Austin FC Aims to Break Winless Streak Against Houston Dynamo in Copa Tejas Clash

Austin FC hopes that the added intensity of a rivalry match at home with the Houston Dynamo will change their recent winless streak when the two teams meet Saturday in the latest edition of the quest for Copa Tejas.

The Dynamo head northwest to the Texan capital following a 1-0 home win over San Diego FC on Wednesday. Ibrahim Aliyu’s goal in the 35th minute secured the victory, and goalkeeper Jonathan Bond made just one save to achieve a second consecutive shutout for Houston (4-4-0, 12 points).

This shutout streak follows a rough outing where Houston conceded six goals in a heavy defeat at Colorado on April 11.

“After that loss, there was a refocus on the defensive side, on how we look off the ball and how we look after each other,” Dynamo coach Ben Olsen stated after Wednesday’s win. “We could have made things easier for ourselves with a second goal—we have to do a better job of understanding when it’s time to go against a team that leaves itself exposed.”

Dynamo starting striker Ondrej Lingr, who assisted on Aliyu’s goal on Wednesday, received a red card late in that match and will be unavailable against Austin.

Austin returns home from the Bay Area after suffering a 5-1 defeat to San Jose on Wednesday. This match was the third road game in nine days for the Verde (1-4-4, 7 points). Joseph Rosales scored Austin’s only goal while goalkeeper Brad Stuver saved 11 of the 16 shots he faced before the situation worsened.

Austin remains winless in its last seven MLS matches (0-4-3) and has allowed 12 goals over the past four contests. The Verde, who scored a Western Conference-low 37 goals last season, have been outscored 19-12 in their nine matches this year.

The team is still searching for a balance between attacking to score and minimizing their opponents’ chances. San Jose had a significant 37-6 advantage in shots on Wednesday while defeating Austin.

“We were not a team that scored many goals (last season),” Austin coach Nico Estevez said. “This is something we discussed in the offseason. And it’s true that sometimes when you focus so much on improving one thing, you can get worse in other aspects.”

The Verde have traditionally been strong at home in MLS matches against Houston, holding a 5-1-1 record in their seven meetings at Q2 Stadium.