FC Dallas hosts the Houston Dynamo in the first leg of the Texas Derby this Saturday, April 27 at 7:30PM at Toyota Stadium.
Here's everything you need to know before the match.
HOW TO WATCH
The match will be streamed in both English and Spanish on MLS Season Pass on Apple TV
Neil Sika and Sam Lloyd will call the game in English on Apple TV with Adrian Garcia Marquez and Francisco Pinto providing Spanish commentary.
HOW TO LISTEN
English: You can listen to all the action on the FC Dallas app and Talk Radio 1190AM. Host Sam Hale will provide pregame and postgame coverage beginning at 7PM with broadcasters Ryan Figert, Steve Davis and Dallas Burn legend Mark Dodd calling the game.
Spanish: Carlos Alvarado and Rafa Calderon will call the game in Spanish on the FC Dallas app starting at 7:30PM.
MATCH OVERVIEW
Head-to-Head Records
- FCD record: 1-5-2 (5 points, 13th in West)
- HOU record: 4-3-1 (13 points, 6th in West)
- FCD vs. HOU all-time: 14-13-19 (71 goals scored, 64 goals conceded)
- FCD vs. HOU home: 10-13-9 (38 goals scored, 25 goals conceded)
Story Lines
The Texas Derby: Saturday's match is the first leg of the Texas Derby, the all-important regular season rivalry series between FC Dallas and the Houston Dynamo. The winner of the two-game series earns the right to keep El Capitán (a 19th century replica cannon) at their stadium for the next year. Dallas has had the upper hand in the Texas Derby in recent seasons, having kept El Capitán in five out of the last six years. In 2023, Dallas and Houston tied both games against each other meaning the series was a draw, so the cannon remains at Toyota Stadium where it's been since the end of 2022. But Texas pride isn't the only thing on the line Saturday. FC Dallas is desperate for a victory to end its six-game winless streak, a run that has seen the club drop to 13th place in the West. With their team struggling, Dallas fans everywhere will be hoping the old cliché "form goes out the window" for derby games will hold true this time around.
Copa Tejas: The Texas Derby isn't the only rivalry competition on the line this Saturday. Since Austin FC's introduction to MLS in 2021, the three Texas teams have competed for Copa Tejas, a fan-driven competition to crown the top team in the state. This year, Copa Tejas is decided by the best performing Texas team in games against one another on a points per game (PPG) basis. So far, Austin FC leads the series with 3.0 PPG having defeated both Dallas and Houston. No one's out of the running though, as there are five more Copa Tejas clashes to be played (FCD plays both Houston and Austin two more times while Austin and Houston will play once more). Still, if Dallas is to win Copa Tejas back for the first time since 2021, a positive result on Saturday is crucial.
Olsen's Houston: The Dynamo are in their second season under head coach Ben Olsen, who helped the club perform an impressive turnaround to reach the Western Conference Final in his first year in charge. Year 2 seems to be going well enough, with the Dynamo sitting in sixth place in the West with a 4-3-1 record while dealing with injuries to key players. Among them is midfield talisman Hector Herrera. The Mexico international missed the first seven games with a knee injury but returned last match and played 28 minutes in Houston's 1-0 loss to Austin FC. If Herrera is fit enough to start on Saturday, FC Dallas will need to do its to stop the 34-year-old from dictating the pace of the game from midfield. Regardless, Olsen's Houston has proved a tricky opponent for Dallas who will need to be at its best to earn all three points.
