Rivalries in all sports tend to ebb and flow. One team gains a favorable matchup and tends to beat their rival for a few years, and then the cycle turns, and the opponent gains the upper hand. Over the course of 24 all-time regular-season meetings over 10 seasons, the Houston Dynamo and FC Dallas have produced two eras of dominance. The Dynamo hope to start a new cycle on Saturday in the first Texas Derby of 2016 (TICKETS).
From 2006-2012, the Dynamo went 9-3-7 against FC Dallas, outscoring the North Texas club 28-19. The seven-year run included a memorable playoff series win for the Dynamo in the 2007 Western Conference semifinals, capped by two extra-time goals at Robertson Stadium. The Dynamo won El Capitán, the howitzer cannon awarded to the season series winner in five of the first seven seasons.
Beginning with St. Patrick’s Day 2013, when Kenny Cooper’s controversial arm-aided goal sealed a 3-2 win, FC Dallas has controlled the series, winning five straight regular-season meetings, including two 4-1 wins and a 2-0 victory last season.
The Dynamo enter Saturday’s Texas Derby against FC Dallas with a strong history at home against their in-state rivals. Houston is 6-3-3 against FCD all-time at home, with Dallas winning in its last two visits to BBVA Compass Stadium.
“You definitely have an advantage here at every home game,” Dynamo veteran Ricardo Clark said. “At home we’ve had some good results against [FC Dallas] and we always want to take advantage of our opportunities here. Let’s give Dallas credit, they’ve had good results against us lately. That’s something we need to change.”
Clark has been a key figure in the rivalry, with four goals against FC Dallas, one goal shy of Cooper for the series lead. Clark also has committed 28 fouls against FCD, the most in series history.
“It is always a fun game. You want to score in every game to be honest. I would definitely prefer to score in the playoffs than a regular season game against FC Dallas. Against any rival, not just Dallas and really any game you want to go out there and do your best. That’s our goal this week and throughout the rest of the season.”
Notable streaks during Houston-Dallas rivalry:
- The Dynamo went 7-1-5 (W-L-T) over the first 13 meetings of the series, from May 2006 to June 2009.
- FC Dallas has won five consecutive regular-season meetings over the last three seasons.
