Austin FC dominated and dismantled its in-state rival FC Dallas into the middle of the night Wednesday, to the tune of a 3-0 win that felt even more lopsided than the scoreline would suggest.
Ethan Finlay, Diego Fagúndez, and Gyasi Zardes all bagged goals as part of the club’s most complete performance of the 2023 season, one that resembled some of ATXFC’s blowout victories from a year ago.
From the opening whistle, which didn’t come until 10:07pm due to an unplanned lightning delay on top of a planned excessive heat delay, Austin FC played with a smoothness and air of confidence rarely seen in the first half of the year. The entire squad appeared rejuvenated following a 12-day international break, like a jump-started Verde sports car engine finally firing on all cylinders (maybe it was one of the lightning strikes that did it).
After a stunning double-save from Dallas goalkeeper Maarten Paes denied Austin a goal in the 13th minute, Finlay opened the scoring four minutes later from point-blank range, cleaning up a Jon Gallagher cross that squirted free right on the doorstep of the goal.
Finlay also had a hand in the second goal that came in the 40th minute, setting up Fagúndez for a gorgeous, curling finesse finish that sailed over Paes and into the net.
Diego Fagundez hit the chip to perfection. 🏌️♂️ pic.twitter.com/0aJof6FPvN
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) June 22, 2023
“Right before that play, Ethan actually came up to me and said, ‘Hey, the next play, just be ready and I might slip it back to you,’” Fagúndez said. “And literally, whatever he said, it actually came true so I was just ready for it.”
In the 58th minute, Zardes gave Austin FC something it had yet to find in any game this season: a third goal. The striker timed his run to perfection to pounce on a through ball from Nick Lima, then made no mistakes with the finish.
At this point, it bears mentioning the state of the opposition Austin faced. Dallas were without several top starters, including star striker Jesús Ferreira, Paul Arriola, Paxton Pomykal, and Jáder Obrian, accounting for more than half of the club’s goals on the season. Three FCD starters each made just their second starts of the season. That inexperience was paired with head-scratching tactics from Dallas coach Nico Estévez, who set his defense aggressively high up the field but did not pair that with a consistent press, allowing Austin time and space to get into goalscoring opportunities.
But the Verde and Black certainly didn’t mind. After a heartbreaking loss at home to Dallas back in May, any win over the rivals to the north was going to feel good.
“This team came in here and disrespected us last time. And while not every guy on their team was here… we wanted to make a statement tonight,” Finlay said. “I think we did that.”
Austin FC won’t have to wait long to get another crack at a Texas rival as the Houston Dynamo head to Q2 Stadium Saturday night. Could Wednesday’s win be the performance that finally kicks ATX into high gear?
“We hope so,” coach Josh Wolff said. “We have quality, we have good ideas with good intentions. It’s about having the consistency.”
For more Austin FC news and analysis, visit The Austin Chronicle‘s Austin FC hub. Follow “The Verde Report” columnist Eric Goodman on Twitter: @goodman.
This article appears in Best of Austin 2023 (Insert).
