Austin FC will hope to build on their best run of play of the season when they travel north to face struggling FC Dallas on Saturday in the latest rendition of the Texas Derby in Frisco, Texas.
Austin (4-3-4, 16 points) stays on the road after splitting the points in a scoreless draw at Vancouver last Saturday. It was the Verde’s third consecutive shutout as goalkeeper Brad Stuver, has not allowed a goal in 303 minutes of play. Stuver leads MLS with 58 saves.
Austin FC is 4-1-1 since March 30, when they began their current run by beating FC Dallas 2-1 at home. Coach Josh Wolff lauded his team for its turnaround but warned that it needs to keep its focus.
“Our guys are fit, they’re strong, and now they’re in a good space,” Wolff told reporters. “Once you start seeing results and you get shutouts, you’re keeping yourself in the game. The best teams in the world defend, and they work extremely hard without the ball. It’s a requirement of the game.”
Dallas (2-6-2, 8 points) is back home after a 3-1 loss at Toronto FC last Saturday, with the defeat dropping the club to 13th place in the Western Conference. Dallas is 1-3-2 since March 30.
Sam Junqua had the Toros’ lone goal against Toronto, with Jesus Ferreira contributing the assist after entering as a substitute. Ferreira continues to work his way back from a muscle injury that has limited his playing time this season. Petar Musa leads FC Dallas with three goals.
Dallas also had a 1-0 U.S. Open Cup win over USL Championship team Memphis 901 FC at home on Tuesday, making Saturday’s match its third in eight days.
“It will be nice if the games are a little bit more spread out, right?” Dallas coach Nico Estevez said. “Because you have back-to-back, I feel like it is difficult to get that assignment and motivation and everything, but for us, it is important. You know, we played Austin, so we understand what we need to do.”
Dallas leads the all-time series 5-3 with two draws. The Toros have never lost against Austin FC at home and have won three of the four all-time meetings played at Frisco (one draw).
–Field Level Media
