Match Preview - FC Dallas
Game Info
Kickoff: 7:39pm CT
Watch: Apple TV
Location: Q2 Stadium - Austin, TX
All-Time H2H Record
Austin FC has struggled with their rivals to the north, owning a 3W-2D-7L record against FC Dallas.
The last time these two teams met was up in Frisco in July of last year, the match prior to both Osman Bukari and Mikkel Desler becoming eligible to play for Austin FC. It was a disaster of a match for the Verde and Black, as Paul Arriola scored the opening goal just ten minutes in. Though Gyasi Zardes was able to equalize just six minutes later, the collapse came in the early second half. Owen Wolff was correctly penalized for a handball in the box and while Brad Stuver saved the penalty attempt, he was ruled off his line and Petar Musa buried the second attempt.
Following that second attempt, Musa and Nkosi Tafari decided to taunt Julio Cascante to the point of making contact with him. That foolishness set off a fracas that saw Driussi sent off for violent conduct and the match ended as a 3-1 loss for ATX.
Though Austin FC has a poor record against FC Dallas, ATX has won three of the last four meetings at Q2 Stadium, including the 2-1 victory in the 2022 Western Conference quarterfinals, a win that makes me feel a bit better about the poor all-time head-to-head record.
FC Dallas Recent Form
Before we dive into the 2025 campaign thus far for FC Dallas, let’s take a look back at one of the league’s original ten teams. First known as the Dallas Burn, the club transitioned to FC Dallas prior to the 2005 season, moving to their current home in Frisco, TX that same year. As a whole, the franchise has not found much success, with just three trophies to their name in their nearly 30 year existence – two US Open Cup championships in 1997 and 2016. Their third also came in 2016 in the form of a Supporter’s Shield, but FC Dallas are still without a MLS Cup, making the big game back in 2010 but falling short against Colorado Rapids 2-1.
Arguably the best aspect of the franchise is their academy, which has churned out some impressive players over the years. Names like Weston McKinne, Ricardo Pepi, Chris Richards, and Jesus Ferreira all got their start in North Texas.
It’s been a rough 2025 season to this point for FC Dallas, as the team currently sits in 11th place in the Western Conference with 28 points. On top of the poor results, FC Dallas fans have seen the departures of many key players over the last calendar year. Austin FC fans are mighty familiar with the likes of Ferreira, Paul Arriola, Nikosi Tafari, and Alan Velasco, who have all moved on to new teams since the last time ATX saw FC Dallas. On top of those exits, the club has sold major offseason acquisition Lucho Acosta (a saga we discussed on Wednesday’s Episode 247) and team mainstay Marco Farfan in the current transfer window.
This team is incredibly depleted coming into this match and are far from relevant contenders in the 2025 MLS season. While morale may be low in the locker room at Toyota Stadium, the players and coaches will definitely be up for this game.
FC Dallas has had a lot of trouble on the defensive side of the ball this season. With 45 goals conceded, they are third worst in the Western Conference at keeping opponents off the scoreboard. They are also in the top 10 in fouls per game, yellow cards, red cards, and penalties conceded. Clearly, Dallas is a team that employs physical play and uses hard fouls to muck the game up in an attempt to throw the opponent off mentally. Offensively, the team is second-to-last in the league in average possession, with just 42.5% of the ball. Visually, they do not play a pleasant brand of football.
One bright spot for Dallas has been the play of star Croatian striker Petar Musa. The former Benfica standout has 13 goals and five assists this season. Musa is on an absolute tear right now with six goals and an assist in the last four league games and 11 contributions over his last nine. His elevated play is one of the main reasons Dallas is enjoying one of the best stretches of their season right now. Coming off a 2-0 home win over Portland last Saturday, Dallas has earned seven points from their last four games. That might not seem like a hot streak, but that’s 25% of their total points earned all year!
Outside of Musa it’s hard to point to some true “key players” for Dallas, but Anderson Julio is a guy to keep an eye on. The speedy Ecuadorian has given Austin’s backlines trouble in the past and just returned from an injury that kept him sidelined for six weeks. He should appear in some fashion on Saturday and will definitely require an extra level of attention when Dallas is on the counter.
Having been eliminated from the US Open Cup in the Round of 16 and not qualifying for the 2025 Leagues Cup, Dallas has just nine MLS games remaining in their 2025 campaign – two of which are against Austin FC. The Copa Tejas is still in play for Dallas, but a path to the playoffs is hard to envision, particularly with the current state of the roster.
The two contests versus Austin are likely the most “important” remaining games for Dallas and their fans this season. Despite where they sit in the table and the departures of many of their top players, Austin will need to be ready for this derby match where anything can happen between two teams who truly don’t like one another.
