最新杏吧原创

AUSTIN, TEXAS 鈥� The symbolism could not have been better.

After Tim Parker rose to head in what would be the first goal in 最新杏吧原创 City SC history, giving his team a 1-0 lead and showing to everybody that, yes, this team can do something, the defender grabbed the ball and stuck it under his shirt.

Parker and his wife Kelsey are expecting a baby boy in August, and he had asked her before the game if he could do that if he scored a goal as a way to announce that they were expecting a child. It wasn鈥檛 likely to happen anyway; Parker came into the night having scored two goals in eight seasons, his most recent in 2018. Still, she said yes.

It was a perfect fit for the first day of 最新杏吧原创 City SC鈥檚 soccer life. The gestation period has been long, roughly 3陆 years from when the franchise was granted, a time filled with planning and waiting but no playing. Who knows what the rest of this season will hold for City SC, but on a slightly chilly Saturday evening at Q2 Stadium, City SC rallied from a 2-1 deficit in the final 17 minutes on goals, one sublime, one ridiculous, from Jared Stroud and Klauss to grab a 3-2 win over Austin FC that was both historic and dramatic, with a little bit of the bizarre thrown in. For one week at least, City SC is tied for first in the Western Conference with a 1-0 record.

鈥淚t was a roller coaster of game, to be honest,鈥� Parker said. 鈥淚鈥檓 just really happy for this group of guys. It was a game where not everything went our way but everyone kept fighting and everyone kept going. We talked before the game that we believe in our process and believe in what we want to do and to get a result here in our first game is an amazing feeling.鈥�

鈥淚t means a lot to the city,鈥� said Stroud, referring to the team鈥檚 home, not the team鈥檚 name. 鈥淚t鈥檚 great to earn three points in a tough place to come and play.鈥�

鈥淛ust an amazing feeling,鈥� said Klauss. 鈥淚t is forever in my memories, forever in the history of the club. Just amazing. Amazing.鈥�

And unusual. City SC's win snapped a streak of five losses for expansion teams in their first games. LAFC's win in 2018 is the only win among the past 11 debutantes, and City SC's win came against a team that lost in the Western Conference final last season.

At the final whistle, which came not long after an Austin header cracked off the crossbar, inches from tying the game, there hugs on the field.

鈥淎 lot of people were screaming at each other, in a good way,鈥� Parker said. 鈥淚 think everyone was just really excited. 鈥� For the club in general, for the staff, everyone that works on this club, it鈥檚 been 1,286 days coming, so we鈥檙e so happy for everyone that everyone鈥檚 able to get that first game under their belt and it worked out really well that it was a win as well.鈥�

鈥淚鈥檓 just extremely relieved,鈥� said coach Bradley Carnell. 鈥淲e knew there was a lot of weight on our shoulders, being the new kids on the block. To start off the season with three points is extremely humbling.鈥�

After the game, team president Carolyn Kindle was given the ball from Parker鈥檚 goal in the dressing room.

鈥淚鈥檓 just really happy for the moment and everything for the team,鈥� Parker said.

Parker鈥檚 goal, a header off a corner kick from Eduard Lowen in the 24th minute, put City SC up 1-0, but the end of the game was filled with theatrics. City SC had fallen behind 2-1, starting with one goal right before the half that Parker said had left the team dejected at the break. When Austin scored in the 72nd minute, it looked like City鈥檚 life would start with a loss. But six minutes later, the hand of fate stepped in.

Austin defender Kipp Keller, who played high school soccer in 最新杏吧原创 at Principia and then went on to star at 最新杏吧原创 University, passed the ball casually back toward his own goal and his buddy Jared Stroud. The only problem is that Stroud no longer plays for Austin, having been traded to 最新杏吧原创 after the season. Stroud was all by himself, with only goalie Brad Stuver to beat, and he did that to tie the game in the 78th minute.

鈥淜ipp鈥檚 a good friend of mine,鈥� Stroud said, his voice confirming how bad he felt for Keller. Stroud said Keller looked at him twice 鈥� 鈥渕aybe he recognized me,鈥� he said 鈥� and then without looking played it to him. 鈥淚 feel bad for him. But I was happy to score. It was like, 鈥楽hoot it.鈥� I didn鈥檛 think twice.鈥� He knew what to do. 鈥淚 played against that goalie for two years,鈥� he said.

鈥淪ometimes you need to earn that,鈥� Carnell said. 鈥淵ou might need to just be at the right place at the right time. You might need to just close down somebody, and you create your own luck. I think Gary Player said 鈥楾he harder I work, the luckier I get.鈥� And I think that鈥檚 just what the group did tonight. The harder they worked, the more they came out of their shells, the more they got used to the tempo of the game, they more they got used to what鈥檚 going on.鈥�

At that point, City SC would have been happy with a tie 鈥� 鈥淲e would have been proud of a point,鈥� Carnell said 鈥� but three points awaited. In the 86th minute, Klauss, the one-named Brazilian striker, checked up just enough to stay onside and then ran onto a well-weighted pass from sub Niko Gioacchini, cut back to his left, turning Keller inside out and extending his awful evening, and then with the outside of his right foot put the ball just inside the far post. After the goal, Klauss was laying on his back, exhausted, as he accepted congratulations from his teammates.

鈥淚 saw the space behind the last line so I tried to run there,鈥� he said, 鈥渁nd then, to be honest, I was so tired that I didn鈥檛 think about it. I just did it. I had a lot of cramps, both legs, both calves. 鈥� I鈥檓 so happy for the goal but proud of the team and what we did today was unbelievable.鈥�

鈥淲e know Klauss is a weapon,鈥� Carnell said. 鈥淗e begged me to keep him on and I鈥檓 glad we did.鈥�

MLS teams play 34 games in the regular season, and Carnell told his team before the game that this was the first of 34 chapters in a book.

"We started off the story the right way," he said.

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