AUSTIN, Texas — Austin FC kicks off their 15th match of the 2021 Major League Soccer (MLS) season on Wednesday, Aug. 4, against Houston Dynamo FC at 8 p.m. in Q2 Stadium.
Final: Austin FC 3, Houston Dynamo FC 2
Austin FC secured its second home win and first win against Texas-based opponents on Wednesday night after the club defeated Houston Dynamo FC, 3-2, at Q2 Stadium.
The verde and black have shown this season that they may not score often, but when they do, it happens in bunches.
Austin FC came into the match on a three-game scoreless streak. The club had only scored in one home game prior to Wednesday's match, which was another scoring clinic they put on against the Portland Timbers.
Tomas Pochettino was the man of the match, scoring his first two goals of the season. Cecilio Dominguez added another goal to his tally, cementing himself as the team's leader in goals scored (4). Houston Dynamo did not go away lightly, however. Down a man for nearly three-fourths of the match after a red card in the first half, Houston Dynamo FC scored to make it a one-goal deficit with only five minutes left in regular time. Austin FC's lead proved to be insurmountable and grabbed a much-needed three points.
Austin FC has 16 points on the season, slating them in the No. 12 spot in the Western Conference.
Next up, Austin FC will take on FC Dallas on the road. Wolff said the club's recently signed designated player, Sebastian Driussi, should be available for Saturday's match.
"It'll be a good chance to introduce him in this match on Saturday," Wolff said in the post-game press conference.
Stats:
- Shots (on goal): Austin FC 14(5), Houston Dynamo FC 9(3)
- Possession: Austin FC 67%, Houston Dynamo FC 33%
- Fouls: Austin FC 10, Houston Dynamo FC 12
- Yellow cards: Austin FC 1, Houston Dynamo FC 1
- Red cards: Austin FC 0, Houston Dynamo FC 1
- Offsides: Austin FC 2, Houston Dynamo FC 1
- Corner kicks: Austin FC 3, Houston Dynamo FC 2
- Saves: Austin FC 1, Houston Dynamo FC 2
Second half:
Austin FC 3, Houston Dynamo FC 2
90' + 3: Match ends. Austin FC wins, 3-2.
85': Houston Dynamo FC goal: Fafà Picault (Houston Dynamo FC) right-footed shot from the left side of the box.
76': Austin FC sub: Rodney Redes replaces Diego Fagundez.
71': Austin FC sub: Jared Stroud replaces Cecilio Dominguez.
64': Austin FC subs: Daniel Pereira, Jhohan Romana and Nick Lima replace Alex Ring, Julio Cascante and Héctor Jiménez.
Houston Dynamo FC subs: Adam Lundqvist replaces Sam Junqua. Boniek García replaces Matías Vera.
56': Austin FC goal: Cecilio Dominguez scores the third goal of the night for Austin FC. Dominguez leads the club with four goals this season.
46': Second half kicks off.
Halftime: Austin FC 2, Houston Dynamo FC 1
Tomas Pochettino scored his first two goals of the season for Austin FC in the first half.
After playing down a player due to a red card, Houston briefly tied the game in the 27th minute following a misplayed ball by Julio Cascante to the midfielders. Tyler Pasher finished a rebounded shot from just outside the six-yard box.
Pochettino's second goal came just before stoppage time and nearly got a third to go in off of a header in stoppage time.
Stats:
- Shots (on goal): Austin FC 7(3), Houston Dynamo FC 4 (2)
- Possession: Austin FC 59%, Houston Dynamo FC 41%
- Fouls: Austin FC 7, Houston Dynamo FC 6
- Yellow cards: Austin FC 0, Houston Dynamo FC 0
- Red cards: Austin FC 0, Houston Dynamo FC 1
- Offsides: Austin FC 0, Houston Dynamo FC 1
- Corner kicks: Austin FC 2, Houston Dynamo FC 0
- Saves: Austin FC 1, Houston Dynamo FC 1
First half
Austin FC 2, Houston Dynamo FC 1
45': Austin FC goal: Tomas Pochettino scores a right-footed goal the the rebound of a Houston FC save. This is Pochettino's second goal of the match.
27': Houston Dynamo FC goal: Tyler Pasher (Houston Dynamo FC) finishes a left-footed shot off of a rebound from just outside the six-yard box. Tie game.
20': Darwin Cerén (Houston Dynamo FC) has been ejected with a red card. Houston will be man down for the rest of the match.
7': Austin FC goal: Houston Dynamo FC scores on an own goal.
Stat correction: Goal is being credited to Tomas Pochettino.
1': Game is kicked off.
Pregame
Austin FC announced its starting lineup:
How to watch
- AustinFC.com and the Austin FC & Q2 Stadium app (click here for availability)
- iOS: http://austinisverde.co/ios.
- Android: http://austinisverde.co/android.
- Note: iOS devices can cast the livestream to Apple TV, and Android to Chromecast.
- Spanish Stream: Univision 62 Austin Mobile App
How to listen
- ALT 97.5 FM (radio)
- Spanish: TUDN Radio Austin (104.3-HD2, KLQB)
Where to watch: Austin FC Pub Club
Preview
Austin FC limp into their first MLS regular-season match against Houston Dynamo FC on a three-game losing streak. The club has also been held scoreless throughout the three-game skid.
The verde and black had an offensive explosion against Portland last month, but aside from that one match, have failed to score in Q2 Stadium. Scoring woes have been a point of emphasis, prompting the team to sign a slew of attacking players, including the team's third designated player Sebastian Driussi, Moussa Djitte and Austin native McKinze Gaines.
Austin FC head coach Josh Wolff said Driussi and Djitte were not available to play yet, pending visas, green cards and other paperwork.
Midfielder Daniel Pereira has also been sorely missed as a calming presence on the ball in the middle of the pitch, but will be available against Houston, according to Wolff.
"[Pereira] has been involved for the last week or so now in full training," Wolff said. "He should be available for the game. We have to be responsible with his minutes. We are optimistic he can find some minutes [against Houston] and certainly against Dallas."
For Houston, the Dynamo come to Austin having drawn their last three matches. In Houston's last nine matches, the club has drawn seven times and lost twice. Houston's last win came on May 22 against the Vancouver Whitecaps.
Houston sits ninth in the Western Conference standings with 18 points. Austin is in last place in the West with 13 points.
For the latest Austin FC news, visit kvue.com/austinfc. To get the latest Austin FC news straight to your phone, text "SOCCER" to 512-459-9442.
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