‘Championship Mentality’: FC Dallas Draws Houston Dynamo 2-2, Reclaims El Capitán As Petar Musa Scores Record 20th Goal

HOUSTON — Petar Musa converted a penalty kick in the 11th minute of second-half stoppage time Saturday night, and the goal gave FC Dallas a 2-2 draw with the Houston Dynamo at Shell Energy Stadium. It was Musa’s 20th goal of the regular season. No player in club history had reached 20 before.

The result sent El Capitán, the Texas Derby trophy, back to Frisco. Dallas has won seven of the last 10 El Capitán trophies, according to 3rd Degree.

Dallas moved to 14-7-9 with 51 points and has four regular-season matches left. Houston fell to 13-9-8 with 47 points and is winless in six straight matches (0-2-4).

Midfielder Christian Cappis, a Houston native, gave Dallas the lead in the 15th minute. Daniel Job set it up in his first start for the club, and Bernard Kamungo was also credited with an assist, his fifth of the season. Cappis now has two career goals for FC Dallas, and he became the 15th different Dallas player to score this season.

Job drew a penalty in the 29th minute on a foul by Agustin Resch. Dynamo goalkeeper Jonathan Bond dove to his left and stopped Musa’s attempt, keeping the margin at one. Over the first 45 minutes, Houston held 61.3% of possession and out-passed Dallas 376-187, while Dallas led 4-1 in total shots.

Three minutes after halftime, Héctor Herrera tied the match from a Guilherme assist. Dallas appeared to go back in front later in the half before video review took the goal off the board.

In stoppage time, a Houston shot struck defender Nolan Norris on the arm inside the box. Mateusz Bogusz converted the penalty to put the Dynamo ahead 2-1. Substitute Ran Binyamin then drew a foul from Duncan McGuire inside the area, and Musa beat Bond to the bottom left corner on his second penalty of the night. Substitute forward Sam Sarver was sent off after the equalizer.

Eric Quill On Petar Musa, A Missed Penalty, And A Late Point In Houston

FC Dallas coach Eric Quill was frustrated with the handball call against Norris, saying the hand was down at the player’s side.

“Confidence can take a hit after missing a penalty, but Musa stepped up, and that’s why he’s a killer,” Quill said. “I’m really proud of him for getting that moment back, and I’m proud of the team and its resilience.”

“To give up a penalty like that, when the hand was down by the player’s side, was frustrating,” Quill continued. “It was a crazy night, but I’m proud of my guys for fighting back. I thought we were the brighter team and created the bigger chances. They had moments when they controlled possession, but we had some really big opportunities that we didn’t finish. That nearly came back to haunt us.”

“But we kept scrapping and fighting to get the goal, even with four minutes left in stoppage time, when it could have been deflating,” Quill added. “We don’t lose our fight. That’s our mentality. We have a championship mentality, and we’re going to keep fighting. We’ll take the point and get out of here, but we know we missed an opportunity.”

Musa finished the night second in the MLS Golden Boot race behind Inter Miami CF’s Lionel Messi. He broke Jason Kreis’ club single-season record of 18 goals, set in 1999, with his 19th on Oct. 10 at Charlotte. Saturday’s goal was his 54th for Dallas and moved him past Jesús Ferreira for second on the club’s all-time scoring list, 3rd Degree reported.

Three days earlier, Dallas clinched its playoff berth with a 1-0 win over the Seattle Sounders at Toyota Stadium. FC Dallas has never won MLS Cup, last reaching the final in 2010, and a first championship is the goal Quill has set for this group.

“You want to be trending upward at the end of the season because the psychology of the playoffs often rewards teams that come in playing their best football,” Quill explained. “We have so much talent and belief in our group, and we have so much depth that it’s fun to watch these guys. I love watching them play every time I step out there.”

“I’m excited for the opportunity they’ll have in the playoffs to hopefully bring this club its first championship,” Quill noted. “That’s the ultimate goal, and we still have a long way to go to get there. But nights like tonight have shown time and time again that this team has that championship spirit.”

Christian Cappis Scores In His Hometown As Daniel Job Makes First Start

Dallas played its third match in seven days, and Quill rotated the lineup. Job, Norris, Herman Johansson, and Patrickson Delgado started after Osaze Urhoghide, Binyamin, and Joaquín Valiente had started against Seattle. Kaick was a late scratch for personal reasons, the club said in a post relayed by Big D Soccer. Daniel started in goal, with Sebastien Ibeagha, Shaq Moore, and Ramiro also in the starting 11.

Bringing El Capitán home for the Dallas fans meant something to Cappis, who scored his first goal of the season with family in the building.

“It was great to score my first goal of the season, and doing it with my family here made it even more special,” Cappis said. “Despite all the adversity we faced today, we showed that we wouldn’t let it stop us. To come back and earn a point says a lot about this team.”

“We’ve shown throughout the season that when we go down, we find a way to come back, and this was another example of that,” Cappis continued. “It’s always nice to have El Capitán back in Dallas. We’re happy to bring it home, and we know the fans will be happy, too.”

Quill hopes the goal gives Cappis a spark, and he said the midfielder has the quality to score more.

“Christian Cappis is from Houston, I’m from Houston, and Sebastien Ibeagha is from Houston, too, so it’s bittersweet,” Quill said. “But Cappis doesn’t score many goals, so for him to get one against this opponent tonight was really special. I hope it gives him a spark because he has the quality to score more.”

“I’m proud of him and his moment, but I’m also proud of FC Dallas tonight and our fans,” Quill detailed. “We didn’t like how El Capitán went last year, so we made amends this year. Hopefully, it stays home for a long time.”

Dallas acquired Job, a Nigerian winger, from Norwegian club Kongsvinger IL during the 2026 summer transfer window. He played 61 minutes before Santiago Moreno replaced him, and Valiente came on for Delgado at the same time.

Delgado said converting the first-half penalty would have given Dallas a two-goal cushion.

“I think we deserved the win,” Delgado said. “We played well, and converting the penalty would have given us a little more comfort in the result because we would have been up by two goals. But that’s soccer. The team showed great character and mentality by finding the equalizer late in the game.”

Dallas returns to Toyota Stadium to host the San Jose Earthquakes on Saturday, Oct. 24. Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. CT on Apple TV.