By some measures, Saturday night's 0-0 draw between Austin FC and FC Dallas were underwhelming.
Per Fotmob, Austin had just a 0.26 xG amassed on eight total shots, three on target. The visitors only managed nine touches in the opposition's box, created no big chances, and were held scoreless in league play for the first time since Aug. 1's loss at Colorado.
However, by holding Dallas scoreless, Verde registered their first shutout since the May 3 home win, and by grabbing a point on a night in which other playoff hopefuls failed to register wins, they moved into 11th in the West, tied on points with 10th-place San Diego, and just two points below 9th-place Portland, making the playoffs look that much more attainable.
(Unless, of course, reaching the 2026 playoffs is a Sisyphean impossibility, and we're right at the point of the season where the rock's going to roll right back down the hill.)
For acting head coach Terry Boss — filling in for interim head coach Davy Arnaud, out attending to a family issue, making him Austin's first-ever third coach to oversee a match in a single season — the match showed the character that Arnaud's been touting in recent weeks.
