Match Preview - FC Dallas
Game Info
Kickoff: 7:39pm CT
Watch: Apple TV
Location: Toyota Stadium - Frisco, TX
All-Time H2H Record
Austin FC has a 3W-3D-7L record against FC Dallas.
The most recent matchup between these two clubs saw them play to a 1-1 draw at Q2 Stadium just under a month ago. Despite largely dominating the contest statistically, the Verde and Black were unable to secure the three points.
If you’re looking for a little extra gusto to cheer on the boys come this weekend, then relive the match back in 2024 when these two teams last linked up in Frisco. It was a spicy one!
Speaking of being in Frisco, traveling North on I-35 to Frisco has not been kind to Austin FC since the first matchup between these teams took place at Toyota Stadium back on August 7th, 2021. With just a single point in six tries, ATX has never won on the road against FC Dallas.
FC Dallas Recent Form
Before we look a bit closer at the opponent’s recent form, we have to return to the departure of Lucho Acosta, who was Dallas’ marquee offseason acquisition coming into the 2025 season.
Following a disastrous performance against NYCFC, a game in which some Dallas fans cast doubts about the effort given by Acosta, he was transferred to Fluminese for $4 million. This left Petar Musa as the sole DP on the team and took an already mediocre roster and made it worse.
To their credit, FC Dallas has not lost since moving on from Acosta. Draws against Austin, LAFC, and St. Louis City, as well as a win against Portland, have kept the Toros waning playoff hopes alive.
Since that game at Q2 Stadium back on August 16th, Dallas has played just two games – securing 1-1 draws against LAFC at home and St. Louis City on the road. On paper, they don’t seem like incredible results for a team in desperate need of wins, but they were impressive when you dig for some context.
Undermanned and out-talented, securing a point against LAFC, who introduced Heung-Min Son in their starting XI for the first time that very evening, was a great result for Dallas. The talent discrepancy is massive between those two clubs at the moment, but Dallas stuck to their strategy (more on that later). Traveling to St. Louis with their three-game unbeaten streak in tow, Dallas committed what amounts to soccer grand larceny, stealing a point in a match in which they were out-shot FORTY-TWO to seven. Yes, you read that right.
Starting goalkeeper Michael Collodi, who is already out there in relief of injured first string choice Maarten Paes, was shown red in the 16th minute. Undermanned Dallas then endured the onslaught of shot attempts, where third-string keeper Jacob Jackson came up big and made 12 saves the rest of the way (tying a club record in just 74 minutes). Petar Musa did what Petar Musa does and scored in the 34th, equalizing just two minutes after STL opened the scoring, which ended up being enough for Dallas to bring home a point.
Given that context, these recent results would be cause for positivity earlier in a season, but Dallas needs wins if they’re going to claw their way towards the playoff line. If they fail to secure three points at home this weekend against Austin, the hole might just be too deep to climb out of.
Back to the strategy that Dallas has used for the majority of the season, but has truly leaned into since moving on from Acosta, head coach Eric Quill has deployed five-back looks of late that keep numbers defensively while sneaking slightly more offensively talented players into the starting unit. They allow their opponents to have the ball plenty and look to make the most of their few opportunities. At this point of the year, the Toros are almost solely reliant on Petar Musa to generate offense. His goal against St. Louis pushed him to 14 on the year and is his seventh goal over his last seven games. He is unequivocally Dallas’ best player and the player Austin must pay the most attention to defensively.
Paired with the willingness to cede possession, Dallas is extremely physical. They are going to foul, they are going to have their hands on our guys all game and they are going to try to muck things up as much as possible to break Austin’s rhythm.
FC Dallas is seventh in fouls per match, eighth in total yellow cards, fifth in red cards, and fourth in penalties conceded. Mind you, they have a game in hand on 15 teams in the league. So here’s what to expect: a Dallas side that is going to congregate bodies in the box whenever Austin is within the final third, be as physical as possible and willingly concede the ball to ATX.
