French No. 9 suits up off the training ground, where he appeared for the first time on Saturday.
Lacing his cleats up alongside Giroud the past few days, Kamara noted that he’s “not the oldest, fittest guy on the team anymore. Somebody else has come in here who looks super-fit. So a lot of respect for his career. A lot of respect for everything he’s done. Super positive.
“He comes in and he’s not looking like he hasn’t been here. It looks like he’s met almost everyone before. It’s not one of those where everybody is trying to introduce themselves to him. He did his homework, too. He studied everybody’s names. He knows everyone. He’s blended in nicely.”
AUSTIN FC AT LAFC
When: Wednesday, 7:30 p.m.
Where: BMO Stadium, Los Angeles
TV/Radio: Apple TV+ – Free, FS1/710 AM, 980 AM
