FC Dallas vs Austin FC Preview: Lineups, Storylines & What to Watch
After a quick turn to play in the Leagues Cup, FC Dallas returns to MLS play this weekend with a trip down I-35 to battle Copa Tejas rivals Austin FC.
Both teams begin another tough set of games, playing three times this week. For FC Dallas, this will be the sixth regular season road match in their nine-game summer road trip that will last through the end of the month.
Let’s dive into some notes, predictions, and more.
TL;DR: Match Preview
Quick hits before kickoff.
- Score prediction: FC Dallas 2 - 2 Austin FC
- Key player to watch: Petar Musa - He was great the Leagues Cup matches, now he gets back to working on his Golden Boot run.
- Why this game matters: It is Copa Tejas. It is Austin FC. You have to get up for rivalry games.
FC Dallas Notes:
All-time vs Austin: Dallas has mostly run this series since Austin FC entered MLS. Dallas holds an 8-2-3 all-time regular season record against the Verde.
Road record at Austin: Dallas is 2-2-2 in six regular season matches at Austin. The Verde hold an 11 to 10 goals scored advantage.
Homegrown clock: Both Michael Collodi and Nolan Norris have gobbled up a good amount of minutes in 2026. Norris also has one goal on the season. Caleb Swann also made his debut off the bench in New York. Together, they have played 2346 minutes. To add more perspective here, Dallas HGPs only accounted for 1775 minutes in 2025.
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Notable season stats:
- FCD is 16th in crosses in MLS with 190.
- The Burn are 12th in total distance covered in MLS with 1080 km (1292 miles).
- FCD is third in MLS in aerial challenges won with 230.
- FC Dallas is 12th in MLS in xG with 30.01.
- FCD is 13th in MLS in shot efficiency with 1.99.
- Musa is 4th in MLS in xG with 10.42. He also ranks tied for 8th in MLS in shots with 57.
Potential FC Dallas Lineup:
Coming off the Leagues Cup, where Eric Quill rotated his lineups pretty well throughout the three matches, let’s see if that sticks again on Sunday night in Austin.
We have partnered up with StartingXI.com to give you a chance to pick your desired FC Dallas lineup for upcoming games. Coming soon, there will be a chance to predict the lineup here on Big D Soccer. For now, you can click the box above (in a web browser) and get started.
Availability & Disciplinary Report
Suspended: Nolan Norris
Suspended with next yellow card: Osaze Urhoghide, Sam Sarver, Daniel
Suspended with next two yellow cards: none
Season-ending injury list: Kaka Scabin
Out: Daniel (lower body), Anderson Julio (lower body), Kaick (not due to injury)
Questionable: Patrickson Delgado (lower leg)
On Loan: Malachi Molina (Nashville SC), Geovane Jesus (North Texas SC), Enzo Newman (North Texas SC)
Unavailable (off-roster): Daniel Baran, Jaidyn Contreras
International duty: none
Austin Notes:
Key player for Austin: Myrto Uzuni
Disciplinary Report
Suspended: none
Suspended on next yellow card: none
Availability Report
Out: Owen Wolff (ankle), Mikkel Desler (Achilles)
Questionable: none
International duty: none
How to watch
Big game this week for FC Dallas. Before we get into it, members have the full scouting report, projected lineups, and injury report. If you want to go into Matchday actually knowing what to watch for, now's the time.
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