Preview: Austin FC vs Houston Dynamo - prediction, team news, lineups

Austin FC will be looking to secure a third win on the bounce for the first time since April when they welcome Houston FC to the Q2 Stadium on Saturday night.

As for the Orange Crush, they head into the weekend off the back of a forgettable outing in the 2025 Leagues Cup and will be looking to secure a morale-boosting result as the season approaches its business end.

Match preview

Austin FC continue to push for a return to the MLS playoffs as they picked up a thrilling 4-2 victory over DC United when the two teams squared off at Audi Field a fortnight ago.

The Verde and Black turned in an attacking show of class as the front three of Myrto Uzuni, Owen Wolff and Osman Bukari all found the back of the net while substitute Robert Taylor added to the scoreline in the 93rd minute to cap off a solid team display.

Since a 2-0 loss at the hands of 10-man Seattle Sounders in June, Austin have now gone four back-to-back matches without defeat across all competitions, claiming one draw and three wins, including a penalty-shootout victory over San Jose Earthquakes in the US Open Cup quarter-finals on July 9.

Nico Estevez's men are also on a run of four wins and one draw from their most recent six MLS matches, a run which has put them firmly in the playoff qualifying race, having failed to win any of the eight league games preceding this run (4L, 4D).

After missing out on a top-nine finish in the Western Conference table by just five points last season, this upturn in form has seen Austin surge into seventh place in the standings, and they could move level on 36 points with sixth-placed Los Angeles FC with a win this weekend.

This turnaround has been down to the much-needed improvements at the attacking end of the pitch, where Martinez’s men have scored 10 goals in the last seven league games, having netted just 11 in the first 16 matches.

On the other hand, Houston Dynamo brought their underwhelming Leagues Cup campaign to an end on Tuesday night when they fell to a 2-1 defeat at the hands of Mexican outfit Pachuca on home turf.

In an action-packed contest at the Shell Energy Stadium, Amine Bassi netted in the 82nd minute to cancel out Luis Quinones’s first-half strike, but Gaston Togni hit the target three minutes later to hand Pachuca all three points.

With Wednesday’s result, Houston Dynamo exit the Leagues Cup as the only side without any points from the three group games, following defeats at the hands of Tigres, Mazatlan and most recently Pachuca.

This was in keeping with their struggles in the league, where Ben Olsen’s men have failed to win six of their last eight games since the start of June, losing five and claiming one draw in that time.

Despite their recent woes, Houston Dynamo are still in playoff qualifying contention as they sit 11th in the Eastern Conference standings with 27 points from 24 matches, just three points off ninth-placed Colorado Rapids in the final qualification spot.

However, next up for the Orange Crush is a journey to the Q2 Stadium, where they have suffered defeat in six of their seven visits since August 2021, with a narrow 1-0 victory in September 2024 being the exception.

Austin FC Major League Soccer form:

Austin FC form (all competitions):

Houston Dynamo Major League Soccer form:

Houston Dynamo form (all competitions):

Team News

Austin FC will have to cope without the services of 26-year-old forward Brandon Vazquez, who has missed the last three games since coming off injured against San Jose Earthquakes on July 9.

Swiss midfielder Nicky Beloko has missed the Verde and Black’s last two games through health concerns and the 25-year-old is a major doubt for this weekend’s matchup.

As for Houston Dynamo, Olsen will be unable to name experienced goalkeeper Andrew Tarbell, who has been out of action since sustaining a cruciate ligament injury in March.

He is joined on the club’s injury table by Colombian forward Nelson Quinones, who also continues on his long road to full fitness after sustaining a severe knee injury last year.

Veteran defender Erik Sviatchenko has missed each of the last seven games since picking up an injury against St Louis City in June and the 33-year-old is also out of contention for the Orange Crush.

Austin FC possible starting lineup:

Stuver; Desler, Hines-Ike, Svatok, Biro; Bukari, Pereira, Sanchez, Wolff; Rubio, Uzuni

Houston Dynamo possible starting lineup:

Bond; Dorsey, Bartlow, Ortiz, Escobar; Artur, Urso, McGlynn; Kowalczyk, Segal, Lingr

We say: Austin FC 2-0 Houston Dynamo

Coming off the back of a disappointing Leagues Cup campaign, Houston Dynamo take on a well-rested Austin FC side, who have upped the ante in recent weeks. The Verde and Black have a solid home record against Houston and we are backing them to make it three wins from three games this weekend.

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