Rivalry week is upon us!
FC Dallas is heading to the state capital this weekend to battle Austin FC at Q2 Stadium. This is the first of three meetings between the two sides in 2023 and the first meeting since their Western Conference semifinal match in last year’s playoffs that saw Austin come out on top.
Each team is coming off a busy week that saw them compete in the Round of 32 in the US Open Cup. Austin FC managed to put New Mexico United of the USL Championship away with a 2-0 result on Wednesday night. FC Dallas didn’t fare well in their 2-0 loss at Nashville SC.
Key Player: Jon Gallagher
It is definitely a sign of how rough things have been for Austin this season, as their leading scorer is a defender. But the Austin fullback has found ways to make himself a key player this season by getting involved in the attack more each game.
Key Matchup: Gyasi Zardes vs Sebastian Ibeagha
With Driussi out, the attack is going to flow a bit more through Zardes. If he is able to work his way through the Dallas central defense, it could be a long night for Ibeagha and Jose Martinez. Ibeagha will need to be the one to lock down Zardes and keep him in check around the Austin offensive third of the field.
Copa Tejas to change format in 2023
Drew Epperley • Feb 17, 2023
As Major League Soccer has grown, the 34-game schedule has seen variations in rivalry games each year. Some clubs play their rivals more, while other rivalries get fewer games (and no, we’re not just talking about the Brimstone Cup that is on hiatus this season).
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Quick Notes:
Current rut - Austin FC is winless in seven straight MLS matches (D4 L3), a run that began with a loss to Texas rivals Houston on March 18. This is Austin's second-longest winless run in league play (8 straight in May-June 2021), as the Verde never went more than three in a row without a win all of last year.
Recent run against FCD: Austin FC recorded its first victory over FC Dallas in last season's conference semifinals after going winless in the first five meetings, all in the regular season (D2 L3). FC Dallas won all three meetings in 2021, but Austin avoided defeat in all three 2022 meetings (W1 D2, including playoffs).
Availability Report:
Suspended: none
Out: Sebastián Driussi, Zan Kolmanic, Diego Fagundez
Questionable: none
International duty: Owen Wolff (US U20)1
Potential Lineup:
Due to injuries and form, Josh Wolff has had to alter his formation a bit this season, going between a 4-3-3 to a 4-5-1 (like he used last week against Portland) and then a 4-4-2 (with a diamond look in the midfield). Since he’ll likely be rotating some players for this weekend, his lineup could look something like this on Saturday:
Stuver; Gallagher, Lima, Ring, Vaisanen; Redes, Pereira, Rigoni, Finlay, Valencia; Zardes
Keys to gaining three points for FC Dallas
- Play your game - We know Austin will look at this as a must-win game, so FC Dallas will want to come into this one and dictate their style of play from the opening whistle. It has been a couple of games since we last saw FC Dallas really play their style, too, so it will be important for Nico Estevez and crew to reset things here as the schedule picks up.
- Avoid the emotions of a rivalry - Rivalry games always bring out some of the best and worst in teams. Anytime you have a team that is struggling, though, that is when some of the worst comes out. FC Dallas cannot play down to Austin’s level right now in this game. They also cannot get caught up in any of the emotional stuff from the rivalry. We expect a physical game, but FC Dallas has to keep those emotions in check to avoid any silly red cards.
- Play smart and simple - This goes with the first key, but FC Dallas needs to get back to basics here in my book. Play smart and simple passes to break up the Austin defense. Go wide, with runs from Marco Farfan and Geovane Jesus. Find ways to get Jesus Ferreira and Alan Velasco involved early in the game. And most importantly, take shots. Lots of them.
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