First-Place FC Dallas Hosts the Houston Dynamo
First-Place FC Dallas Hosts the Houston Dynamo, 2018 Texas Derby concludes in Frisco.
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.
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.
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