Dynamo Look to Rebound at Home Against Slumping Whitecaps
(image via Houston Dynamo FC)
The Houston Dynamo will play the first of two matches at home in the span of four days as they host the Vancouver Whitecaps tonight. The Dynamo are coming off a 1-0 loss on the road against Real Salt Lake this past weekend. Vancouver lost 3-0 to the Colorado Rapids in their last match.
When: Wednesday, July 16 | 7:40 PM CT kickoff
Where: Shell Energy Stadium; Houston, Texas
TV/Stream: MLS Season Pass on Apple TV
Radio: TUDN Deportes 93.3 FM
Finding the Net
The Dynamo had 19 total shots and 1.56 expected goals, according to Fotmob, in Saturday’s loss to Real Salt Lake where they failed to score. Chances were there, notably from Ezequiel Ponce and Felipe Andrade, but Houston couldn’t get the ball in the back of the net. We’ve seen this happen to this Dynamo team before where they just can’t seem to score. But, we have also seen them score in bunches at times. Can Ben Olsen’s side put their creating and finishing on display in one complete performance?
Right Back Battle
If you would have said before this season started that Griffin Dorsey would lose his starting job at right back, I would have called you crazy. Here we are in July, however, and that seems to be the case. Dorsey missed a game for yellow card accumulation and Felipe Andrade has taken over the position ever since. Ben Olsen spoke in his pre-match press conference how there’s a competition at right back with both players offering things the other doesn’t. Andrade and Dorsey both contribute to the attack so Olsen said a lot will depend on the opponent and how they want to play. So who gets the start tonight?
Cooled Off Caps
Vancouver took the league by storm earlier this year, vaulting to the top of the Western Conference and making a run all the way to the Concacaf Champions Cup Final. Maybe the league is catching up to them, maybe fatigue from all those games is starting to set in, but the Whitecaps have cooled off considerably of late. Vancouver has lost four of their last five league matches and come to Houston after a 3-0 defeat in Colorado on Saturday. Their talisman, Brian White, is back from the Gold Cup but Pedro Vite looks like he is on his way to Pumas in LigaMX. Can the Dynamo take advantage of a Caps team in a run of poor form?
Houston Dynamo FC – Out: Nelson Quiñones (knee), Andrew Tarbell (knee), Erik Sviatchenko (lower body)
Vancouver Whitecaps FC – Out: Sam Adekugbe (Achilles), Ali Ahmed (ankle), Giuseppe Bovalina (illness), Ryan Gauld (knee), Pedro Vite (not due to injury); Questionable: Tristan Blackmon (hamstring), Andres Cubas (ankle)
Predicted Lineup
