So Sad: Sebastian Driussi Decares “I May Not Return”
Austin FC is still hunting for its first win after three matches this season, and there’s one thing everybody can agree on.
The team needs Sebastian Driussi.
The captain and midfield maestro, runner-up for Major League Soccer MVP in 2022, has been sidelined with a hamstring injury all season. Head coach Josh Wolff didn’t think the injury would keep Driussi out this long, and even though he was on the sideline against St. Louis City FC last week, he wasn’t fit to play and Verde drew its second match of the season 2-2.
St. Louis scored a goal late to equalize, but who is to say that Austin couldn’t have scored three or four goals with its bonafide star setting his teammates up.
“He’s been involved in a lot of the training sessions this week, but he’s still questionable,” Wolff said. “He’s one of the best players in the league.
We need him healthy, and in large regards, he’s the heartbeat of this team. I think the team has performed well in his absence, but we need him fit and to perform.”
Wolff took it further and said the club needs all its designated players to perform, Emiliano Rigoni and Alex Ring as the others with the special roster designation in which their large salaries don’t count against the team’s salary cap.
Rigoni has generated just two shots after starting the first two matches at forward and Ring had an assist against St. Louis. He’s also serving as the team’s captain with Driussi out.
Driussi thought it was important to be with the team last week, Wolff said. Even though he knew he wasn’t playing, Driussi wanted his presence to be a source of calm and to show his teammates that he was still engaged in the game.