Dynamo host Loons in USOC Round of 16: What to watch for
(image via Houston Dynamo FC)
The Houston Dynamo continue their run in the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup tonight with a Round of 16 match against Minnesota United. The Dynamo are coming off a 1-1 draw with FC Dallas on Saturday night. Minnesota beat the Portland Timbers 1-0 on the road Saturday night. Houston and Minnesota played just last week, with the Loons winning 1-0 on Wednesday night in a league match.
When: Tuesday, May 23 | 7:33 PM CT kickoff
Where: Shell Energy Stadium; Houston, Texas
TV/Stream: B/R App or B/R Football YouTube Channel
Queremos la Copa
MLS or Open Cup? Staying fresh for a long season and a shot at the playoffs or making a run to win the Open Cup? These are the debates that Dynamo fans have been having and one the front office and coaching staff will surely be having. The Dynamo played Saturday night against FC Dallas and are home Saturday for a meeting with Austin FC. Both games are not only rivalries but are big in the Western Conference standings.
Dynamo head coach Ben Olsen knows how important the Open Cup is in the grand scheme of things, but he also knows the importance of the league. “There’s an eye certainly on Austin, understanding the importance of that match,” Olsen said yesterday. “A lot of the focus, particularly over the last day, has been about the Minnesota game and how we'll go after that. Then Wednesday, Thursday and Friday we’ll have plenty of time to address Austin. They’re also in very good form. They’ve made some tactical shifts that I think will really help them. They’re rounding into form, which is no surprise. They’re a very good team, and they're well-coached. So, we’re looking forward to that one at home as well. We had a great game against them earlier, and we’re looking to hopefully replicate that.”
Who’s up?
The Dynamo are getting deeper into the Open Cup, tonight being the Round of 16, and the closer teams get to the trophy the more likely they are to playing a full-strength squad. With that being said, and what we mentioned in the first point, the Dynamo will likely look to strike some balance between the two. Some first team players that didn’t play in Frisco or came off the bench could feature, and several Dynamo 2 regulars didn’t play on Sunday. Talen Maples and Diego Gonzalez were loaned to the first team in the win over Sporting Kansas City last round, so expect to see them again. We have a best guess at a lineup below, but your guess is as good as ours with just how Olsen lines the team up tonight.
Loons again
Houston and Minnesota played just six days ago, with the Loons picking up a 1-0 win in their home ground. Now with the Open Cup match being between a busy stretch for both teams (Minnesota played in Portland late Saturday night), there will be rotation from not just the Dynamo. Regardless of who Minnesota has on the field, former United player and now Dynamo defender Chase Gasper spoke to the media Monday about what to expect from the Loons. “Minnesota's a great side. They're going to compete, they're going to fight, they're going to counter and they're very good on the counter. So, it’s really about being smart even when we have the ball in our attacking third, that we're still ready on defense because if we lose the ball, they're going to go a million miles per hour back at us. We’ve got to be in good spots defensively.”
Availability Report
Houston Dynamo – Out: Ifunanyachi Achara (knee), Teenage Hadebe (leg), Tate Schmitt (knee), Questionable: Erik Sviatchenko (lower body)
Minnesota United – none provided
Predicted Lineup
