FC Dallas head coach Eric Quayle believes his team will perform “better” than they did last Saturday when they faced Los Angeles FC at home in MLS.
Dallas entered this game on a five-game unbeaten streak, but after three consecutive wins, they were held to a 0-0 draw by Austin FC in their last game.
It’s only the seventh time this season they’ve been shut out – as they’re the second-highest scoring team in the West.
They currently sit fourth in the Western Conference but are one of three teams with 44 points and know a win could help them close the gap on leaders Vancouver Whitecaps.
Quayle will be looking to improve further against Austin, especially in the final third.
“This was not our typical game,” Quayle said of the tie with Austin. “I think everyone is used to our four goals, so it’s not there.
“But it wasn’t for a lack of tries or a lack of chances we created.
“We’re going to work hard in front of goal, build confidence, and get ready going into LAFC.
“[The players were] Because a draw won’t excite us, but we have more games to do and we will perform better in this game. “
Meanwhile, LAFC is sixth in the Western Conference, three points behind Dallas after failing to win its past two games.
After a shocking 3-1 loss to Sporting Kansas City, they threw away the lead against the San Jose Earthquakes and equalized in the 98th minute.
Son Heung-min and Denis Bouanga both scored in that game but were absent due to international duty. Head coach Mark Dos Santos isn’t making any excuses, though.
“We never come into this week crying about who’s missing,” he said.
“We’re down seven players, but we embraced working with everyone here from day one to be the best prepared we can be for Dallas.”
Saturday attractions pic.twitter.com/LXDHgYDJ8R
— Los Angeles FC (@LAFC) September 24, 2026
Players to watch
FC Dallas – Joaquin Valiente
Joaquin Valiente has 11 assists for Dallas this season, becoming the first player to reach double digits in assists in a season since Michael Barrios had 15 assists in 2019.
Over the past 15 seasons, four Dallas players have recorded more than 10 assists in a single season, all from South American countries (Valiente – Uruguay, Barrios – Colombia, Maximiliano Urruti and Mauro Diaz – Argentina).
Los Angeles Football Club – Mathieu Jonnier
Son Heung-min and Buanga are both playing for the national team and will miss half of LAFC’s regular season goal tally in 2026 (20/40 excluding own goals).
David Martinez (six goals) is also set to leave in September, meaning Mathieu Jonnier is the club’s second top scorer with two goals, but he failed to score a shot against San Jose and had just one touch in the opposition penalty area.
Match prediction: FC Dallas wins
Dallas won four of 15 regular season games against LAFC (3-8), with all four wins coming at home.
They only lost once to LAFC at home (4 wins, 2 draws), only conceded multiple goals once, but scored 2 or more goals 5 times.
Dallas has scored 2 or more goals in 7 of its last 10 home games and 2 or more goals in 4 of its last 5 home games. They have scored two or more goals in 29 home games since the start of the 2024 season, with only Inter Miami (37) scoring more in that span.
LAFC drew for the fourth time in their last six away games (L2) before losing to San Jose. They have tied six games in the regular season this season after tying a total of 12 games in the 2022-24 regular season, and have tied 13 games in total over the past two seasons.
OPTA winning probability
FC Dallas – 44.1%
Tie – 26.8%
Los Angeles Football Club – 29.1%