They’ll be ready to launch counter attacks when the time comes, but expect a defensive unit that is in a low block and stout. As ZG mentioned on Episode 255, Quill and his staff have been tinkering with the starting lineup a bit – if you haven’t yet, you can take a listen to learn more about what we think of this matchup.
Sitting in 12th in the Western Conference, FC Dallas is four points behind the wild card line. They have a game in hand on San Jose and Houston, but games in hand don’t matter unless you gain points from them! This is a very important game for FC Dallas.
Austin FC Recent Form
What a gutsy and impressive win Austin FC just churned out in Kansas City. Despite being without Myrto Uzuni, Oleksandr Svatok, Julio Cascante, Dani Pereira, and Besard Sabovic, ATX found a way to get a massive three points on the road. The victory all but secured a top nine spot in the Western Conference.
Go back to those names that were missing. Now add in Brandon Vazquez. Those are six contributors for Austin who have either played heavy minutes or were expected to play heavy minutes at the start of the season. On top of that, Ilie Sanchez, who didn’t suit up against San Jose, only played about ten minutes off the bench against SKC.
We saw call-ups for Ervin Torres, Adrian Gonzalez and Antonio Gomez, along with Riley Thomas being named to the bench to round out the list of subs for a starting lineup that included Jáder Obrian, Nico Dubersarsky, Jon Gallagher, and the debut of new U22 Initiative centerback Mateja Djordjevic. The youth-infused lineup could have provided the perfect excuse for Austin to rollover and fold after conceding a penalty kick to Sporting, which was buried by Dejan Jovelic in the 16th minute.
Despite the early trouble, Austin found a way, clawing their way back to turn a deficit into a win for the first time this MLS season. It started with Owen Wolff, who in the 37th minute brought down a long ball from Guilherme Biro deep in enemy territory. Cool, calm and collected, Owen deftly settled the ball with his right foot before uncorking a left footed shot that beat the poorly positioned John Pulskamp. With the score at 1-1 going into half, still Austin needed to find another goal.
Unless you’ve muted all Austin FC social media notifications, don’t listen to podcasts and avoid any Austin FC related content on YouTube, then you know that CJ Fodrey officially opened his MLS account! CJ’s header off an Owen Wolff corner kick found its way inside the far post to secure the victory.
With six points from their last two games, Austin is officially on a two-game winning streak in September, something that really fired up ZG on Monday’s recap episode. Look how excited this guy is about it!
In the last matchup between these two Texas rivals, Austin got bullied. The level of physicality that Dallas brought disrupted Austin’s flow. ATX better expect the same type of intensity in Saturday’s game, because that is how Dallas is approaching every opponent at this point of their season.
Injury Report
ATX:
Mikkel Desler (Questionable - Lower Body)
Brandon Vazquez (Out - Knee)
DAL:
Maarten Paes (Out - Leg)
Paxton Pomykal (Out - Knee)
Michael Collodi (Out - Red Card Suspension)
FC Dallas Players to Watch
Petar Musa - If you aren’t familiar with his game, don’t worry, Musa will pop off the screen once the game starts. The Croatian striker has 20 goal contributions this season – nine of which have come in his last seven games. He’s the key to everything Dallas wants to do when they have possession in the final third. He’s large and talented in the box, but is also great in distribution. His positional awareness and timing make him an extremely tough cover as he knows when to make runs and at the best angle to make them. Dallas has been banking on him to play hero ball and score goals for them at a very efficient clip since they aren’t generating a ton of chances.
Austin FC Keys to the Game
I Want Some Nasty - The iconic Gregg Popovich quote is quite applicable here. In the first meeting this season, Dallas won the physical battle and I ultimately believe it lead to them winning an important mental battle. On paper, the Toros are not nearly as talented as the Verde and Black, but they’re going to bring the fight. Their imposing back line will be sitting in a low block ready to put bodies on Austin FC’s attacking players. Expect some hard fouls. If you can match the intensity and physicality that Dallas plays with, then everything else should take care of itself. I want some nasty!
Predictions
ZG - 2-0 Austin FC
E - 2-0 Austin FC
