Dynamo look to continue road success in Austin: What to watch for
(image via Billy Mears)
The Houston Dynamo begin a two-match rivalry week as they travel west to take on Austin FC tonight. Austin beat the Dynamo 1-0 earlier this season at Shell Energy Stadium. Houston is coming off a 2-1 road win over Sporting Kansas City. Austin also played on Saturday, losing 2-1 to FC Dallas.
When: Wednesday, May 15 | 7:40 PM CT kickoff
Where: Q2 Stadium; Austin, Texas
TV/Stream: MLS Season Pass on Apple TV
Radio: TUDN Deportes Houston 93.3 FM (Spanish)
Road Warriors
Saturday’s win in Kansas City gave the Dynamo their third road win of 2024, equaling their total from all of last season. Houston is a team that has come together over the last year plus and is showing that they have a definitive style of play that can work home or away. Austin is a tough place to play, in front of a sold-out crowd, and it has proven so for the Dynamo with Houston losing in all four of their trips to Q2 Stadium. The two teams have also met nine times in total and never drawn, with Austin winning six and the Dynamo three. With their new-found road form, can Houston get its first points in the state capital?
Lineup Shuffle
Tonight’s match will be the 4th in 12 days for the Dynamo, with another against FC Dallas coming up on Saturday. Ben Olsen laughed at his team being called “older” in yesterday’s press conference when we asked him about the fixtures piling up, but he knows his veteran team will need some rest days. New signing Jefferson Valverde is “ready to roll”, according to Olsen, and could give Artur his first spell on the bench. The Brazilian midfielder is one of three Dynamo players to start all 11 MLS matches, along with Steve Clark and Aliyu Ibrahim, and one of four to play in every match, along with Sebastian Kowalczyk. Olsen knows there is still a lot of season ahead and players will need time off. That could show tonight in the starting lineup.
Austin Revival
Prior to their meeting at Shell Energy Stadium on April 20, Austin had just two wins from their first eight matches. Their win in Houston helped kickstart them a little with a win over the LA Galaxy and a draw in Vancouver after that. They lost in Frisco last weekend but have climbed to 8th place in the Western Conference, just a point behind the Dynamo. Austin has been led by Brad Stuver, an early favorite for MLS Goalkeeper of the Year. Stuver leads all of MLS with +5.5 Post-Shot Expected Goals minus Goals Allowed. It basically says he has saved 5.5 goals compared to what was expected. Stuver leads MLS with 55 saves and has four clean sheets this season, with three in his last four games. The Dynamo offense has struggled, to put it mildly, this season, and they’ll need to be at their very best to beat Stuver tonight.
Houston Dynamo – Out: Nelson Quinones (knee), Sebastian Ferreira, lower body), Daniel Steres (hip); Questionable: Franco Escobar (lower body)
Austin FC – Questionable: Guilherme Biro (hamstring), Ethan Finlay (hamstring)
Predicted Lineup
