NE: Hosting a Final is huge for Austin FC, as we are a very young club in MLS and in the U.S. Open Cup. We want to have more moments like this in the future and in other competitions. This is one of the most exciting moments in the history of our club and we have to make sure we’re ready for it.
It’s also a reward for the fans. This fan base supports the team a lot. They never stop singing and always support us. A night like this – a major Final – is a big reward for them because it's a special atmosphere, and you can feel it when you're watching a game here [at Q2 Stadium]. I think in the Final, you’ll see even more of that. We just want to deliver a great performance where they [the fans] feel proud of us. And then hopefully we can bring the Cup for them.
History will be made no matter who wins – a first trophy for Austin FC or Nashville SC. How much is that on your mind?
BJC: A lot. I’d even go bigger than what it means specifically to the club. We think about what it means to the whole Greater Nashville Area, the region that we represent. We feel that connection with our fan base. It's a special moment and a first trophy is something no one can ever take away from a group of players when they win it. It would also be a first professional sports trophy for the state of Tennessee. When you align behind things that are much bigger than yourself, I think it brings out the best in a team.
NE: It would be very exciting to win the Cup and to be part of Austin FC history. I'm very proud to be a part of this family and these fans and this project, because it's a new one and a chance to win a first trophy is right here for us to take. It’s very exciting. If you win it, you have to be proud of yourself because It's not an easy journey. I'm just waiting for the day to come.
Can you talk a little bit about your opponent in the Final?
BJC: Nico [Estevez] does a tremendous job with his Austin FC group. They’re really organized with and without the ball. Whenever you come up against a really well-organized team that has clear ideas on how they want to prevent goals and how they want to score goals, you have to be your best that day. They're really a stingy defensive team. When you play teams like that in a Final, there's not going to be a huge amount of chances. You have to take yours.
NE: First of all, congratulations to Nashville SC. They had an amazing run in the Open Cup and they're having a fantastic season in MLS. They're a really good team. They already have played a Final in the Leagues Cup [2023] and it's a club that’s building and developing towards winning trophies. When [Coach] B.J. Callaghan arrived, he did the right things and the club did the right thing in their style of play. We're going to have to be really, really good and at our best to beat them because they’re going to be a really tough opponent.
Can you talk a little bit about what it is that makes your team tick this year – and what’s brought success in this Open Cup run specifically?
BJC: The best way I can say it is that this team is a team. It's the definition of a team. Everybody has a role, a responsibility. They do their job. They contribute. And I think that's what really makes us a difficult team. We've also had a lot of tough experiences this year. We've shown we're a difficult team to play and we've shown we can score goals in a variety of ways – through different phases of play, through transition, through buildup, through attacking set pieces. Defensively we've been pretty difficult to play through too. A lot of those things have to come out if you want to win a trophy.
NE: Everyone thought that when Brandon [Vazquez] got hurt [in the Open Cup Quarterfinal], Austin FC was going to suffer because they're losing one of their DPs and their best goal scorer at the time. But everyone in the team took it as a challenge and he [Vazquez] has been supporting the team every single day. He's in the meetings with us. Everyone saw how he responded after he got injured – and how the next day he was working hard and trying to recover. He helped the team to realise, ‘okay, look at this guy, he just had a bad, bad injury and he's already responding and going, and we have to do the same’. Everyone in the locker room saw it – how you respond is the most important thing.
As a coach, what are the most important things to get right in the days leading up to the Final?
BJC: It’s about making sure that the players are recovered and fresh. Not only physically, but mentally and emotionally. Making sure that the information is as simple and clear as possible and just to double down on our routines and our processes.
NE: The best preparation for any game is to just do the right things every day. Train hard. Keep improving. Keep getting better as a team. And when the Final or the next game arrives, we’ll be ready.
Fontela is editor-in-chief of usopencup.com. Follow him at @jonahfontela on X/Twitter.
