Tenth-place FC Dallas (6-10-9, 27 points) visits 12th-place Houston Dynamo FC (4-10-11, 23 points) tonight at 8:30 pm CT.
It’s the third and final meeting between the teams this season.
Gameday Social: #HOUvDAL
TV: 8:30 pm,
DFW: TXA21 (English) and KMPX 29 (Spanish),
Amarillo: My Amarillo TV/KAMR
Lubbock: My Lubbock TV/KMYL
Streaming: 8:30 pm on FCDallas.com/Stream
Radio: 8:30 pm CT on FCDallas.com/Radio (English) and 1270AM (Spanish)
Buzz’s Lineup Prediction
Let’s start with the elephant in the room, when you score two goals you get to start again. As much as I think he doesn’t make the team better, no way Coach Luchi Gonzalez benches Jader Obrian.
The only change I see potentially happening in the front 6 is Bryan Acosta perhaps replacing Brandon Servania. Brandon had a good run of games but slipped a little against NYC. Outside shot, Szabolcs Schön starts on the left to give Paxton Pomykal a break.
In the back things might get a little more interesting as the team is bleeding goals. Bressan is no longer listed on the injury report – I expected he would return sometime this week – and Jimmy Maurer was on the bench in NY. In my mind, that means both can go and I’m putting them both in.
Ryan Hollingshead is still “out” so it’s Ema Twumasi and Justin Che left and right.
Bench Prediction
Phelipe
Brandon Servania
Edwin Cerrillo
Eddie Munjoma
Kalil ElMedkhar
Matt Hedges
Freddy Vargas
Szabolcs Schön
Andres Ricaurte
MLS Player Availability Report
FC Dallas
- OUT: Beni Redžić (ankle sprain)
- OUT: Johnny Nelson (back surgery)
- OUT: Ryan Hollingshead (foot)
- QUESTIONABLE: Jimmy Maurer (thigh)
Houston Dynamo FC
- OUT: Nico Lemoine (right groin)
- QUESTIONABLE: Adalberto Carrasquilla (lower body)
- QUESTIONABLE: Marko Maric (left leg)
- QUESTIONABLE: Corey Baird (lower body)
- QUESTIONABLE: Tyler Pasher (lower body)
Suspensions
SUSPENDED NEXT YELLOW CARD:
HOU: Boniek Garcia …
DAL: Matt Hedges, Jader Obrian
SUSPENDED AFTER TWO YELLOW CARDS:
HOU: Darwin Ceren, Matias Vera, Maximiliano Urruti …
DAL: Edwin Cerrillo, Szabolcs Schon, Ema Twumasi
Officials
REFEREE: Victor Rivas.
AR1 (bench): Adam Wienckowski;
AR2 (opposite): Logan Brown;
4th: Nima Saghafi;
VAR: Daniel Radford;
AVAR: Jonathan Johnson
Rivas MLS Career:
33 games;
FC/gm: 23.2;
Y/gm: 3.4;
R: 5;
pens: 12
MLS Kit Assignments
More Game Info
LEAGUE HEAD-TO-HEAD:
Dynamo 12 wins, 57 goals …
FC Dallas 13 wins, 64 goals …
Ties 16
AT DYNAMO:
Dynamo 9 wins, 34 goals …
FC Dallas 4 wins, 29 goals …
Ties 8
Since the clubs drew in their previous two meetings, the outcome of Saturday’s match will decide who keeps El Capitán as the winner of the 2021 Texas Derby series. If the clubs tie for a third time, FCD would retain possession of El Capitán.
Dallas can also clinch the inaugural MLS Copa Tejas title by taking all three points.
FC Dallas Homegrowns have played 7,028 minutes and have made 123 appearances in the past 25 matches during the 2021 season, surpassing the 4,949 minutes played during the 2020 MLS regular season.
FC Dallas is tied for ninth in the league with 36 goals scored and 34 assists, while Houston Dynamo is tied for 18th in the league with 28 goals and 26 assists.
Ricardo Pepi is tied for fourth in the Golden Boot race with 12 goals scored (3 GWG), is the highest-scoring American in the league, and one of five players with three multi-goal games.
Szabolcs Schön leads FC Dallas with six assists.
The Dynamo’s Fafa Picault leads Houston with nine goals and four assists, but also leads the league with most offside calls (24).
FC Dallas is second in the Western Conference with 40 goals allowed, only behind the Portland Timbers (41), while Houston Dynamo is third in the conference with 37 goals conceded.
FC Dallas has the fifth-most goals scored on the road (17) along with Seattle Sounders FC, while Houston has the seventh-lowest amount of goals scored at home (16) along with two other clubs.
50 FCD APPEARANCES
Jimmy Maurer (49)
Ricardo Pepi (47)
Franco Jara (41)
50 FC DALLAS STARTS
Jimmy Maurer (49)
Bryan Acosta (47)
Bressan (41)