Quill backs Dallas to ‘be better’ than in Austin draw

Syndicated reporting provided by Stats Perform and reviewed by the SoccerNews editorial team.

FC Dallas head coach Eric Quill is confident his team will “be better” than their last performance when they host Los Angeles FC in MLS on Saturday.

Dallas head into the match on the back of a five-match unbeaten streak, but after three straight wins, they were held to a 0-0 draw by Austin FC last time out.

It was just the seventh time this season they have been shut out – as they are the second-highest scorers in the Western Conference.

They currently sit fourth in the West, but are one of three teams on 44 points, and they know a win could help them close the gap to the leaders Vancouver Whitecaps.

Quill is looking for a big improvement from the performance against Austin, especially in the final third.

“It wasn’t our typical game,” Quill said of the draw with Austin. “I think everybody’s used to four goals from us, so it wasn’t there.

“But it wasn’t for a lack of trying or a lack of opportunities that we created.

“We’ll work in front of goal, get our confidence up and go into LAFC ready.

“[The players were] down because ties don’t excite us, but there’s plenty more football to come from us, and we’re going to be better for this game.”

LAFC, meanwhile, are sixth in the West, three points behind Dallas after failing to win their last two matches.

Following a shock 3-1 loss to Sporting Kansas City, they threw away a lead against the San Jose Earthquakes, conceding a 98th-minute equaliser.

Son Heung-min and Denis Bouanga both scored in that game but are among the list of absentees due to international duty. Head coach Marc Dos Santos is not making any excuses, though.

“We never approach the week crying about who’s not here,” he said.

“We have seven players out, but we embrace from day one of preparing as best as we can for the Dallas game with everybody that is here.”

Sights set on Saturday pic.twitter.com/LXDHgYDJ8R

— LAFC (@LAFC) September 24, 2026

Joaquin Valiente has recorded 11 assists for Dallas this season, the first player to have double-digit assists in a single season for the club since Michael Barrios had 15 in 2019.

Over the last 15 seasons, four Dallas players have had 10+ assists in a season and all hail from South American countries (Valiente – Uruguay, Barrios – Colombia, Maximiliano Urruti and Mauro Diaz – Argentina).

Los Angeles FC – Mathieu Choiniere

Son and Bouanga are both on international duty and will miss the match have combined to score half of LAFC’s regular-season goals (20/40 excl. own goals) in 2026. 

With David Martinez (six goals) also departing in September, that means Mathieu Choiniere is the club’s next highest scorer with two goals, but he did not manage a single shot against San Jose and only had one touch in the opposition box.

Dallas have won four of their 15 regular-season meetings with Los Angeles FC (D3 L8), with all four of those wins coming at home.

They have lost just once (W4 D2) at home to LAFC, conceding multiple goals only once, while scoring two or more goals five times.

Dallas have also scored two or more goals in seven of their last 10 home games, and four of their last five. Since the start of the 2024 season, they have registered two or more goals in 29 home games, with only Inter Miami (37) having more in that time.

LAFC surrendered a late goal to San Jose for their fourth draw in their last six road games (L2). They have now drawn six road games this regular season and 13 total over the last two seasons combined after drawing 12 total road regular-season matches from 2022-24.

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