When the schedule came out late last year for the 2025 season, FC Dallas fans immediately went to circle a pair of matches on their calendars against the Houston Dynamo.
The first was an odd one, a season-opening match in February in Houston. The two sides had never met that early into a regular season before, and with the amount of turnover both rosters had in the offseason, there was some concern that the heat of prior Texas Derby matches wouldn't be present in the first meeting of 2025.
Goals from Anderson Julio and Petar Musa helped FC Dallas battle back to win 2-1 on that night.
Fast forward to the present week, and a May Texas Derby feels more natural to both fans and players alike. FC Dallas manager Eric Quill noticed the uptick in energy this week out of his club in training and expects a bit more of a battle this time around between the two rivals.
“I’m looking forward to it. I’ve watched many of them. I know how our fans feel about them and how the players feel. We’ve already had a game against them, so they have extra motivation behind them,” said Quill. “We have to be ready for war. I truly believe we will be based on what I saw in training.”
Houston is coming off a midweek win on Wednesday night, when the Dynamo surprised Minnesota United with a 2-0 win. The Dynamo will want to use that momentum to help climb out of the bottom of the Western Conference standings now that they're a mere three points away from tying FC Dallas.
“It’s a game where the margins are very small. When your moment is there, you have to punish,” explained Quill. “It’s always a tight battle. It’s a test of your willpower, your concentration, your mentality, and so we need to stand up to all of those phases and be the best on the day in order to get the result.”
The Texas Derby kicks off a busy stretch for FC Dallas in the coming weeks. Following Saturday's match, FC Dallas will hit the road for three straight games, including Wednesday night's US Open Cup Round of 16 battle with the New York Red Bulls, before going to Seattle next weekend. Quill hopes that his roster can hold up during this upcoming stretch.
“It is everybody's contributions in these moments," said Quill. "When you play three in seven or three in six, you're not just riding eleven guys. We're riding a full roster that we put together. I'm looking forward to seeing the contribution of everyone. We have to be strategic in order to go for wins."
FC Dallas did receive some positive news last week when both Musa and Paxton Pomykal returned from injuries to play in the club's 1-1 draw with Real Salt Lake. Getting both of them along with potentially seeing Leo Chu, Marco Farfan, and Sebastian Lletget returned in the coming weeks will be a massive boost for the club as they deal with this congested schedule.
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