Petar Musa Takes Golden Boot Lead as FC Dallas Beat Austin FC 2-1 in Copa Tejas Clash

Petar Musa found a sliver of space in the Austin FC box in the 73rd minute, curled a left-footed shot at goal, and watched it kiss the post on its way in. That was the whole Copa Tejas story in one swing of the leg: Austin had the ball, the crowd and the momentum, and FC Dallas had the guy who leads the league in goals.

Dallas won 2-1 at Q2 Stadium on Sunday night, its first appearance on Sunday Night Soccer this season. Lalas Abubakar headed the visitors in front in first-half stoppage time, 18-year-old Ervin Torres equalized with his first career MLS goal, and Musa's 14th of the season put him back on top of the Golden Boot race, one goal clear of New York City FC's Nicolas Fernández Mercau, per MLSsoccer.com.

Dallas Starts Hot, Then Strikes at the Buzzer

In 94-degree heat, per Austin's match report, Dallas came out like the team that wanted it more, even without the ball. Bernard Kamungo and Joaquín Valiente both missed narrowly inside the first eight minutes, and Brad Stuver saved a Santiago Moreno shot from distance bound for the top right corner in the 12th minute. Musa forced another save from Stuver in the 23rd minute, a minute after Abubakar headed a Moreno corner high and wide.

Austin's best first-half chance fell to Jon Gallagher, whose shot from the left side of the six-yard box was saved by Jonathan Sirois in the 28th minute. The game then got chippy. Ramiro and Mateja Djordjevic were both booked within two minutes of each other, and the half drifted toward a goalless intermission.

Dallas had other plans. Stuver saved from Musa again in the first minute of stoppage time, Moreno had a shot blocked, and from the corner that followed, Moreno swung it in and Abubakar powered a header into the top right corner. Dallas said it was his first goal of the season and only his second career goal for the club, in what was just his second start of the year.

The Kid Answers

Austin did not wait around, sending on Przemyslaw Placheta and Facundo Torres at halftime, and the hosts came out with a different energy. Placheta forced a save from Sirois in the 56th minute, and one minute later the other Torres delivered the moment of the night for the home crowd.

Ervin Torres, an Austin FC Academy product, let fly from the edge of the box and lashed a left-footed shot into the top left corner. No assist, no help, just a teenager deciding it was his turn. Austin said the 18-year-old became the second-youngest scorer in club history, behind only Owen Wolff.

For a while, it looked like the hosts might push on. The cards kept coming for Dallas, with Kamungo booked in the 60th minute and Valiente three minutes later, and Abubakar headed another set piece wide in the 69th minute.

Musa Ends the Debate

Then Valiente found Musa in the middle of the box, and Dallas' All-Star did what he has done all season. His left-footed finish clipped the post and dropped into the top left corner in the 73rd minute. Valiente's assist was his team-leading sixth of the season, per the club.

From there, Dallas sat deep and dared Austin to break them down. Placheta blazed over from distance, Djordjevic headed a Zan Kolmanic cross over the bar in the 89th minute, and Sirois got down to stop Jayden Nelson in the third minute of a whopping 10 added minutes. Myrto Uzuni's booking deep in stoppage time summed up the home side's frustration.

The Men Who Mattered

Petar Musa put three of his three shots on target and scored the winner. Dallas said it was his fourth career goal against Austin and his 48th for the club, five behind Jesús Ferreira for second on its all-time scoring list. MLSsoccer.com added that he now has seven goal contributions against Austin, more than against any other MLS team.

Lalas Abubakar returned to the starting lineup, scored the opener and took three shots, all of them headers off set pieces.

Ervin Torres made his one shot count, and it was a beauty.

Brad Stuver made four saves and kept Austin in it through a busy first half.

The Turning Point

Musa's goal came 16 minutes after Torres had flipped the energy inside Q2 Stadium. Austin had more of the ball and the crowd behind it, and Austin's own report noted the hosts' more positive play after the break. One clean look at goal for Dallas' best player wiped all of that out. That is the difference between a team chasing the Golden Boot and a team chasing a result.

Stats That Matter

• Possession: Austin held 64.5 percent and completed 493 passes to Dallas' 252.
• Shots: Dallas led 15-9, and 6-4 on target.
• Clearances: Dallas made 33 to Austin's nine, a clear sign of where the second half was played.
• Crosses: Austin attempted 27 and completed only three.
• Cards: Seven bookings in all, four for Dallas and three for Austin.

What It Means

Dallas moved to 8-6-5 (wins, draws, losses) with 30 points. It was the club's fifth road win of 2026 and its first win at Q2 Stadium since May 13, 2023, according to Dallas, and MLSsoccer.com said it pushed the Hoops into fifth place in the Western Conference. It also ended a three-match winless run that included a draw at Portland, a loss at San Diego and a draw at the LA Galaxy. Next up is a midweek trip to Real Salt Lake, then a visit to Vancouver.

Austin fell to 4-5-10 with 17 points and has now lost three straight, after defeats at Houston and Colorado. Torres' strike was Austin's first goal since a 3-1 win over Seattle on July 22. Dallas also noted this was Austin's first defeat on Sunday Night Soccer. Austin gets no time to regroup, with a trip to Seattle on Wednesday.

The Closing Take

Musa, who scored the winner and took the scoring lead, was not satisfied. "I'm happy with the goal, but not my performance," he said postgame, per MLSsoccer.com. "There are a lot of things to improve on, but we take three more road points." That is peak striker energy, the soccer version of a musician dropping a hit single and complaining about the mix. He had summed up the rivalry in his Apple TV interview: "We know how special this game is." Austin knows it too. It just keeps learning it the hard way.

Stats from ESPN's match data. Postgame quotes as reported by MLSsoccer.com. Additional details from FC Dallas and Austin FC.