FC Dallas, Austin FC Draw 0-0 as Brad Stuver Stars and Dallas Lift the Copa Tejas

The best dribble of the night at Toyota Stadium did not come from Kaick, Facundo Torres or anybody on either roster. It came from a rabbit, which dashed onto the field in the 76th minute and paused play until Logan Farrington and a staff member slid the boards aside and the rabbit took the hint, according to MLS.

Nobody else found a way through. FC Dallas and Austin FC drew 0-0 on Saturday night in Frisco, with Brad Stuver making four saves for Austin and Daniel posting three at the other end. The point kept Austin's unbeaten run alive at seven matches, per the club, and it was enough for Dallas to lift the Copa Tejas for the third time in club history after taking the season series.

Stuver Sets the Tone

Dallas came out with more bite. Kaick drew a foul and a second-minute yellow card for Mikkel Desler, needed a brief stoppage for an injury, then tested Stuver from outside the box in the sixth minute. Five minutes later came the best chance of the half. Joaquín Valiente slipped Kaick in, and he hit a left-footed shot from very close range that Stuver smothered at the bottom left corner.

That save set the template for the night. Petar Musa skied one from distance in the 10th minute, Bernard Kamungo sent another high and wide in the 21st, and Austin's only shot on target of the half was a Joseph Rosales strike from range that Daniel held at the bottom right corner.

The first half had all the flow of a highway at rush hour. There were delays for knocks to Kaick and Christian Ramírez, a Desler header that went high and wide off a corner, and a Shaq Moore yellow card in the 35th minute. Six minutes of added time produced nothing but a couple of set pieces.

Austin Takes the Ball, Dallas Takes the Shots

Austin started the second half brighter. Jon Gallagher went closest, cutting in from the left side of the box in the 52nd minute and forcing Daniel into a save at the top right corner. Dallas answered with Kaick having a shot blocked in the 56th and Osaze Urhoghide glancing a header just wide off a corner a minute later.

Both coaches went to their benches in the 63rd minute. Austin sent on Myrto Uzuni and Brandon Vázquez for Jorge Alastuey and Ramírez, while Dallas introduced Herman Johansson and Santiago Moreno. Uzuni nearly made an instant impact, firing high in the 70th minute and then setting up Gallagher, whose shot from the left side of the box Daniel parried at the bottom left corner in the 72nd.

Then came the rabbit. Once the furry visitor had bolted, Dallas pushed for a winner. Urhoghide had a header blocked in the 80th minute, and Farrington, on as a sub that same minute, headed over from a corner in the 82nd. Uzuni came agonizingly close for Austin in the 90th, dragging a shot just wide to the right.

Seven Minutes of Stuver

The fourth official put up seven minutes of stoppage time, and Stuver needed most of them. In the 95th minute he stopped a Johansson shot from distance at the bottom right corner. A minute later Moreno found Farrington in the centre of the box, and Stuver pushed that one away at the bottom right corner, too. Ramiro's yellow card in the 97th minute summed up how desperate Dallas had become by the end.

Stuver's night earned him a spot on the bench of MLS's Team of the Matchday. Four saves, two of them deep in stoppage time, and a clean sheet on the road against a team that had won its previous three league games.

Daniel deserves his flowers, too. The Dallas page says the goalkeeper's three saves gave him his first shutout of the season for the club, and it was Dallas' sixth clean sheet of 2026.

Kaick was the liveliest attacker on the field, leading Dallas with three shots and putting two on target. Gallagher was Austin's sharpest outlet, landing both of his attempts on frame.

The Turning Point

If there was a moment that decided this one, it came in the 11th minute. Kaick's close-range effort was one of the cleanest looks either team had all night, and Stuver's save told everybody in the building how the evening would go. After that, chances came from distance, off corners or from crowded penalty areas. Farrington's stoppage-time look came close, and Stuver shut that window too.

Stats That Matter

• Possession: Austin had 55.1 percent of the ball and completed 458 passes to Dallas' 358.
• Shots: Dallas led 12 to 8, with 4 on target to Austin's 3.
• Saves: Stuver 4, Daniel 3.
• Fouls: Just 6 per team, a remarkably tidy rivalry game.
• Corners: Dallas 8, Austin 6, and none of them produced a goal.

What It Means

Dallas moved to 12-8-6 and 44 points. The club says it remains unbeaten at home against Austin in MLS regular-season play, at six wins and two draws, and this result followed a 2-1 Dallas win at Q2 Stadium on Aug. 16 that set up the season series. Dallas has now gone five league matches without a loss since its 5-0 defeat at Vancouver on Aug. 22, with three wins and two draws. Next up is a home game against LAFC on Sept. 26.

Austin sits at 7-9-10 with 30 points. The draw came six days after a 2-1 win at Vancouver, and Austin's site says the result kept the club close to the playoff line. Seven unbeaten is real progress for a team that lost three straight league games from late July into mid-August. San Diego visits Q2 Stadium on Sept. 26.

Closing Take

Rivalry games are supposed to be loud, and this one mostly whispered. The most elusive thing on the field was a rabbit, and the second most was Stuver. For Austin, that is a point with some swagger attached. For Dallas, it is a trophy, even if nobody will mistake this 0-0 for a classic.

Stats from ESPN's match data. Club notes from fcdallas.com, austinfc.com and mlssoccer.com.