It’s never a good sign when a soccer coach and player apologize postgame for a performance. 

That was the case for Austin FC on Tuesday, when both Verde & Black manager Nico Estévez and goalie Damian Las grimly tried to get a grasp on the team’s dismal showing following a 2-1 loss to Louisville City FC in a U.S. Open Cup match at Lynn Family Stadium in Louisville. 

“We deserved this result,” a somber Estévez said. “I’m having a tough time understanding (the performance). I have to be better and put our guys in better positions to succeed.” 

After a mostly subpar performance Saturday in a 2-1 loss to the Los Angeles Galaxy, when it was extremely flat for most of the match, Austin FC looked the same in the first half Tuesday. And one could argue it looked worse. 

The Verde & Black lacked energy, didn’t seem to have a clear idea of what they wanted to do with possession, were outplayed and entered halftime trailing 2-0.

But this opponent was from the second tier of the U.S. soccer pyramid, not the MLS, and it came in a knockout competition Austin FC played in the final of last season. 

“I think they wanted it more,” Las said, bluntly. “It’s unacceptable. … We did not meet their intensity. … We came out slow collectively. … And not winning individual battles was a (problem).” 

Las was in an unusual position. 

He made his senior team debut for Austin FC against the club he was loaned out to by the Verde & Black the last two seasons. He fared well with several quality saves, but any joy from his performance and appearance was muted by the club’s loss. 

“I just tried to approach it as a normal game,” said Las, who said he appreciated Estévez giving him the opportunity. “But it was special to debut against (Louisville).” 

Sean Totsch’s header on a corner kick and Tola Showunmi’s redirection of a cross in a six-minute span midway through the first half gave the hosts their 2-0 lead. 

It turned out to be enough. 

Austin FC was the better side in the second half, though outside of a 15-minute stretch that included CJ Fodrey’s goal on a cross from Joseph Rosales, it didn’t exactly dominate. 

“We didn’t handle their physicality well,” Estévez said. “And we didn’t play 90 minutes. We only played 45 minutes.” 

Bad loss a blessing in disguise? 

There’s no sugarcoating this result, which looks worse for Austin FC coming after Saturday. 

The Verde & Black are 1-4-3 in all competitions this season, and a loss against a USL Championship squad is embarrassing and will linger a few days. 

But the U.S. Open Cup is a competition where if a club doesn’t win it, it might as well lose as early as possible. There’s no glory in making a run to the quarterfinals — quick, name all eight quarterfinalists from a year ago — and for an Austin FC team that seems to always be dealing with injuries, fewer matches might be a good thing. 

(It’s unclear if Dani Pereira re-injured his hamstring when he left the match in the 11th minute.)

Most also forget that in the club’s banner 2022 season, when it finished second in the Western Conference and advanced to the conference final in the playoffs, it lost to USL side San Antonio FC in the U.S. Open Cup at exactly the same stage. 

Austin FC plays at Toronto on Saturday when it returns to MLS play. It’s a game-by-game situation for the club with its health issues, but from a big picture perspective, Austin FC needs to weather the eight games before the World Cup break to make sure it’s not in a desperate position when the season restarts in late July. 

And after Tuesday, it certainly won't have the U.S. Open Cup to worry about.