Houston Dynamo Look to Build Momentum Against San Jose Earthquakes
(image via Derek Boyd)
The Houston Dynamo return to the West Coast tonight as they pay a visit to the Bay Area to take on the San Jose Earthquakes. The Dynamo picked up a 2-1 victory over Real Salt Lake on Wednesday to get back in the win column. San Jose also won on Wednesday night, beating San Diego FC 3-2.
When: Saturday, September 12 | 9:40 PM CT kickoff
Where: Shell Energy Stadium; Houston, Texas
TV/Stream: Apple TV
Double 9s
As Houston continues to search for goals from the striker position, and await the arrival of Lyle Foster, we saw an interesting wrinkle in the way the Dynamo played on Wednesday night. Guilherme and Mateusz Bogusz both operated as false nines at times, rotating in and out of the forward role and more supporting positions. It worked well as both players scored in the 2-1 win. Until Foster gets his visa and arrives in Houston, this looks to be the best way of setting up the Dynamo attack. Guilherme and Bogusz are both players who operate well having a bit of freedom in their game and being able to find pockets and areas to attack.
Arana’s Arrival
After the Dynamo sold midfielders Ondrej Lingr and Jack McGlynn in the summer transfer window, head coach Ben Olsen said it would be a good opportunity for young players, like Matthew Arana, to get more minutes. In the last two matches, Arana has come off the bench and done just that. The 16-year-old Homegrown is showing he belongs and has gained the trust of the coaching staff. Olsen talked yesterday in his pre-match press conference about getting Arana into more and different situations as they continue to bring him along. Could a start be on the cards soon?
Back So Soon
The Dynamo and Earthquakes played just two weeks ago at Shell Energy Stadium in a game that ended in a scoreless draw. Now they meet again at PayPal Park. Jonathan Bond made four saves to keep the clean sheet in what you could argue was a better performance from San Jose than the hosts. Both teams will be familiar with each other with such a quick turnaround and expect another tightly contested performance for two sides that have playoffs runs on their mind as we enter mid-September.
Houston Dynamo FC – Out: Jimmy Maurer (head), Lyle Foster (not due to injury); Questionable: Marcelo Saracchi (lower body)
San Jose Earthquakes – Out: Nonso Adimabua (lower body), Earl Edwards Jr. (lower body), Max Floriani (not due to injury), Dejuan Jones (lower body), Timo Werner (lower body); Questionable: Preston Judd (lower body), Reid Roberts (lower body)
Predicted Lineup
