Dynamo host Sporting Kansas City in MLS opener: What to watch for
(image via Houston Dynamo FC)
The Houston Dynamo will welcome Sporting Kansas City to Shell Energy Stadium tonight to kickoff the 2024 Major League Soccer season for both teams. The two teams met in the last game at Shell Energy Stadium last season when the Dynamo beat SKC 1-0 in the Western Conference semifinal. The Dynamo are coming off a 2-1 loss to St. Louis CITY SC on Tuesday in Champions Cup play. This will be Sporting’s first competitive match of 2024.
When: Saturday, February 24 | 7:40 PM CT kickoff
Where: Shell Energy Stadium; Houston, Texas
TV/Stream: MLS Season Pass on Apple TV
Radio: TUDN Deportes Houston 93.3 FM (Spanish)
Kicked off some rust
While playing this game on a short rest after Tuesday night’s loss can be seen as a disadvantage, this could also be a massive advantage because the Dynamo players will have already have had competitive minutes under their belt. Kansas City on the other hand, will be playing their first competitive game of the season. Preseason rust can take multiple games to knock off, so the Dynamo could look much sharper.
Injury bug
As was the case on Tuesday, the Dynamo will be without several important players. Hector Herrera and Nelson Quinones will obviously be out for this match. It looks like both Amine Bassi and Franco Escobar will also be unavailable. Ben Olsen stated that Sebastian Ferreira will be out for a while and did not want to comment on either Escobar or Bassi’s situations. Sporting Kansas City will have nearly a full roster for this game which will have to feel incredible for Peter Vermes who has had the most injury struggles in MLS over the last two seasons.
Revenge and momentum
Sporting Kansas City was one of the hottest teams in MLS in the second half of 2023. They have retained the same core of players and will look to continue that momentum into 2024. From the start of October, they won five straight games until they lost in the Western Conference semifinal to none other than the Houston Dynamo. Houston managed to knock Kansas City out of both the US Open Cup and the MLS Playoffs in the same season last year. Kansas City will have not forgotten that and will take the game to the Dynamo in a revenge quest.
Houston Dynamo – Out: Sebastian Ferreira (hamstring), Hector Herrera (knee), Nelson Quinones (knee); Questionable: Franco Escobar (leg)
Sporting Kansas City – Out: Ozzie Cisneros (quad), Danny Flores (head), Logan Ndenbe (ACL), Khiry Shelton (ankle); Questionable: Tim Leibold (head), Johnny Russell (groin), Daniel Salloi (quad)
Predicted Lineup
