After a week off, FC Dallas returns to the field tomorrow night as they take on rivals Austin FC for the second time this season.

FC Dallas downed Austin FC 1-0 in their previous meeting last month, thanks to a late Jesus Ferreira goal.

It is a full rivalry week for Austin FC, as they’ll take on Houston this weekend. Josh Wolff’s team is coming off a bad 4-1 loss to Sporting Kansas City just before the international break.

Note: The kickoff for this game is now set for 8:30 pm instead of the originally scheduled 7:30 pm due to excessive heat in Texas this week.

Key Player: Sebastian Driussi

When Austin’s MVP is at his best, Austin is also at their best. So far in 2023, Driussi has either been off his game or injured, which has resulted in a rough first half of the season for the Verde.

Key Matchup: Nkosi Tafari vs Driussi

We know that if Austin is able to find their MVP and get him in space around the penalty box, good things will happen for them. Given all the injuries and lineup questions for Dallas, Tafari is going to have to step up in a big way in this one to keep Austin’s biggest threat off the board.


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Quick Notes:

Trending in the wrong direction - Austin FC has lost consecutive regular season matches for the first time since a three-match streak last August-September and has won only three of its last 14 MLS matches (D4 L7) dating back to mid-March. Only three teams (Colorado, LA Galaxy, Inter Miami) have fewer points than Austin's 13 in that time.

Defensive struggles - Three of the four goals Austin conceded against Sporting Kansas City on June 10 came after halftime, as only Chicago and Atlanta (19 each) have allowed more second-half goals than Austin (18) this season. Austin's minus-8 second-half goal difference is second-worst in MLS, ahead of only Chicago (–10).

Availability Report:

Suspended: none
Out: Zan Kolmanic (right ACL), Leo Vaisanen (right LCL)
Questionable: Aleksandar Radovanovic (right shoulder), Sofiane Djeffal (right ankle)
International duty: none

Potential Lineup:

Austin was a bit banged up earlier this season when the two sides first met, but Josh Wolff has started seeing some key guys like Druissi back in the mix. Given that they were also off last week, he should have a fairly strong lineup available on Wednesday.

Stuver; Gallagher, Lima, Ring, Cascante; Redes, Pereira, Valencia, Finlay, Druissi; Zardes


Keys to gaining three points for FC Dallas

  1. Control your game - Given the lack of Jesus Ferreira (national team duty) and Jader Obrian (yellow card accumulation suspension), the attack is going to be all Alan Velasco in this one. Nico Estevez will want his side to find ways to control the midfield and open up the attack for Velasco in space. This means the defense will have to limit mistakes in the back as Austin presses forward. Dallas could find chances on the counter attack a lot in this one, similar to how they did last time out in Austin.
  2. Control your emotions - It is a rivalry game, after all, so there is no need to pick up a silly red card in this one for a foul that you don’t need to commit. Austin is down on their luck this season, too, and will likely pull out some extra aggression in this one to boost their place in the standings.
  3. Next man up mentality - Given the moment we’re at in this season with injuries, suspensions and national team call-ups, someone has to step up more in this one. Maybe it will be Sebastian Lletget, who has been back in training or someone like Nkosi Tafari in the defense. This is a pretty pivotal game on the schedule for FC Dallas, so finding a way to grind another result has to be the message in the locker room.