FRISCO, TEXAS — In FC Dallas’ third Copa Tejas match of the season, a lot is on the line—while Austin FC is currently in the lead, having beaten both Dallas and Houston Dynamo FC in their first meetings, a win this Saturday can put FCD at the top of the leaderboard alongside the Verde and Black.
Austin is currently in 6th in the Western Conference, coming off of a 0-0 draw to Vancouver Whitecaps FC.
It was the team’s third consecutive shutout, and third road shutout of the season. Goalkeeper Brad Stuver currently leads the MLS with 58 saves.
While Austin has had a strong start to the season, their second-straight road game could pose more difficulties than just hitting traffic on their way up I-35: they have never beaten FC Dallas at Toyota Stadium, FCD having won three of the last four meetings at home.
Dallas just beat Memphis 901 FC, 1-0, in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup on Tuesday, but lost 3-1 on the road in their most recent MLS matchup to Toronto FC.
The last time these two sides met was back in March at Q2 Stadium, FC Dallas falling 2-1, its lone goal coming from Eugene Ansah in the 51st minute before Austin tacked on with goals by Julio Cascante and Diego Rubio in the 54th and 70th minutes.
A win this Saturday for Austin FC would mean back-to-back wins over Dallas, a strong hold at the front of the Copa Tejas race, and the potential of sitting as high as third place in the Western Conference standings.
A win for FC Dallas, on the other hand, would have them join Austin FC at the top of the Copa Tejas leaderboard, maintain a non-losing record to Austin on home soil, and avoid a seventh loss on the season.
It’ll be decided on Saturday, with kickoff at 7:30.
