Austin FC has a chance to win Copa Tejas for the second consecutive season on Saturday, when the Verde & Black travel up I-35 to take on in-state rivals FC Dallas. The match is set to kick off at 7:30 p.m. CT at Toyota Stadium.
Tune-In
Fans can watch the match in English or Spanish for free in over 100 countries with MLS Season Pass on Apple TV.
- Stream: Click here to watch the match, or access it through any device compatible with the Apple TV app.
- Radio: The match will be broadcast live locally in English on iHeart Radio’s Alt 97.5, and in Spanish on Univision’s TUDN Radio Austin (104.3-HD2, KLQB-FM).
Austin FC Outlook
Saturday represents a chance for Austin FC to get a big momentum boost as it eyes up the final 10-game stretch of the MLS regular season. Austin clinched last year’s Copa Tejas with an away result against Dallas, and will look to do so again in 2023.
To lift the trophy this weekend, the Verde & Black need either a win or a draw, just as they did when they faced FCD on the road in July of 2022. A loss would mean that Copa Tejas will be decided when Houston and Dallas play on September 30, when Austin would need those two teams to draw in order to win the cup.
Austin has avoided defeat in four of its last five meetings with Dallas, including a 3-0 win in the most recent encounter on June 21 and a 2-1 victory in the MLS Cup Playoffs Western Conference Semifinal last October. Sebastián Driussi scored the winner in the playoff triumph and scored his team-leading seventh goal of the season last Sunday, and Gyasi Zardes has scored in all three of Austin FC's Copa Tejas games thus far this season.
FC Dallas Outlook
Dallas hasn’t played a league match since July 15, and hasn’t played at all since falling in the Leagues Cup Round of 16 to Inter Miami CF in penalties on August 6. They lost three of their five games heading into the Leagues Cup break, but did beat LAFC 2-0 at home during that run, and picked up a pair of victories over Liga MX teams during the tournament.
Jesus Ferreira continues to be Dallas’ talisman up front, leading the team with 10 goals scored. Bernard Kamungo, who initially joined Dallas’ second team via an open tryout, has also impressed in a new role with the first team, scoring three goals in 340 minutes.
Dallas’ defense has been its calling card this season, with only LAFC, Seattle, and Nashville having conceded fewer than their 26 goals allowed in 2023. In addition to Copa Tejas points at stake, Austin and Dallas are just two points apart from each other in the Western Conference standings, making Saturday’s clash a crucial one as the playoff race heats up.
