Dynamo head for the Rockies before Leagues Cup: What to watch for
(image via Houston Dynamo FC)
The Houston Dynamo head to the Rocky Mountains in Commerce City, Colorado tonight for a match up with the Colorado Rapids before turning attention to Leagues Cup. The Dynamo are looking to rebound after a humiliating 3-0 defeat to Minnesota United at home Wednesday night. Colorado played the second half of a resumed game during the midweek, ending with a 0-0 draw against the Portland Timbers
When: Saturday, July 15 | 8:39 PM CT kickoff
Where: Dick’s Sporting Goods Park; Commerce City, Colorado
TV/Stream: MLS Season Pass on Apple TV
Radio: ESPN 97.5 FM (English), TUDN Deportes Houston 93.3 FM (Spanish)
Beating the heat
With triple digit heat in Houston it’s got to be nice to get away from training and playing in that every day. The Dynamo will do just that as the temperature at kickoff tonight is forecasted to be about 80 degrees, according to The Weather Channel. “The weather is not going to be the same, which is a nice little breather from this heat the last couple of games,” Dynamo head coach Ben Olsen said Friday. The Dynamo have struggled again this season away from home, with just one win, but perhaps a little reprieve from the Houston summer will do the players good.
Dogfight
Just ten points seperate 5th through 13th in the Western Conference standings as play begins tonight. The Dynamo are clinging to a spot above the playoff line but their recent winless streak is making that precarious. Three points tonight would be huge to climb the standings before the league takes a month off for Leagues Cup. Olsen knows what his team is up against and knows there is no time for mistakes. “Every team's better right now. We’re in a dogfight for the rest of the year,” Olsen said. “Every game, all teams that we're playing are in and around the playoff line. So, there's no time for rest and certainly not for some plays that we've been taken off during the games that cost us goals. But there’s been a lot of good, so we’re trying to just find that balance.”
Calming the Rapids
The Dynamo are winless in their last eight meetings against Colorado, with four draws and four losses. This Rapids team, however, sits in last in the Western Conference and has failed to score a goal in 12 matches this seaosn, including five of the last six. The Dynamo know they have to go into this match looking to win. They’ve got to start picking up points and beating teams they should beat, starting with the Rapids tonight. “Going away, we can't expect to lose, we can’t expect a tie on the road,” Olsen said yesterday. “We have to go there with a winning mentality. Sometimes I think our mentality is not the right one on the road, so we’ll try to fix that as well.”
Availability Report
Houston Dynamo - Out: Ifunanyachi Achara (knee), Teenage Hadebe (leg), Tate Schmitt (knee), Coco Carrasquilla (international duty), Andrew Tarbell (concussion protocol)
Colorado Rapids – Out: Alex Gersbach (lower body injury), Jack Price (Achilles), Diego Rubio (upper body injury), Max (removed from team activities)
Predicted Lineup
