Dani Pereira and Sebastián Driussi each scored as Austin FC came from behind on Saturday afternoon at PNC Stadium to defeat Houston Dynamo FC 2-1. The result extends the Club’s record winning streak to four matches, including two consecutive comeback road victories, and takes ATXFC back to the top of the MLS Western Conference and Supporters’ Shield standings.
The match didn’t start well for the Verde & Black. In the 5th minute, Adam Lundkvist picked off a long clearance from Brad Stuver. Lundkvist fed Sebastian Ferreira, who hit a perfect strike from midfield that arced over Stuver as he recovered.
Stuver went off with an injury sustained from his effort to keep out Ferreira’s shot, and his replacement Andrew Tarbell made two solid saves to keep ATXFC in the match shortly after. As the first half wore on, Austin had more of the ball and more of the chances.
The Verde & Black were rewarded with an equalizer in the 39th minute. Alex Ring played Ethan Finlay down the right flank, and Finlay’s floated ball to the back post was expertly finished by Dani Pereira for his first Austin FC goal. Pereira nearly doubled his tally just before halftime, but Houston goalkeeper Steve Clark dove to deny him.
Austin would eventually take the lead on 66 minutes courtesy of a spectacular shot by Sebastián Driussi. Picking up the ball near the edge of the area on a pass from Diego Fagundez, Driussi cut onto his right foot and unleashed a beautiful curler that snuck inside the far post.
In the final stages, the Verde & Black did well to limit the Dynamo’s scoring opportunities, and efficiently saw out the victory.
THREE THINGS
- ACCOUNT OPENED: Pereira’s equalizer was his first goal in Verde & Black and the first of his professional career.
- DRIUSSI & DIEGO: Driussi’s goal was his league-leading seventh of the season, and Fagundez’s assist to the Argentine was his league-leading sixth of the season. The pair have directly combined for four goals in all competitions in 2022.
- STREAKS CONTINUED: The result continues a number of streaks for Austin FC. It’s the Club’s fourth-consecutive win, its second-consecutive away match in which it came from behind to win, and its sixth-consecutive MLS match without a loss.
UP NEXT
Austin FC will play its sixth home match and tenth match overall of the 2022 Major League Soccer regular season against the LA Galaxy on Sunday, May 8 at 6:00 p.m. CT. The match will feature a national TV broadcast in English language on FS1, and in Spanish language on FOX Deportes.
On radio, the match will be broadcast on KASE-FM (ALT 97.5) in English, as well as on TUDN Radio Austin (104.3-HD2, KLQB) in Spanish.
