FC DALLAS vs. HOUSTON DYNAMO
2021 MLS Regular Season
May 8 - 2:30PM
Toyota Stadium – Frisco, Texas
Univision (Spanish) | MLS Twitter(English) | FCDallas.com/Radio | 1270AM
#DALvHOU
HEAD-TO-HEAD
- FCD record: 1-1-1 (4 pt., 7th in West)
- HOU record: 1-1-1 (4 pts., 8th in West)
- FCD vs. HOU all-time: 13-12-14 (61 GF, 54 GA)
- FCD vs. HOU home: 9-3-7 (34 GF, 22 GA)
TEXAS DERBY
- Saturday's meeting between FC Dallas and the Houston Dynamo is the first of three Texas Derbies this season. The teams faced off in the preseason tournament La Copita, where FC Dallas triumphed 3-0 over its rivals at BBVA Stadium. Although Texas welcomed its third MLS team with the introduction of Austin FC this year, Dallas vs. Houston is the original Texas Derby, a rivalry that runs deep for fans, players and coaches alike.
"Houston is a team I've been playing against since coaching in the (FC Dallas) Academy," said Luchi Gonzalez. "It's always a very important moment to represent the club, the ownership and represent the city of Dallas. It's a derby. The players that have been here in this locker room for many years, they feel that, they know that. The new guys got that sensation in preseason. But now we want to do that when it counts on Saturday, especially in front of our fans."
"For me, personally, I'm not a big fan of Houston," said midfielder Paxton Pomykal. "Not the team, but the city in general because Dallas and Houston, regardless of soccer, have a rivalry. For me it was definitely a rivalry growing up in the Academy and now here. So, we'll see how Austin develops but for now, this is our derby."
BUILD MOMENTUM
- After drawing in its home opener and falling to San Jose on the road, FCD got its first win of 2021 with an eye-catching 4-1 victory over the Portland Timbers last time out. The game saw new signing Jáder Obrian and Homegrown Dante Sealy opens their MLS goal-scoring accounts to help FCD take all three points. Now with a win under its belt, Dallas has a chance to build up momentum with another home stand against Houston.
"(It was) the first win of the season, so obviously that's a good feeling for guys to experience that for the first time this year," Pomykal said. "In terms of momentum of scoring four goals at home, that's what we need to do. Obviously playing our rivals in Houston, that's what we need is to get on the front foot early. I think imposing ourselves and getting an early goal was massive and hopefully we can do the same thing (on Saturday)."
DELICATELY BALANCED
- The all-time regular season series between Dallas and Houston is extremely close at 13-12-14 (W-L-T) in FCD's favor. Last year, the teams faced off four times with Dallas earning two wins, one loss and one draw (with FCD winning both its home games), meaning FCD took the lead over Houston in the all-time series and kept possession of El Capitán, the 18th century replica cannon. Dallas can extend its lead at Toyota Stadium on Saturday, a venue where the team hasn't fallen to the Dynamo since 2011. Further, FCD and Houston have identical records so far this season, with both teams earning one win, one loss and one draw so far. Dallas just edges Houston in the standings on goal difference (+1) since both clubs have conceded four goals but FCD has scored five to Houston' four.
