Winger Owen Wolff was a bright spot in an otherwise unimpressive 1-1 draw for Austin FC against rivals FC Dallas at Q2 Stadium Credit: credit: Austin FC

For the third consecutive match at Q2 Stadium and second straight against a Copa Tejas rival, Austin FC settled for a draw in front of their home fans, 1-1, versus FC Dallas.

With Dallas seemingly hell-bent on leaving with a draw from the opening whistle, Austin saw the vast majority of possession, racked up the most shots and built an edge in expected goals, causing head coach Nico Estévez to once again lament his club’s “mala suerte” for the umpteenth time this season.

Here are our takeaways from the match.

A Confident Wolff

Austin’s most consistent offensive force this season, Owen Wolff, hit another gear in this contest, scoring the club’s lone goal and hypnotizing Dallas defenders with his dribbling ability.

Wolff, who MLS lists at just 5-foot-9, elevated over Dallas defender Shaq Moore to get his head on a Mikkel Desler cross, leveling things in the 51st minute after Moore had given Dallas a first-half lead.

Wolff was Austin’s attacking engine throughout his 76 minutes on the pitch, constantly seeking out the ball and getting involved to the tune of 41 touches in the attacking third. The 20-year-old seemed to be operating with a level of confidence reflecting his strong play this season.

Uzuni MIA

While Wolff, along with Austin’s other winger, Osman Bukari, saw lots of opportunities in the attacking third, the club’s de facto striker, Myrto Uzuni, was a non-factor.

Uzuni, who played the fill 90 minutes, touched the ball just 17 times and completed just eight passes. The Albanian international fired off only one shot, which was off-target.

Estévez pointed to Dallas’ conservative defensive shape, which left little space for Uzuni to work. And while that may be true, it’s still troubling to so easily allow an opponent to neutralize your most talented attacking player in the way Dallas successfully made Uzuni a spectator.

Home Woes

In 13 MLS matches at Q2 Stadium this season, Austin FC holds a record of four wins, two losses, and a staggering seven draws. It’s the kind of record you can shape to whatever narrative you want.

Glass half-full: Austin FC hardly ever loses at home. Glass half-empty: Opponents routinely come to Q2 and leave with a result of some kind.

The reality is that, as things stand, Austin FC pretty much embodies the entire concept of “mid.” The club sits eighth out of 15 in the Western Conference standings. Seven teams better, seven teams worse. The club’s record of 9-8-8 is almost too perfectly mid to be true.

And yet, if the season ended like this, the Verde and Black would still have postseason soccer to look forward to.

Next up for Austin is the club’s final cross-conference clash of the season, north of the border Saturday night against CF Montreal.

For more Austin FC news and analysis, visit The Austin Chronicle‘s Austin FC hub. Follow The Verde Report columnist Eric Goodman on X: @goodman.

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Eric Goodman has covered Austin FC for the Austin Chronicle since before the club first kicked a ball in 2021. His column, The Verde Report, continues the Chronicle's decades-long tradition of soccer-focused commentary, serving as a spiritual successor to Nick Barbaro's Soccer Watch column. Eric has also covered multiple Olympic Games and FIFA World Cups as a freelance sports journalist, and is a two-time Emmy-winning producer.