FC Dallas is back after its bye week to take on I-35 rivals Austin FC this Saturday, March 30 at 7:30PM from Austin's Q2 Stadium.
Here's everything you need to know before the match.
HOW TO WATCH
The match will be streamed in both English and Spanish on MLS Season Pass on Apple TV.
HOW TO LISTEN
English: You can listen to all the action on the FC Dallas app and Talk Radio 1190AM. Host Sam Hale will provide pregame and postgame coverage beginning at 7PM with broadcasters Ryan Figert and Steve Davis calling the game.
Spanish: Carlos Alvarado and Rafa Calderon will call the game in Spanish on the FC Dallas app starting at 7:30PM.
MATCH OVERVIEW
Head-to-Head Records
- FCD record: 1-3-0 (3 points, 11th in West)
- ATX record: 0-2-3 (3 points, 13th in West)
- FCD vs. ATX all-time: 5-1-2 (14 goal scored, 10 goals conceded)
- FCD vs. ATX away: 2-1-1 (8 goal scored, 8 goals conceded)
Story Lines
Reset: Let's be honest, FC Dallas hasn't had a great start to the 2024 season. After an exciting last-minute win on opening day, the club has dropped three straight games - two of which were at home. Now coming off a bye week, FCD has a chance to reset with a trip down I-35 to take on in-state rival Austin FC. The thing is, Austin FC are probably looking at this matchup in a similar way considering their start to 2024. Josh Wolff's team is winless so far this season (0-2-3 record) despite having played three times at home already. Neither team is in good form, both are in desperate need of a win, so who prevails? It may be early in the season but there will be a lot on the line at Q2 Stadium Saturday night.
Copa Tejas: Three points and bragging rights aren't the only things up for grabs this Saturday. FC Dallas vs. Austin FC is the first match of the 2024 Copa Tejas, the fan-driven regular season competition between Dallas, Austin and Houston. Unlike previous editions, this year's Copa Tejas will be decided by whichever Texas team earns the highest point per game in matches against one another (three points for a win, one for a draw and zero for a loss). Austin have claimed the last two Copa Tejas titles under the previous format (despite having the lowest PPG of the three teams last season), so Dallas would love to knock them off their perch. Saturday's game is the first step towards that goal.
At Q2: Winning on the road is never easy, especially in MLS. Still, FC Dallas has typically enjoyed its trips down to Austin's Q2 Stadium (at least in the regular season). The club has earned two wins and a draw out of its four regular-season forays into Q2, including a dramatic 1-0 victory featuring a last-gasp Jesús Ferreira goal last May. But FCD's most recent trip to Austin didn't go as swimmingly. An injury-depleted Dallas team got thumped 3-0 by Wolff's team in June of 2023, a result that is surely still in the back of the minds of the FCD players who took part. This Saturday's game is a chance for Dallas to set the record straight.
