Houston Dynamo FC  face in-state rival in first leg of Texas Derby

Houston Dynamo FC travel to Toyota Park on Saturday for the first leg of the Texas Derby against FC Dallas. The match will air live on Univision and kickoff is scheduled for 2:30 p.m. CT.

Houston travel to North Texas after playing Los Angeles Football Club to a 1-1 draw at BBVA Stadium last Saturday. Forward Tyler Pasher scored his first MLS goal and the 27-year-old has contributed to three of the four goals scored this season. This is Pasher’s second stint with an MLS club after spending two seasons with Sporting Kansas City from 2016-2017. Defensively, the Dynamo will have additional options at center back with the return of Maynor Figueroa and Alejandro Fuenmayor. Both players joined the team on the match day roster against LAFC as co-captain Boniek Garcia earned his third start in the backline. 

This is the first meeting between both teams in the regular season, but the Dynamo faced their in-state rival in the final of the La Copita preseason tournament on April 10. The Dynamo dropped the match to Dallas prior to earning three points in the opening game of the regular season.

The Dynamo also dropped the series in 2020, it was the first time since 2007 that both teams faced each other four times in the regular season. Houston’s lone victory in the series was on Oct. 7 in a 2-0 triumph at BBVA Stadium. The Dynamo finished with a 1-2-1 record against FC Dallas in 2020.

The Dynamo return to BBVA Stadium on Wednesday, April 12 to face Sporting Kansas City at 7:30 p.m. CT. Houston will return to the road later in the week to face the Colorado Rapids at 7 p.m. at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park.

Here are three key points ahead of Saturday’s game:    

1. TEXAS DERBY BEGINS IN FRISCO: Saturday’s match between the Dynamo and FC Dallas is the first leg of the Texas Derby and the 40th regular season meeting between both teams. Dallas enters the game with a slight edge in the all-time series with a 13-12-14 record against Houston. The annual Texas showdown will have a new look in 2021 with the addition of Austin FC. In total, the Dynamo will face their in-state rivals six times in 2021. Houston dropped the series with FC Dallas in 2020 and the Dynamo look to earn their first victory in North Texas since a 1-0 triumph on Sept. 24, 2011. Houston faced both teams in the preseason as part of La Copita where they earned a victory against Austin and fell to Dallas.
   
2. DYNAMO OFFENSE LOOKS FOR VARIETY: Forward Tyler Pasher has contributed to three of the four goals this season and the Dynamo will look for additional contributions on Saturday in Frisco. Pasher leads the team with eight chances created followed by Zarek Valentin with four, Maxi Urruti with three and Memo Rodriguez with two. A significant portion of the Dynamo offense begins with the outside backs and both Valentin and Adam Lundkvist lead the team with passes into the final third with 34 each. Houston will look to combine their efforts on Saturday to score more than one goal for the first time since the 2-1 victory on opening day against the San Jose Earthquakes.
   
3. DALLAS REBOUNDS AT HOME: Dallas drew 0-0 with the Colorado Rapids in their first game of the season and fell to the Earthquakes the following week. Luchi Gonzalez and his squad bounced back last weekend with a 4-1 victory over the Portland Timbers at home. The Dynamo backline will look to contain Argentine forward Franco Jara and Colombian winger Jáder Obrian, who is in his first season with FC Dallas.