Austin FC and FC Dallas are two of the first three teams bounced from the MLS Playoffs in Round One. Losing back-to-back matches against LAFC for the former and Vancouver Whitecaps for the latter means the Houston Dynamo are still the only Texas team to win a Major League Soccer title. In a state known for its lofty football expectations — looking at you, Dallas Cowboys and Texas Longhorns —Texas fútbol fans share the same desire for their teams to succeed. The early exit for both Austin FC and FC Dallas will be felt across the state this week.
Austin FC Exit
The 2022 MLS Playoffs saw Austin FC make a miracle run to the Conference Finals in just their second season in MLS. Coincidentally, Austin FC knocked out FC Dallas in the Conference Semifinals that year before losing 3-0 to LAFC one game away from the Final.
Drawing LAFC with everything on the line in the playoffs was still a nightmare matchup in this year’s iteration. Stylistically, LAFC and Austin FC could not be more different. I wrote about Austin FC’s strategy issues following Game One’s loss, hoping the coaches were seeing the same things I did. A narrow 2-1 loss in Game One gave hope that a slight strategy adjustment could see Austin force a Game Three in the best-of-three series.
That proved not to be the case as the Verde & Black fell to a 4-1 loss in Game Two on Sunday. LAFC’s powerhouse duo of Son Heung-Min and Denis Bounaga again terrorized Austin’s backline. They combined for three goals on the day, leading the Black & Gold to a relatively simple two-game sweep.
Austin FC bought out Gyasi Zardes’s contract in December of 2024 ahead of this season. I won’t say the 34-year-old striker would’ve been the difference in winning or losing the series against LA. Still, with the way coach Nico Estevez prefers to play, Zardes would’ve been a better option to have up front following Brandon Vazquez’s ACL injury. Zardes (6ft 2in), who helped the Columbus Crew win the MLS Championship in 2020, has the playoff experience to lead the team at a minimum.
The lack of scoring options proved the difference, as Austin doesn’t have the firepower to keep up in a battle of offenses. An aggregate score of 6-2 throughout the series tells the tale of one team ensuring it has legitimate scoring options —and it wasn’t Austin.
FC Dallas Exit
FC Dallas, to their credit, looked like they were about to force a Game Three against Vancouver by holding a 1-0 lead into stoppage time of Game Two. A late goal from the Whitecaps in the 93rd minute saw the game go to penalties, where Vancouver would sweep the series by converting four penalties to Dallas’s two penalties.
Although I am against MLS continuing its retirement league narrative by bringing in 30+ year-old international stars, Thomas Müller, Vancouver’s prized 2025 addition, undoubtedly made a difference. Müller’s many, many years (25!!) at Bayern Munich, Germany’s perennial title winners for those unaware, proved crucial. He converted a penalty in regular time of Game One and scored the first penalty of the shootout in Game Two. The legendary tone setter hasn’t lost a step in that regard.
FC Dallas has consistently had a strong youth academy that has fed players into its senior team. Ricardo Pepi joined the academy in 2016 and made his senior team debut in 2019. Pepi, now practicing his trade with PSV in Eredivisie (Netherlands), has been sorely missed since he left the club in 2022 to continue his growth. Jesus Ferreira, who joined the academy at eight years old in 2009, was traded to the Seattle Sounders in January of 2025. Both players were high-quality scoring options for Dallas, and although Petar Musa played well during the 2025 season, scoring 19 goals, there aren’t many scoring options behind him. The next highest goal scorer for Dallas had only six goals all year.
Much like Austin FC’s series against LA, the lack of scoring options proved to be the difference against Vancouver as shown by the aggregate of 4-1 through two games.
End Of My Austin FC And FC Dallas Rant
It’s a sad day for soccer fans in Texas, as both Austin FC and FC Dallas have been eliminated from the playoffs early. Both teams have similar issues: a lack of scoring options and a faulty strategy, but they have a clear idea of which positions to improve next season. I hope they don’t take the retirement route and try to acquire a big-name, international star outside of his prime. There’s more than enough talent in the world to take on someone with speed and ferocity that can put a real scare into opposing defenses.