Austin FC will work to keep their focus on the challenge at hand and not look ahead when they visit rival FC Dallas on Saturday in Frisco, Texas.
The Verde and Black will play in the semifinals of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup at Minnesota United on Wednesday, but first comes their Copa Tejas match.
Austin FC (11-9-8, 41 points) head north up I-35 after a 2-1 road win over Sporting Kansas City on Sunday as CJ Fodrey produced the winning goal in the 82nd minute.
Owen Wolff assisted on Fodrey’s strike after scoring himself in the 37th. Wolff leads Austin in goal contributions with 12 in MLS play this season, while Fodrey’s goal was his first.
With a Verde roster depleted by injuries and national team commitments, Fodrey made the most of his opportunity to finally add to the scoresheet.
“(My first goal) came a little later than expected when I first got drafted here,” the 21-year old Fodrey said. “I thought I was going to have it all right away, but that’s not the reality. It’s been hard for me, I won’t lie, but I think for me recently, it’s been coming in every day and working hard.”
The Verde begin the weekend in sixth place in the Western Conference after 28 matches, tied in points with Los Angeles FC, who have two games in hand. Austin has won two straight outings and earned points for the fourth time in its past five (2-1-2).
FC Dallas (7-11-10, 31 points) pulled out a 1-1 draw on the road against St. Louis City on Sept. 6. Reserve goalkeeper Jacob Jackson tied Dallas’ club record with 12 saves in a match where the Toros went down a man in the 16th minute and conceded 41 total shots.
“We may look back on this point (earned against St. Louis), at the very end, and say what a massive point it is,” FC Dallas coach Eric Quill said. “We have the potential to get in (to the playoffs). We’re trending and playing is going the right direction.
“We’re becoming a team that works hard for each other, roots for each other. The chemistry is off the charts and they all want to be in the playoffs.”
The Toros are four points and three spots behind ninth-place San Jose for the final berth in the West wild-card race.
Starting keeper Michael Collodi was shown a red card that put his side behind the 8-ball against St. Louis and will also miss the match against Austin.
Dallas and Austin played to a 1-1 draw on Aug. 16 in their first meeting of the year.
–Field Level Media
