Teenager Torres’ Two Assists Lead Austin FC to Win in MLS Return 34%
By Eric Goodman45%
7/23/2026, 4:46:13 PM
BS Summary: This article contains 22 faulty reasoning types, including Optimism Bias, Negativity Bias, and Halo Effect, with Biased Writer Voice as the most egregious example at 31.5% saturation with 251 hits. Analysis detected 1,149 faulty-reasoning hits from 796 analyzed words, generating a BS Score of 41.9% and a BS Rank of 34% (14,552 of 21,886 articles). This article is better (less manipulative) than 66.50% of the article peer group.
At 18 years old, Ervin Torres became the second teenager to record a goal contribution for Austin FC, after teammate Owen Wolff.
After stepping aside for two months so all of us could enjoy the summer soccer bender that was the 2026 FIFA World Cup, MLS returned to action this week in what could not help but feel like a vicious pounding hangover, especially for those aligned with 14th-place Austin FC.
But despite some of the hottest temperatures ever felt inside Q2 Stadium Wednesday night, the Verde and Black found a way to inject some much-needed good feels back into the season with a 3-1 win over the Seattle Sounders, due in large part to a couple of particularly intriguing performances off the bench.
First, though, the club took an early lead in the 11th minute thanks to the one area of the game it could hang its hat on in the first half of the season: set pieces.
This one had some novelty to it, though, with Besard Sabovic (not Facundo Torres) delivering an in-swinging corner kick that, at first glance, resembled an Olympico by curling directly into the goal.
However, replays confirmed that Ilie Sánchez applied a key – albeit slight – touch to the ball with his forehead to usher the cross inside the far post.
However, Seattle equalized before the first hydration break (no debate on whether those were necessary on this occasion) by way of Paul Rothrock, who awkwardly but effectively guided home the ball with both knees after it deflected off the crossbar from a shot by Snyder Brunell.
The middle half-hour of the match had little going for it, but things picked up following the second hydration break when ATX interim head coach Davy Arnaud brought on Przemysław Płacheta for his Austin FC debut.
Płacheta flashed his blistering pace and created multiple scoring chances.
“He’s really dynamic.
His engine and his physical capacity is super high,” Arnaud said of the Polish winger.
“I think you got a glimpse tonight of what he can be for us for the rest of the year.”
However, things really changed with the introduction of 18-year-old homegrown midfielder Ervin Torres, who subbed in for Facundo Torres (no relation) in the 84th minute to make just his fifth Austin FC senior appearance.
And boy did he make an impact.
With just his second touch of the match, Torres received a pass from Sánchez in a central position 25 yards from goal, dribbled through three Seattle defenders, then chipped a perfectly-weighted pass past a fourth defender and directly into the stride of Myrto Uzuni, who finished off the chance with his left foot to put Austin ahead 2-1.
It was, dare we say, Messi-esque from the Laredo native.
But neither Austin, nor Torres, were finished for the night.
In the first minute of stoppage time, Torres took on Seattle midfielder Paul Arriola 1-v-1 into the Seattle penalty box, then played another clever chipped pass toward Christian Ramirez that the substitute striker deposited into Seattle’s net for the kill shot.
Make that two assists for Torres in his scene-stealing cameo.
“We’ve seen stuff like this from Ervin at training, so it wasn’t – I don’t want to say it wasn’t a surprise.
It always is when you see it for the first time [in a game].
But he has that ability,” Arnaud said of the teenaged midfielder.
For Torres, the performances not only helped introduce him to the Q2 Stadium fanbase, but also earned him the appreciation and plaudits from his teammates in the ATX locker room.
“They all showed me love right after the game.
Everybody just came up to me and congratulated me,” Torres said.
“Obviously as a player, it gives you confidence.
You know, you get some minutes, you get two assists, and I get just some confidence for myself.”
Though the three points earned did not directly elevate Austin FC up the Western Conference standings, it marked about as good a return to action as anyone in Verde could have hoped.
If Arnaud and company do end up shifting the club’s season momentum, Wednesday’s win will certainly represent a significant turning point – just as it might represent a turning point in the career of a couple of new, exciting faces on the ATXFC roster.
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The post Teenager Torres’ Two Assists Lead Austin FC to Win in MLS Return appeared first on The Austin Chronicle .
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