In FC Dallas’ third Copa Tejas match of the season, a lot is on the line—while Austin FC is currently in the lead, having beaten both Dallas and Houston Dynamo FC in their first meetings, a win this Saturday can put FCD at the top of the leaderboard alongside the Verde and Black.<br /><br />Austin is currently in 6th in the Western Conference, coming off of a 0-0 draw to Vancouver Whitecaps FC.<br /><br />It was the team’s third consecutive shutout, and third road shutout of the season. Goalkeeper Brad Stuver currently leads the MLS with 58 saves.<br /><br />While Austin has had a strong start to the season, their second-straight road game could pose more difficulties than just hitting traffic on their way up I-35: they have never beaten FC Dallas at Toyota Stadium, FCD having won three of the last four meetings at home.<br /><br />Dallas just beat Memphis 901 FC, 1-0, in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup on Tuesday, but lost 3-1 on the road in their most recent MLS matchup to Toronto FC.<br /><br />The last time these two sides met was back in March at Q2 Stadium, FC Dallas falling 2-1, its lone goal coming from Eugene Ansah in the 51st minute before Austin tacked on with goals by Julio Cascante and Diego Rubio in the 54th and 70th minutes.<br /><br />A win this Saturday for Austin FC would mean back-to-back wins over Dallas, a strong hold at the front of the Copa Tejas race, and the potential of sitting as high as third place in the Western Conference standings.<br /><br />A win for FC Dallas, on the other hand, would have them join Austin FC at the top of the Copa Tejas leaderboard, maintain a non-losing record to Austin on home soil, and avoid a seventh loss on the season.<br /><br />It’ll be decided on Saturday, with kickoff at 7:30.
