Dynamo back home looking to return to winning ways: What to watch for
(image via Houston Dynamo FC/Twitter)
The Houston Dynamo are back at Shell Energy Stadium to take on the LA Galaxy tonight, looking to stay unbeaten at home. Houston is coming off a 2-1 loss last Saturday on the road against the San Jose Earthquakes. LA also lost 2-1 last week, at home against the Seattle Sounders.
When: Saturday, April 8 | 7:39 PM CT kickoff
Where: Shell Energy Stadium; Houston, Texas
TV/Stream: MLS Season Pass on Apple TV
Radio: 97.5 FM (English), 93.3 FM (Spanish)
Home cooking
The Dynamo have played three matches on the road this season. They’ve lost them all. They have played two matches at home. They won both of those. While the road woes seem to be a thing ecthed into the DNA of the club, a strong home form is vital for any team. If Houston can be dominant at home, like the Dominic Kinnear years, and even take a few points on the road, they can be a playoff team. That is especially true in this new playoff format.
Captain Héctor Herrera knows just how important the home form is. “We have to make our home field advantage count, be strong at home,” Herrera said this week. “We know that in this tournament you have to be strong at home, because playing on the road is always difficult, right? We will work on the game plan during this stretch to be able to get the result we want.”
Midfield battle
Houston’s midfield trio of Herrera, Coco Carrasquilla, and Artur have been the biggest bright spot for the Dynamo this season. Houston is second highest in the league with 31% of their attack coming from the middle of the pitch. First in the league at 35%? The LA Galaxy. LA’s duo of Riqui Puig and Gaston Brugman have been phenomenal this season. Brugman leads MLS with 461 passes attempted and Puig is not far off his teammate with 399 (Héctor Herrera has 397). Both teams will look to control the midfield.
It will be a good battle in the middle of the park, and Dynamo head coach Ben Olsen knows what the Dynamo are up against. “They're a dangerous team in general, because of the talent they have, the way they go about the game, high-level talents,” Olsen said this week in preparation for the match. “Riqui Puig is as good as anybody in this league right now pulling the strings, pretty well-balanced. They have some guys that can hurt you in the attack. It's a very good MLS team. They should have more points than they have at this moment and they're hungry. They need a result, but that's normal. We're hungry and we need a result. We're looking forward to the match.”
Chicharito returns
LA’s Mexican star Javier “Chicharito” Hernandez has traveled with the Galaxy to Houston and is available to make his season debut tonight. The Galaxy could desperately use their star talisman as they have no wins and just three goals in the five games they have played in 2023 without him. It’s unlikley that Chicharito starts, having yet to log any minutes this season, but he will play a role at some point this evening. The Dynamo will want to get on top early, and by multiple goals if possible, knowing that the Little Pea could make an appearance and change the result at any moment. If the Dynamo let LA hang around, Chicharito’s introduction could be game changer.
Availability Report
Houston Dynamo - Out: Brad Smith (knee), Ifunanyachi Achara (knee), Tate Schmitt (knee), Erik Sviatchenko (pending documentation)
LA Galaxy – Out: Jonathan Bond (shoulder)
Predicted Lineup
