Man of the Match: Why a Hat Trick Meant So Much
Austin FC striker Moussa Djitté scored three goals in Wednesday’s match, and each one meant something special.
AUSTIN—The first goal was for his grandmother.
The second for his brother.
The third for his son.
Moussa Djitté only needed to score once on Wednesday to send Austin FC to the playoffs for the first time ever. Instead, he scored the first hat trick in club history for reasons much more personal than that.
“These goals were for them,” he said.
Djitté, 22, signed with Austin FC in June 2021. He’s from Senegal, an ocean away, and hasn’t been back home in months. He’s missed a lot. His grandmother and brother passed away, and his first son was born just a few months ago. He didn’t get to say goodbye, and he won’t get to meet his son until after the season. On top of it all, he only speaks French, often struggling to communicate in the capital of Texas. It’s not hard to see why he has had a disappointing stretch on the field, starting only one game all season.
“It's been a tough year,” said Josh Wolff, Austin FC’s manager. "We talk about what our roots are, about the adversity that you face as a soccer player. We're talking about bigger things. He's hung in there, and most importantly, he’s stayed committed and connected to this group. The group has stayed committed and connected to him.”
At halftime on Wednesday, Verde hadn’t put a single shot on goal, so Wolff decided to make a change. He put Djitté in the game, even though the striker had only scored once all season.
Djitté wasted no time, burying his first opportunity. Then the next. Then the next. In soccer, goals can often feel like a release, as if all the potential energy of a match has been waiting for just that precise moment to be put into action. That’s how it must have felt for Djitté too. All this time, waiting to make something happen, waiting for an opportunity, waiting for good news. And then it came all at once. Relief.
“Football is freedom, right?" his teammate Ruben Gabrielsen told reporters after the game. “Maybe when he goes on a pitch that's the only time he doesn’t think about it. He’s free. You can see today that he’s just focused on the football. It’s an escape from reality.”
The reality of Wednesday’s win was inescapable at Q2 Stadium once the final whistle sounded, though, the scoreboard reading 3-0. It was a watershed moment for the franchise, its first ever trip to the postseason. Djitté and his teammates made a lap around the stadium, reveling in the accomplishment, and then all at once, the crowd started to sing. It’s a song they chant after every game, no matter the result, but their words felt extra meaningful on this night:
True love will find you in the end.
You’ll find out just who’s your friend.
Don’t be sad, I know you will.
Don’t give up until—
True love will find you in the end.
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🐐 We’ll miss Roger Federer, but we’ll always take an opportunity to re-read David Foster Wallace’s classic essay, “Roger Federer as a Religious Experience.” And don’t miss this awesome video from a few weeks ago of Federer playing one of his most…unforgettable matches of all time.
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🙌 Want to smile? Here’s a video of Boone, NC after Appalachian State defeated Texas A&M last weekend. (Reminder: Boone hosts College Gameday this weekend.)
😮 Want to watch the greatest pregame speech ever given?
