Coming off a huge win against the Portland Timbers, Austin FC will next take the field this Sunday night looking to earn three more points in front of another incredible Q2 Stadium crowd.
The Verde & Black will be taking on a familiar opponent, with FC Dallas traveling down I-35 to Austin for the first time. The last time the two Texas foes faced off, despite a strong showing of away support from 600+ Austin FC fans, Dallas came away with a 2-0 win at Toyota Stadium. This time, more than 20,000 fans await their arrival.
Austin FC Outlook
It’s clear that ATXFC likes it when the Timbers come to town. When Portland visited Austin on July 1, they were handed a 4-1 loss by the Verde & Black. Saturday night’s match was a similar story.
Cecilio Domínguez pounced on a porous Portland defense early, coolly finishing a penalty kick in the 11th minute after winning the spot kick by beating a Timbers defender in the box. The Verde & Black poured on the pressure from there, as Diego Fagundez and Sebastián Driussi added goals of their own in the first half. Austin would go on to cruise to a 3-1 victory.
Driussi’s goal was his first with Austin and it punctuated his best performance since arriving in MLS, pulling the strings in the No. 10 position behind Domínguez. The two will look to repeat their impeccable performances against the Timbers when Dallas come to town.
Austin’s win on Saturday pushed it up to 12th place in the Western Conference and a win against Dallas would put the Verde & Black above its Texas foe in the standings.
FC Dallas Outlook
Austin’s Frisco-based rivals are coming off a different rivalry match over the weekend, having drawn Houston Dynamo FC 2-2 at BBVA Stadium in Houston.
Nkosi Tafari and Ricardo Pepi provided the goals for FCD and Pepi will arrive in Austin having competed in the MLS All-Star Game on Wednesday. The 18-year-old striker has nine goals this season, tied for the most in MLS among American players.
Dallas’ win against Austin on Aug. 7 was at the end of a four-match unbeaten run that saw Luchi Gonzalez’s team flirt with the playoff line. Since then his team is winless in three including two losses against Sporting Kansas City and the Seattle Sounders.
Probable Dallas Lineup
(4-2-3-1, R-L) - GK: Jimmy Maurer; Ema Twumasi, Matt Hedges, Nkosi Tafari, Ryan Hollingshead; Facundo Quignon, Andres Ricaurte; Jader Obrian, Jesus Ferreira, Szabolcs Schon; Ricardo Pepi
