Dynamo kick off West Coast road trip in San Jose: What to watch for

(image via Houston Dynamo FC)

The Houston Dynamo are back at Shell Energy Stadium tonight for a Western Conference match up against Minnesota United. Houston’s match last weekend against LAFC was ultimately postponed as Hurricane Beryl made its way into the Texas coast. Minnesota lost 2-1 to the LA Galaxy on Sunday, their sixth straight loss.

When: Wednesday, July 17 | 9:40 PM CT kickoff

Where: PayPal Park; San Jose, California

TV/Stream: MLS Season Pass on Apple TV

Radio: TUDN Deportes Houston 93.3 FM (Spanish)

Road Trippin’

The Dynamo have hit the West Coast for a bit of an extended trip as they take on the Earthquakes tonight before heading to Vancouver for a Saturday meeting against the Whitecaps. Houston has four of its eight wins this season on the road, a huge shift from years past. They will look to carry that form into this trip, the last two matches before Major League Soccer breaks for the month-long Leagues Cup. The Dynamo have also lost just once in their eight matches, scoring 17 goals over that stretch.

Last Call for Sebas?

Major League Soccer’s transfer window opens tomorrow, meaning new Designated Player striker Ezequiel Ponce will officially be available to play. Ben Olsen spoke on Monday in his pre-match press conference about the idea of playing Ponce and Sebas Ferreira, saying it is not something he plans to do. Olsen said the Dynamo play a one striker system and he plans to keep doing that. With the Dynamo paying a reported $8 million transfer fee for Ponce, there’s little to no chance he sits on the bench. That means tonight could be the last chance for Ferreira, a DP striker himself, to put himself in the shop window for teams around MLS or in other countries. The Paraguayan has four goals in his last four matches, so if Olsen doesn’t have him in his plans, perhaps another team in the league would be interested in acquiring him as the window opens.

Rock Bottom

Tonight’s opponent, the San Jose Earthquakes, currently sit at the bottom of the Major League Soccer standings with just 14 points from 23 games. They’ve lost 17 of those 23 matches and recently fired head coach Luchi Gonzalez. They have also allowed a staggering 58 goals in 2024, over 2.5 a game. All that to say, this is a game the Dynamo need to win. The Western Conference standings are very tight with just eight points separating 4th and 10th place. If the Dynamo are going to, not just make the playoffs, but strive for a high seed, they need to be collecting three points from this match. It’s MLS so anything can happen, but Houston needs to come out and take care of business.

Houston Dynamo – Out: Nelson Quinones (knee)

San Jose Earthquakes – Out: Carlos Akapo (lower body), Daniel (lower body), JT Marcinkowski (knee surgery), Cruz Medina (international duty), Emi Ochoa (international duty), Jamar Ricketts (lower body), Niko Tsakiris (international duty), Bruno Wilson (lower body); Questionable: Vitor Costa (lower body)

Predicted Lineup