Austin FC Recent Form
Austin FC is coming off a disappointing draw that felt like a loss to the Orange team last Saturday night. Zac and I got the pain out on Episode 246, but the wound is still fresh. Austin dominated the majority of the game, particularly the first half, but it wasn’t enough to overcome an atrocious penalty kick call made by VAR and an incredibly unfortunate Oleksandr Svatok deflection off a Jack McGlynn shot from outside the box.
While the result was a bummer, the offense for ATX continues to show signs of life as of late. With four big chances created and two goals scored, Austin extended their multi-goal streak to three consecutive games and four out of the last five in the league.
The changes to the lineup after the Brandon Vazquez knee injury, paired with an easier schedule, has led to plenty of chances being created for the Verde and Black, who are also converting their chances at a higher rate than the first half of the season. Owen Wolff and Guilherme Biro have been gaining confidence together on the left side of the field which has created more openings for Austin in the attacking third. That, along with the offensive distribution from Diego Rubio and defensive solidity led by Ilie Sanchez, has made Austin’s play over the last six weeks much more promising. To start this season, the right side of the field was doing all the heavy lifting in terms of ball progression and chance creation. Now, ATX has found a better balance.
Myrto Uzuni, while not in perfect form, has come on strong as of late with three goals across his last five games in all competitions. Osman Bukari continues to be Austin’s most threatening player on the offensive end and with the additional space he has found to operate thanks to the emergence of the left side of the pitch, he’s hitting what qualifies as his peak form throughout his first year in Austin.
Simply put, the current starting group that has been on the lineup card for three consecutive games is the best we have seen all year long. While there is still room for improvement, if the team continues to create chances the way they have over the last five games, Austin should find themselves on the right side of results more often than not in the homestretch of the MLS regular season.
We’ve talked at length about this current nine game stretch against opponents below ATX in the table as being the easiest part of the schedule for Austin this season, referring to it as the “make-or-break” portion of 2025. There are five of those nine left, with FC Dallas coming to town followed by a trip north of the border to take on CF Montreal, before returning to Austin to take on San Jose. Then the Verde and Black will travel to Kansas City for a matchup with Sporting KC and then close out the run of favorable opponents with another game versus FC Dallas, this time on the road. It’s important to move past the disappointing result versus Houston while holding onto the good things the team did in that game and start this five game stretch off with an important three points taken from a hated rival.
Injury Report
ATX:
Brandon Vazquez (Out - Knee)
DAL:
Paxton Pomykal (Out - Knee)
Maarten Paes (Out - Upper Leg)
FC Dallas Players to Watch
Petar Musa - You can hear how much ZG and I respect Musa on Episode 247, where we identify him as one of the most underrated players in the league. He may not be a household name for your casual MLS fan, but the man thrives on the stat sheet with his 18 goal contributions in 22 appearances. He is on an absolute statisical tear right now and has buoyed his team’s dwindling playoff hopes. Musa is a dual threat and his distribution is overlooked due to the prowess of his goal scoring abilities. He is physically large, commanding defensive attention on the counter while also being able to operate in tight spaces in possession. His shot is powerful enough to do damage from outside the 18 and he’s also great at finishing off aerials over defenders. Musa has 30 goals in 57 appearances for FC Dallas since arriving prior to the 2024 season. He is without a doubt the most important player on the pitch for the opponent and is the key to their offensive output.
Anderson Julio - The speedy winger bounced back from injury to log 30 minutes in a victory over the Portland Timbers last weekend. Austin fans are all too familiar with Julio’s speed from his previous stop with Real Salt Lake, after he burned the ATX defense for two goals in an eight minutes span during last season’s 5-1 road loss to RSL. Julio should be nearly 100% after another week of full training and could find himself in the starting lineup for a team that is searching for answers. His speed needs to be respected at all times, but particularly when Dallas is on the counter attack.
Austin FC Keys to the Game
Composure - Austin lost theirs versus Houston in the waning moments of the match and they’ll need to regain it in what will be another physical and heated rivalry contest. These two teams do not like each other and if the last time they met is any indication of what potentially lies before us, this game could get testy. Dallas will foul. Dallas will draw cautions (unless we have last week’s official again). They are going to trash talk. These are the tactics that lesser teams use to level the playing field, so it will be important for Austin to keep their cool and let their play do the talking. Don’t worry boys, leave the shit talking to Section 123, where ZG and I will be letting these Frisco bastards hear it. LISTOS!
Predictions
ZG - 2-0 Austin FC
E - 3-0 Austin FC
