Austin FC tops FC Dallas for first win of MLS season

Copa Tejas apparently brings out the best in Austin FC.

Looking sharp and dominating for 80 minutes in by far their top performance of the season, the Verde & Black earned their first win with a 2-1 decision over FC Dallas on Saturday in a derby match at Q2 Stadium.  

Trailing after Eugene Ansah's goal on a breakaway gave Dallas the lead early in the second half, Julio Cascante scored on a header and Diego Rubio finished a brilliant cross from Sebastián Driussi to put Austin FC ahead. 

Here are some thoughts from the match as Austin FC (1-2-3, 6 points) will host the San Jose Earthquakes on Saturday, looking to put back-to-back wins together. 

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Possessed with possession

Austin FC ended with 67% possession, which was the low number for the match. At one point in the first half, it had the ball nearly 75% of the time. That speaks to how much the Verde & Black dominated the contest and controlled the run of play — at least until the game’s last 10 minutes. 

Head coach Josh Wolff’s new lineup with Owen Wolff on the right wing, Hector Jimenez at left back and Brendan Hines-Ike at center back along with the other regular starters produced plenty of scoring chances. 

Right back Jon Gallagher attributed the performance to a focus on valuing the ball, something he said Josh Wolff preached to the team all week.  It showed right from the start, and Austin FC easily could have led 3-0 at halftime if it had finished its chances. 

The contest also marked the first time that Driussi, Rubio and Dani Pereira started and played a significant number of minutes together. That’s a combination that, assuming all three stay healthy, should produce good things the rest of the season. 

Man of the match: Sebastián Driussi

Driussi’s importance to the team might be obvious, but it strangely may not have been appreciated enough through the first five games. 

While he’s still a bit rusty working back from a hamstring injury that caused him to miss the first three games and most of the fourth, his play at even 80% fitness can’t be replaced. 

His pass into the box that Rubio scored on was perfect, while his direction of the offense with the ball is dramatically better than anyone else on the roster. 

And though it should be with his large salary north of $3 million, it’s still noteworthy. 

When Driussi went down with an injury midway through the second half, the crowd at Q2 Stadium held its collective breath. He eventually shook it off and played the entire game, but it’s not oversimplifying things to say that the club’s fortune depends on his health. 

Hector Jimenez and Owen Wolff impress

Jimenez playing 78 minutes and Owen Wolff being on the right wing is something no one expected prior to the match. 

Jáder Obrian has mostly looked good on the right wing this year, but left wing has been a rotation of Emiliano Rigoni and Ethan Finlay, with neither player providing memorable performances. 

Obrian was switched to the left side for this game, with Owen Wolff getting the start at a new position. Wolff was very good, and it should be his spot to lose going forward. 

It’s not ideal to have the 34-year-old Jimenez playing nearly the entire game, but he deserves credit for his fitness and still being a quality option. 

Until Josh Wolff has more confidence in Guilherme Biro, expect to see a lot of Jimenez until Zan Kolmanic returns from injury — which won’t be any time soon. 

Going conservative late

Besides not finishing more goals, one criticism of Austin FC would be going too conservative for the game’s final 10 minutes and stoppage time. 

Center back Matt Hedges came on during this timeframe for Obrian, giving the Verde & Black five defenders. Predictably, FC Dallas started to have significantly more of the possession and created more chances in the box. 

After Austin FC had dominated possession for 80 minutes, this was a puzzling move. But the Verde & Black got the win, and in the end, that's the only thing that matters.

Something to build on

It’s easy to overreact to one result in soccer. Austin FC looked very good, but you also have to keep in mind that Dallas star forward Jesús Ferreira didn’t play. 

It’s also not clear if Dallas is any good, with the club now having lost four straight. Its roster lacks big names outside of Ferreira and Paul Arriola, and it didn’t show much creativity with the ball or a desire to build up play. 

But Austin FC doesn’t control how other clubs put together a roster or motivate their players, and you never apologize for taking three points. 

It was a good night for Austin FC. 

Now it needs to build on it.