Austin FC looks to snap a seven-game winless streak when it hosts rival FC Dallas on Saturday in the latest matchup of the Texas Derby.
Austin (2-4-4, 10 points) is in an 0-3-4 streak that started with a loss on the road March 18 to its other Lone Star State rival, the Houston Dynamo. Austin never went more than three consecutive games without a win in 2022 as it reached the Western Conference championship game.
Austin’s most recent MLS outing was a 2-2 tie at the Portland Timbers last Saturday. The Verde’s Will Bruin produced the equalizer two minutes into second-half stoppage time to split the points.
Jon Gallagher also scored as Austin was without designated player Sebastian Driussi, who will miss Saturday’s game as well with a groin injury.
“We’ve got to keep getting better, which I think is clearly the case over the last two performances,” Austin coach Josh Wolff said. “We’ve got to have more ruthlessness and certainly determination to muster up and be on the other side of draws. We’ve got to win some of these games.”
Austin then found the stamina for a 2-0 win over New Mexico United in a U.S. Open Cup game Wednesday. It was the club’s first-ever U.S. Open Cup home match.
Dallas (4-3-3, 15 points) heads south after having its game last Saturday with St. Louis City suspended by lightning five minutes into the second half. The scoreless game will be continued on June 7 from the point when it was halted.
Saturday’s game will be FC Dallas’ first trip to Austin since last season’s Western Conference semifinal when Austin FC advanced with a 2-1 victory. FCD have never lost to Austin in the regular season.
Dallas travels to Austin with minimal prep time after losing to Nashville SC 2-0 on Wednesday in U.S. Open Cup play.
“Nashville had two good shots on goal and they scored on both,” Dallas coach Nico Estevez said. “On the attacking side, I’m not happy with what we did. The players did their best, but I should’ve spent more time trying to let them know how we could break them down. In the second half we came more alive in the attacking half, but we didn’t create much.”
FC Dallas have won just twice in its past six league games (not counting the suspended game), with two ties over that stretch. Jesus Ferreira leads the team with five goals, while the rest of the team has found the net a combined seven times.
–Field Level Media