At least Austin FC’s trips to Houston are done for the season.
El Tree lost for the second time in nine weeks at Shell Energy Stadium as the Dynamo took a 2-1 win Saturday in the first Copa Tejas contest of the year behind Ivan Franco’s goal in the 87th minute.
Gyasi Zardes scored his 100th career goal in finding the net for the third straight league game to give Austin FC a lead in the first half, but Hector Herrera answered for Houston (5-5-3, 18 points) just before halftime to tie the contest.
Here are some thoughts from the match as El Tree (4-6-4, 16 points) returns home Wednesday to face Minnesota United FC.
Zardes good and bad
Zardes scored off a header for the third straight league game, with his goal off a phenomenal cross from Nick Lima being nearly identical to the one he finished at Seattle May 17.
He’s a dangerous weapon in the air, and it’s a huge positive for Austin FC that he seems to be finding his scoring stride. But he also made a mistake that led to Herrera’s goal in turning the ball over while trying to dribble through three Houston defenders, which led to a series of passes that eventually produced the tying score.
El Tree average overall
Austin FC wasn’t terrible, but it wasn’t good, either.
It was about as average of a performance as you’ll see in soccer, with El Tree having slightly less possession and getting outshot 15-11.
A tie on the road is always acceptable, and Austin FC certainly would have taken one point with that common display, but it was also a bit unlucky on Houston’s second goal.
A Dynamo corner kick bounced off the back of Houston defender Daniel Steres and landed at the feet of Franco, who easily kicked it past El Tree goalie Brad Stuver.
Defense again the highlight
There were no egregious errors by the Austin FC defense, which as a unit turned in an acceptable performance.
Lima and Alex Ring were above average, while Julio Cascante’s performance was acceptable.
The fact 34-year-old veteran defender Hector Jimenez could provide 45 minutes will prove valuable with two games the next seven days as it allows Jon Gallagher to be available for a full game Wednesday.
Midfielder Diego Fagundez seems ready for a start.
Fagundez played 30 minutes for the second time in four days and appears to be back to his usual self after suffering a groin injury in mid-April.
A healthy Fagundez should be able to play 60 minutes, and if Sebastian Driussi continues to progress from his groin injury, Austin FC may have its top-two offensive players from a year ago available for significant minutes within two weeks.
Plenty of time for Copa Tejas rebound
The result is more disappointing from a Copa Tejas standpoint than anything, but El Tree can make up goal differential in that competition with wins over Houston and Dallas later in the season.
With as many injuries as it’s suffered this season, the goal for Austin FC was to tread water until Driussi returned.
If El Tree can take four points in its next two games, it should be in good shape to make a run to finish in the top seven of the Western Conference in the second half of the season.
Stuver uniform on point
Brad Stuver’s all-black uniform was the best kit he’s had this season.
While goalie outfits are chosen by the league, that’s a uniform Stuver should rank as his top choice for all night games going forward if given the opportunity.
This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Austin FC falls to Houston 2-1 in Copa Tejas opener