Sweet revenge: Austin FC pounds FC Dallas 3-0 for Copa Tejas victory

AUSTIN (KXAN) — Austin FC took advantage of a shorthanded FC Dallas team and was ruthless in a 3-0 Copa Tejas victory late Wednesday night at Q2 Stadium.

It was the first-ever victory over FC Dallas during the Major League Soccer regular season for Verde and Black and a tremendous start to the second half of the season.

FC Dallas was without forward Jesus Ferreira, who scored the game-winning goal in the 89th minute the last time the squads played May 13, due to international duty with the United States Men's National Team for the CONCACAF Gold Cup. FC Dallas was also without midfielder Paul Arriola who is recovering from a thigh injury suffered in the May 13 match.

Two first-half goals provided the hot start Austin FC needed against its Lone Star State rivals, and then Verde and Black decided that wasn't enough. Gyasi Zardes connected on Austin FC's third goal of the match in the 58th minute, the 101st goal of his illustrious MLS career. Zardes gathered a pass from Nick Lima down the right side of the 18-yard box, then smashed it by FC Dallas goalkeeper Maarten Paes to turn the Q2 Stadium lights green.

For the first time all season, Austin FC put three shots in the net and the attack was relentless. Austin made Paes make four saves with 15 shots overall and seven on target.

Diego Fagundez scored his first goal of the season on a brilliant strike in the 42nd minute, taking advantage of Paes coming off his line to defend a Dani Pereira cross. After Paes swiped away Pereira's cross, it didn't go quite far enough and was collected by Finlay. He laid it off to Fagundez, who took a couple of steps back to gather himself, and then lofted a perfectly weighted shot over Paes and the FC Dallas defense to make it 2-0.

Austin FC's Ethan Finlay provided the opening marker in the 17th minute. Jon Gallagher drove a low cross into a crowd of people in front of the 6-yard box, and after it glanced off Paes and Austin FC defender Julio Cascante, it fell to Finlay who guided a short shot into the goal. It was Finlay's second goal of the season.

The match was moved back an hour to 8:30 CT due to sweltering heat and humidity, but as thunderstorms swept through the area and lightning flashed, the match didn't kick off until shortly after 10 p.m.

Austin (6-8-4, 22 points) moved up four spots in the Western Conference standings with the win to eighth. Dallas (7-7-5, 26 points) is tied for sixth with Real Salt Lake. Austin doesn't have much time to enjoy this win as they face Houston at Q2 Stadium on Saturday.