Foreign Exchange: Three questions with Big D Soccer's Drew Epperley
Austin FC gets back into league play on Sunday night hosting FC Dallas at home. That gives us an excuse to check in with one of our favorites, Big D Soccer's Drew Epperley.
Austin FC returns to MLS play on Sunday night, facing rivals FC Dallas at Q2 Stadium in a match that could give the winner (if there is one) the inside track in the 2026 Copa Tejas race. While each team is currently on three points by virtue of each having one once, the Dynamo have played three matches while Verde have played two and FC Dallas has played a single one.
The match comes following a Leagues Cup Phase One that both Austin and Dallas played; Dallas lost 3-1 to Toluca at 8,700 feet of elevation to bow out of the tournament, whereas Austin remains in it after two wins and a PK shootout, and will start a five-matches-in-14-days run that includes a trip to New Jersey to face Toluca.
It's been a while since we've peeked in on our neighbors to the north, so we checked in with Big D Soccer's Drew Epperley, and sent him questions. In return, we answered questions for him, and that gave us opportunity to brag on Myrto Uzuni's recent performances.
If you want to help Uzuni feel the love after this went public earlier this week:
Make sure he sees this snippet:
Myrto Uzuni has four goals in the last two matches, and those four goals were from a physics-defying free kick that bent around a wall, a perfectly timed run getting onto the end of a Christian Ramírez backheel pass, an empathic volley from the far reaches of the penalty box left alone on a corner kick, and an emphatic top-bins shot from the far reaches of the penalty box for a much-needed equalizer against Club América. (I'll just say it: I'm very excited with this version of Myrto Uzuni.)
And then, after positive things to say about some other players, I added this aside.
(Confidential to FC Dallas coaches: It is TOTALLY FINE to leave Uzuni unguarded 15 to 20 yards from goal. That's absolutely the way you should play him.)
To the questions!
We're on the other side of the World Cup break, and Petar Musa is still an FC Dallas player! Do you think he'll stay in Frisco, and if so, how important is he to the team's playoff aspirations?
Out of the three FCD guys who made their respective World Cup rosters, I weirdly never felt too worried about Musa being sold or leaving this summer. The price tag from the Dallas front office was likely going to be too high for most clubs. I actually had midfielder Lucious Don Deedson as the prime guy to be sold after the World Cup (and there are reports out there suggesting that could be the case). The next couple of weeks are always going to be interesting when we get to the back end of the transfer window.
I know a couple of Liga MX teams have been claiming they’re interested in him, but I think he’s showing that he wants to be here in Frisco. Which is a good thing, because there is no way Dallas does anything of note to get into the playoffs or even make noise in the playoffs without him. He’s the focal point of the attack for a reason, and while guys like Logan Farrington and Santiago Moreno have been stepping up, they both need Musa.
How was Leagues Cup for FC Dallas? You're part of the reason we're playing Toluca in New Jersey, though you got to witness seeing your team play Toluca at 8,700 feet ...
I wrote a couple of times how I don’t care for the Leagues Cup, but the one good part for FC Dallas was finding their form against teams like Querétaro and Chivas. I’m not going to worry or stress too much over the Toluca loss; a 3-1 showing there felt like the result we expected to see going into the game.
Head coach Eric Quill was able to begin to land on a solid rotation for his roster and now has a good 15 to 18 guys that he can rotate through. Defensively, the team seems to have settled in with Jonathan Sirois landing the main keeper spot (thanks to Daniel picking up an injury that will likely keep him out until October).
Homegrown defender Nolan Norris has emerged as one of the club’s best defenders, alongside veterans Osaze Urhoghide and Shaq Moore. Quill has also found a system that appears to be working for him and his players. They’re bought in and as he would put it, “fight for everything” in each game. It’s been several years in Dallas since we had a group that truly plays for the badge.
You recently wrote a great article talking to head coach Eric Quill about the team's quiet transfer window and how that might be a good thing because of where the team is ... do you think the roster is in a good place, or would you make a move were you to be granted sporting director powers?
The roster still needs a bit of work, mostly in the midfield. I think any Dallas fan will tell you right now that the group needs a bit of help on the attacking side. If I were Andre Zanotta for the day, I would be going after an attacking midfielder to help give Musa and Farrington some help. Moreno and Joaquin Valiente have added a little bit of a spark to the attack this season, but getting a true number 10 is probably one of the areas that is keeping this team from being a bigger contender in the Western Conference.
Verde All Day is a reader-supported online publication covering Austin FC. Additional support is provided by Austin Telco Federal Credit Union. For more coverage, check out Emergency Podcast! (an Austin FC Podcast) wherever you get your podcasts.
Austin FC will travel to Harrison, N.J., for its Wednesday, Aug. 26 match against Toluca in Leagues Cup. It's not 8,700 feet up in a stadium nicknamed "Hell," but it's also far from home.
