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FC Dallas Hosts Houston Tomorrow: 5 Things You Need to Know About the Match

August 31, 2018 - Major League Soccer (MLS)
FC Dallas News Release


The Battle for El Capitán comes down to Saturday's 2018 Texas Derby finale as FC Dallas (13-6-7, 46 points) hosts the Houston Dynamo (7-12-7, 26 points) on Saturday, September 1 at Toyota Stadium in a match presented by Toyota. This is the third of three meetings this season between the two clubs. Dallas and the Dynamo played to a 1-1 draw twice this season (7/21/18 in Houston and 8/23/18 in Houston).

Special Olympics Unified Match

Immediately following Dallas' match against Houston, the FC Dallas Special Olympics squad supported by Globe Life will play the Houston Dynamo's Special Olympics team. The game will take place on the Toyota Stadium pitch.

The FC Dallas Special Olympics squad played to a 1-1 draw against the New York Red Bulls on June 23. Please click HERE for more on this match.

GAMEDAY DETAILS YOU NEED TO KNOW:

Gameday Social: #FCDvHOU

TV Broadcast Details: 7PM on TXA21 and the FCDTV Network

Radio Broadcast Details: FCDallas.com/Live (English) and 1270AM (Spanish)

Pregame Scarfer: FC Dallas Special Olympics athlete Austen Mornes, a defender from Lewisville, TX

5 Things You Need to Know about #FCDvHOU

How FC Dallas Can Win the 2018 Texas Derby

Because the first two meetings of the 2018 Texas Derby ended in 1-1 draws, Saturday's match between Dallas and Houston is a winner-take-all game. The winner of the match, wins El Capitán, the 19th-century Mountain Howitzer cannon that serves as the trophy for this series.

If the game ends in a draw for the sixth straight time, here are the tiebreakers:

Tiebreaker #1

Goal Differential - in 2018, it would be all square with three draws this season.

Tiebreaker #2

Head-to-Head Playoff Winner - if both teams meet in the playoffs, the winner takes the cannon. Yes, this is unlikely but not impossible.

Tiebreakers #3 & #4

Concacaf Champions League series and U.S. Open Cup head-to-head play which doesn't matter in this case, as neither team met in those competitions in 2018. Houston is playing Philadelphia in the U.S. Open Cup final on September 26.

The Final Option:

If none of the previous tiebreakers result in a winner, the team in possession of El Capitán retains it, in this case, of course, the Dynamo.

Iron Mike

Michael Barrios has played in 78 straight MLS matches. He has five goals and three assists in his last six matches (since July 28).

Keeping up with the Keepers

Jimmy Mauer (1.23 GAA in 13 starts) ranks 7th in the league in goals against average. Houston's Joe Willis ranks 9th (1.45 GAA in 20 starts). Dallas' Jesse Gonzalez ranks 10th (1.46 GAA in 13 starts). FC Dallas is the only team in MLS to have two goalkeepers in the top 10.

WATCH: Texas Derby, Volume 13, Issue 3

Against Houston

FC Dallas is 9-10-13 all-time vs. Houston and 5-3-6 in matches played at Toyota Stadium. FC Dallas is 5-1-6 against the Dynamo since 2014.

About the Dynamo

Houston is currently in 10th place in MLS' Western Conference. The Dynamo have gone winless in its last nine matches, the second-longest such streak in club history.

Check out the FC Dallas Statistics



Major League Soccer Stories from August 31, 2018


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

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