FC Dallas was unable to hold the lead against I-35 rival Austin FC on Saturday, with both teams scoring a goal to end in a tie. It is the third draw in the last four games dating to the last victory by FC Dallas. They now hold sixth in the Western Conference and are 13 points behind league-leading LAFC.
Paul Arriola continued his spectacular season with a ninth goal. The goal came on a crossing pass from Golden Boot candidate Jesus Ferreira at 41 minutes. Arriola’s shot came as the offense got a fast break. Ferriera’s pass barely snuck behind a defender, setting Arriola up with a perfect shot on the goal.
Both offenses had opportunities early in the match, including a hooking shot from Austin FC’s Sebastian Driussi that beat goalkeeper Maarten Paes but hit the crossbar and went over, and an early try by FC Dallas that managed to hit the side goal post twice before being cleared by Austin FC.
FC Dallas has suffered in recent games, giving up goals late in the match. That was the case again against Austin FC, who scored the tying point near the 80-minute mark of the game. Austin also had several opportunities to take the lead late, but Paes was able to make critical saves to secure the tie.
“It’s amazing that we weren’t able to score two to three goals,” said FC Dallas head coach Nico Estevez after the game. “The overall game plan was executed in the first half. I am proud of the guys because we had one day to prepare for this match, and the guys absorbed all of that information that we gave them in a 45-minute session.”
Players had a short week this week after playing a match against New York City FC on July 13. The match was the first loss for FC Dallas since a loss to LAFC on June 29. FC Dallas has gone 0-1-3 so far in July but has two more matches remaining in the month.
“I can think about using some free time,” Paes said about the upcoming week off after playing three games in seven days. “If you think about the game on Wednesday where we gave everything until the last minute, and when I think about today, I think we need some rest mentally and physically. We need to relax a little bit.”
Matt Hedges, who had a near-goal at the end of the game that would have given FC Dallas a victory, agrees that the team can use a break.
“It’ll be a big help,” Hedges said postgame. “We need to get back in training a little bit and work on a few things. The rest, too, will help. It’s been very, very hot – training out in the heat every day. It’s difficult, especially playing every three days. So it’ll be good to have those few days of rest and training; I think we need them.”
With a week off to recuperate, FC Dallas will hit the road for the last time in July. They travel to Rio Tinto Stadium in Utah to take on Salt Lake FC on July 23. Salt Lake FC currently holds third in the Western Conference.