Austin FC comes back to earn draw versus FC Dallas, win first trophy in team history
Only half way through its second season, Austin FC has its first trophy.
In a draw that feels more like a win, El Tree secured the Copa Tejas championship with a 1-1 result against FC Dallas on the road Saturday at Toyota Stadium.
Paul Arriola scored for FC Dallas in the first half and Diego Fagúndez found the net for the equalizer in the second half for El Tree, which played with assistant coach Davy Arnaud leading the team after head coach Josh Wolff was placed in the league’s health and safety protocols earlier in the day.
Here are some observations from the game as Austin FC, which stays atop the MLS standings with 41 points, now has a full week off before hosting the New York Red Bulls on Sunday.
Season two, now an official success
Barring a complete collapse in which Austin FC misses the playoffs — something that seems nearly impossible with the way it has played up to this point — this season can now officially be considered a success.
Austin FC has the trophy to claim “Best team in Texas” bragging rights and should be playing in the postseason.
For a club in its second season, that’s very noteworthy.
Grinding out good results
This wasn’t El Tree’s best performance, and at times it certainly looked like it was playing its fifth game in 17 days, but good teams find a way to grind out results.
When Dallas lost the ball deep in its own territory in the 79th minute, Austin FC pounced on the opportunity to tie the game. Felipe Martins quickly centered the ball to Sebastián Driussi, who then set up Fagúndez perfectly for his goal.
The team had few scoring chances up to that point, but when presented with an error, it capitalized.
It’s just another sign of the quality soccer Austin FC is currently playing.
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Ruben Gabrielsen deserves 'Man of the Match' honors
Gabrielsen should get the “Man of the Match” award for Austin.
Gabrielsen made several key defensive plays on Dallas counterattacks that broke up scoring opportunities and kept Austin FC from trailing 2-0 or 3-0.
An offseason signing from Norway who played in France and Denmark last year, Gabrielsen has been a brilliant addition to the team and is one of many reasons for the club’s turnaround this year.
FC Dallas' goal excellent counterattacking
You have to give FC Dallas credit for its first-half goal.
It was a solid buildup of passes off a counterattack, capped by Jesús Ferreira’s precise cross on the ground into the box that Arriola finished.
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There wasn’t any blatantly poor defending by Austin FC, and this is a play where you just tip your cap to the opponent.
Austin continues to grab points after falling behind
Since returning from the international break in mid-June, Austin FC is unbeaten in seven matches, going 5-2-0.
What makes that stretch even more impressive is that five of those matches were on the road.
El Tree also continues to get results after falling behind, as it now has 16 points — four wins and four ties — after trailing 1-0 or 2-0.
The 300 Club
In a unique circumstance, the game featured the 300th career MLS appearance for two players: Martins and FC Dallas defender Matt Hedges.
Hedges, who has spent his entire career in Dallas, was honored in a short ceremony before the game.
Martins, who is in his 11th year in the league, has played for five different clubs.
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Josh Wolff misses match in COVID protocols
Roughly 45 minutes before kickoff, Austin FC announced that Wolff would miss the match due to being placed in MLS health and safety protocols.
Wolff was the only member of the roster and coaching staff put in the league’s health and safety protocols.