Austin FC booked their place in Major League Soccer’s Western Conference final Sunday night, doing so with a 2-1 victory over intra-state rivals FC Dallas at Q2 Stadium. The club will next meet Supporters’ Shield winners LAFC at Banc of America Stadium on Oct. 30th.
Austin nabbed the game’s opening goal off a set piece in the 26th minute. Austin midfielder Diego Fagundez swung in a corner toward the center of the box. His service caromed off a pair of FC Dallas defenders and settled at the feet of Austin forward Moussa Djitte, who redirected the ball towards the near post, past the outstretched arms of Dallas ‘keeper Maarten Paes. For Djitte, who has at times been relegated to a bit player for Austin this year, the strike was his first as a starter since September of 2021.
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Not three minutes later MLS MVP candidate Sebastian Druissi doubled Austin’s lead with a lovely effort, collecting the ball near midfield, swiveling around a defender at the top of the area and smashing it home from 18 yards out. Dallas did not get a decent opportunity at goal until the dying moments of the first half when midfielder Paul Arriola’s low strike was easily gathered by Austin goalkeeper Brad Stuver.
A big goal for Sebastian Driussi to put Austin FC up 2-0 in the #MLSCupPlayoffs! What a finish from the MVP candidate. 🎥 @MLS | #MLSCupPlayoffs pic.twitter.com/oJMDQ96pxV — The Athletic Soccer (@TheAthleticSCCR) October 24, 2022
Dallas made a key adjustment at halftime, inserting Argentine veteran Franco Jara as a No. 9 and dropping USMNT striker Jesus Ferreira in behind him, a move that, for a time, changed the balance of the game. Some twenty minutes after entering, Jara was involved in Dallas’ only goal of the match, a close-range finish by midfielder Alan Velasco.
But Austin did not relent and, aside from Velasco’s strike, Dallas only had a pair of genuine chances to equalize: a close-range, headed effort in the 88th minute that was expertly pushed away from goal by Stuver and a promising free kick a minute later that Ferreira put well over the bar.
By most any metric, Austin’s turnaround this season has been impressive. The club spent the bulk of its inaugural season in 2021 mired near the bottom of the table but has written a far more memorable story this year. The next step in the club’s journey — a massive matchup on Sunday against, arguably, the league’s most talented team — could book them a spot in the MLS Cup.
(Photo: Scott Wachter / USA Today)