HOUSTON (KXAN) — The pressure and the Houston heat hit Austin FC quickly in Saturday’s Texas Derby match.
Austin FC trailed the Dynamo 1-0 after just five minutes and were forced to substitute starting keeper Brad Stuver off after eight minutes due to a knee injury.
A different day, a different challenge — yet the struggles don’t phase Austin. Verde rallied from the deficit for its sixth win in nine games.
Austin again moves ahead of LAFC for first place in the Western Conference standings with Los Angeles preparing to host Minnesota Sunday night. Austin (6-2-1) has 20 points — one point ahead of LA.
Daniel Perreira equalized with a 39th-minute goal for his first Austin FC goal. Sebastian Driussi scored the game-winning goal in the 66th minute, whipping a spectacular goal across the box for the 2-1 Austin win.
Austin FC’s Twitter account called it Driussi’s strike an “MVP type of finish” and the second-year Austin player is making a strong case for leaguewide attention. Driussi leads the league with seven goals in nine games this season.
Andrew Tarbell didn’t miss a beat while filling in for the injured Stuver. Tarbell kept Houston off the sheet, stopping several Dynamo threats and helping Austin to the full three points.
Austin FC head coach Josh Wolff said Stuver has a laceration near his knee, but the keeper avoided structural damage.
After finishing its inaugural 2021 season near the bottom of the table, Austin has grabbed the attention of the league through a quarter of the season.
The club will get a good look at where it really stands in the Western Conference pecking order over the next three weeks.
Austin hosts LA Galaxy next Sunday at Q2 Stadium before back-to-back road games against Real Salt Lake and LAFC. Galaxy and Salt Lake are currently ranked third and fourth in the West.