Austin FC had a historic PK win and will go to a yet-unknown destination in the Leagues Cup quarterfinals. But interim head coach Davy Arnaud is also looking for wins in MLS.
An own goal followed by a Myrto Uzuni goal led to a memorable PK sequence in an unusually unhabitable North End of Q2 Stadium. That gives Verde a second opportunity in as many years to win a cup competition.
Club América has looked formidable in its first two Leagues Cup matches — if you're just looking at the scoreline. However, there are some cracks if you dig in further, and that could benefit Austin FC on Thursday night.
Austin FC returns to MLS play on Sunday night, facing rivals FC Dallas at Q2 Stadium in a match that could give the winner (if there is one) the inside track in the 2026 Copa Tejas race. While each team is currently on three points by virtue of each having one once, the Dynamo have played three matches while Verde have played two and FC Dallas has played a single one.
The match comes following a Leagues Cup Phase One that both Austin and Dallas played; Dallas lost 3-1 to Toluca at 8,700 feet of elevation to bow out of the tournament, whereas Austin remains in it after two wins and a PK shootout, and will start a five-matches-in-14-days run that includes a trip to New Jersey to face Toluca.
It's been a while since we've peeked in on our neighbors to the north, so we checked in with Big D Soccer's Drew Epperley, and sent him questions. In return, we answered questions for him, and that gave us opportunity to brag on Myrto Uzuni's recent performances.
If you want to help Uzuni feel the love after this went public earlier this week:
Make sure he sees this snippet:
Myrto Uzuni has four goals in the last two matches, and those four goals were from a physics-defying free kick that bent around a wall, a perfectly timed run getting onto the end of a Christian Ramírez backheel pass, an empathic volley from the far reaches of the penalty box left alone on a corner kick, and an emphatic top-bins shot from the far reaches of the penalty box for a much-needed equalizer against Club América. (I'll just say it: I'm very excited with this version of Myrto Uzuni.)
And then, after positive things to say about some other players, I added this aside.
(Confidential to FC Dallas coaches: It is TOTALLY FINE to leave Uzuni unguarded 15 to 20 yards from goal. That's absolutely the way you should play him.)
To the questions!
We're on the other side of the World Cup break, and Petar Musa is still an FC Dallas player! Do you think he'll stay in Frisco, and if so, how important is he to the team's playoff aspirations?
Out of the three FCD guys who made their respective World Cup rosters, I weirdly never felt too worried about Musa being sold or leaving this summer. The price tag from the Dallas front office was likely going to be too high for most clubs. I actually had midfielder Lucious Don Deedson as the prime guy to be sold after the World Cup (and there are reports out there suggesting that could be the case). The next couple of weeks are always going to be interesting when we get to the back end of the transfer window.
I know a couple of Liga MX teams have been claiming they’re interested in him, but I think he’s showing that he wants to be here in Frisco. Which is a good thing, because there is no way Dallas does anything of note to get into the playoffs or even make noise in the playoffs without him. He’s the focal point of the attack for a reason, and while guys like Logan Farrington and Santiago Moreno have been stepping up, they both need Musa.
How was Leagues Cup for FC Dallas? You're part of the reason we're playing Toluca in New Jersey, though you got to witness seeing your team play Toluca at 8,700 feet ...
I wrote a couple of times how I don’t care for the Leagues Cup, but the one good part for FC Dallas was finding their form against teams like Querétaro and Chivas. I’m not going to worry or stress too much over the Toluca loss; a 3-1 showing there felt like the result we expected to see going into the game.
Head coach Eric Quill was able to begin to land on a solid rotation for his roster and now has a good 15 to 18 guys that he can rotate through. Defensively, the team seems to have settled in with Jonathan Sirois landing the main keeper spot (thanks to Daniel picking up an injury that will likely keep him out until October).
Homegrown defender Nolan Norris has emerged as one of the club’s best defenders, alongside veterans Osaze Urhoghide and Shaq Moore. Quill has also found a system that appears to be working for him and his players. They’re bought in and as he would put it, “fight for everything” in each game. It’s been several years in Dallas since we had a group that truly plays for the badge.
You recently wrote a great article talking to head coach Eric Quill about the team's quiet transfer window and how that might be a good thing because of where the team is ... do you think the roster is in a good place, or would you make a move were you to be granted sporting director powers?
The roster still needs a bit of work, mostly in the midfield. I think any Dallas fan will tell you right now that the group needs a bit of help on the attacking side. If I were Andre Zanotta for the day, I would be going after an attacking midfielder to help give Musa and Farrington some help. Moreno and Joaquin Valiente have added a little bit of a spark to the attack this season, but getting a true number 10 is probably one of the areas that is keeping this team from being a bigger contender in the Western Conference.
Verde All Day is a reader-supported online publication covering Austin FC. Additional support is provided by Austin Telco Federal Credit Union. For more coverage, check out Emergency Podcast! (an Austin FC Podcast) wherever you get your podcasts.
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