The Houston Dynamo play their 4th game in 14 days at in-state rivals Austin FC this weekend. Here’s what you need to know ahead of tomorrow’s MLS matchup.

Austin FC have been poor to start the season, only winning one of their opening 9 games (1W-4L-4D). This has left them in 13th position in the Western Conference, already 5 points off the playoff line. This is in part to Austin struggling to score and to keep goals out of their own goal. They score 1.3 goals/90 (22nd in MLS) and concede 2.1 goals/90 (24th in MLS).

While Austin has scored goals in 8 of their 9 games so far, they have only scored more than one goal in just 3 games. This inability to get a second goal was seen when Austin FC crashed out of the US Open Cup last mid-week to USL team Louisville City FC 2-1.

The Dynamo have historically struggled at Q2 stadium, having an all time record of 1W-6L-1D in Austin, most recently drawing 2-2 last August.

By The Numbers

Austin have 9.6 xG for and 20.9 xG against, both of those numbers ranking in the bottom 5 of MLS, giving them an xG differential of -11.3, the second lowest in MLS.
Of Austin’s 12 goals this season, 6 of them have come from set-pieces (most in MLS). The Dynamo have conceded 4 of their 16 goals from set-pieces this season.
Austin have conceded 14 goals in their last 5 games, including 5 goals at San Jose this past Wednesday and 3 goals at Toronto last Saturday. In those two games, Austin had created just 2.32 xG, and conceded 8.41 xG.

Head Coach

Nico Estevez

A familiar face for Dynamo fans, Nico Estévez managed another in-state rival, FC Dallas, from December 2021 till his sacking in June 2024. He was appointed as Austin FC head coach in October 2024. Last season, Nico led Austin to their first playoff berth since 2022, losing to LAFC in the first round. Estevez has an all time record of 3W-1L-5D against the Dynamo as head coach.

Last Five Matches

March 18 - Toluca 4-0 San Diego (CCC)
March 22 - San Diego 2-2 Salt Lake
April 4 - San Jose 3-0 San Diego
April 11 - San Diego 1-2 Minnesta
April 18 - Salt Lake 4-2 San Diego

Last Match Staring XI (from Sofascore)

Here’s how Austin lined up for their last MLS game, a 5-1 loss at San Jose.

2026 Roster

Goalkeepers: Brad Stuver, Damian Las

Defenders: Riley Thomas, Mikkel Desler, Brendan Hines-Ike, Oleksandr Svatok, Jon Bell, Jon Gallagher, Zan Kolmanic, Guilherme Biro, Mateja Djordjevic

Midfielders: Ilie Sanchez, Dani Pereira, Besard Sabovic, Robert Taylor, Nico Dubersarsky, Joseph Rosales, Micah Burton, Owen Wolff, Ervin Torres

Forwards: Jayden Nelson, Brandon Vazquez, Myrto Uzuni, Facundo Torres, CJ Fodrey, Christian Ramirez

Enemy Scouting Report: Austin FC

Previewing Houston Dynamo at Austin FC with Verde All Day