FRISCO, Texas - FC Dallas goes on the road to face in-state rivals Austin FC this Saturday, June 25 at 8PM at Q2 Stadium.
Here's everything you need to know before the game.
How to Watch
TV (English): Mark Followill and Steve Davis will be on the call for Saturday's match on TXA 21 and the FCDTV Network. Coverage begins at 8PM CT. Fans local to the DFW market can stream online at fcdallas.com/stream while fans outside DFW may catch the game on ESPN+.
LISTEN
English: If you can't watch the match, you can listen to all the action on FCDallas.com/Radio hosted by Sam Hale beginning at 7:45PM.
Spanish: Carlos Alvarado and Rafa Calderon will call the game in Spanish on 1270AM, starting at 8PM CT.
Match Overview
HEAD-TO-HEAD
- FCD record: 7-4-4 (25 points - 4th in West)
- ATX record: 8-4-3 (27 points - 3rd in West)
- FCD vs. ATX all-time: 3-0-0 (9 goals scored, 4 goals conceded)
- FCD vs. ATX all-time away: 1-0-0 (5 goals scored, 3 goal conceded)
STORY LINES
Right the Ship
After losing just once in its first 11 games, FC Dallas has had a bit of a blip with three defeats in its last four. But all is not lost; far from it. Dallas is still in fourth place in the West thanks to its strong start to the season and, even in the recent losses, FCD's performances haven't been too far off the pace. In the their last three defeats, Nico Estévez's men outshot their opponents 47 to 19 and were without some key contributors (namely Matt Hedges and Alan Velasco). Still, Estévez and co. will want a strong performance in Austin to make sure this blip doesn't become a full on slide.
Hedges' Availability
Dallas' aforementioned blip coincides with the aforementioned absence of captain Matt Hedges. The 32-year-old wasn't on the field for two of FCD's three recent losses (he played 83 minutes in the 2-1 defeat to Vancouver last month but was subbed out before the Whitecaps' winning goal), which illustrates his importance to this team. Hedges was kept out of last Saturday's 2-0 loss to Vancouver with a knee issue that a recent MRI has shown to be minor. Dallas' all-time appearance leader returned to team training this week and the FCD coaching staff is "optimistic" Hedges will make the trip to Austin. His availability would be a huge plus for FCD's backline that'll be tasked with keeping Austin' high-flying attack quiet.
Austin
The Texas summer is well and truly here (and has been for awhile, seemingly) so it's time for the Other Texas Derby, or the I-35 Derby, or the North Texas vs. Central Texas Derby. This rivalry doesn't really have a name of its own yet but, make no mistake, it's certainly a rivalry – especially on Twitter. FC Dallas had the upper hand in the 2021 editions, winning all three of its matchups against Austin (who was experiencing the predictable tribulations of an inaugural season in Major League Soccer). But the new kids on the Texas block have bounced back in a big way in their sophomore season and sit two points and one place ahead of Dallas in the Western Conference. ATX has the second-highest scoring attack in the league and has only lost once at Q2 so far this year so FC Dallas' quest to make it 4-0-0 against their neighbors to the south won't be an easy one.
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