Dynamo open Leagues Cup in Orlando: What to watch for
(image via Houston Dynamo FC)
The Houston Dynamo begin play in the new Leagues Cup in Orlando tonight. The Dynamo will take on Orlando City in the first match of the group that also includes LigaMX side Santos Laguna. Houston is coming off a 0-0 draw on Saturday against the Colorado Rapids. Orlando beat Atlanta United on the road, 2-1, this past weekend.
When: Friday, July 21 | 7:09 PM CT kickoff
Where: Exploria Stadium; Orlando, Florida
TV/Stream: MLS Season Pass on Apple TV
Radio: ESPN 97.5 FM (English), TUDN Deportes Houston 93.3 FM (Spanish)
New competition
All clubs in Major League Soccer and LigaMX will be competing in the new Leagues Cup that kicks off tonight. League play has been suspended for a month in MLS while all teams play in the tournament. The Dynamo will play two group stage games and the top two teams from the three team group will advance to the Round of 32. There are no ties in the group stage. If a game ends tied after 90 minutes, teams will go directly to a penalty shootout. Each team will receive one point and the winner of the shootout will earn an additional point.
No distractions
With MLS play suspended until August 20, the Dynamo have every incentive to go full force in the Leagues Cup. The top three teams in the competition earn a place in the Concacaf Champions League. Dynamo head coach Ben Olsen knows his team is coming into this competition to compete and advance, with no distractions. “Our mindset is to, as I said before, get out of the group. That starts with having a good performance against Orlando away,” Olsen said Thursday. “They're a very good team. We spent some time watching them over the last few days, and they have some dangerous attacking dynamic pieces. They're physical and athletic in central midfield and the back. They’ve got some wide backs that can attack and create some overloads that are dangerous. Again, it’ll be a tough game. It always is on the road. Weather won't be a factor. Our weather and their weather kind of line up, so that's not an issue. We should be able to go there and put a put a very competitive team out and get a result. That’s the goal, and then we’ll focus on the next one. The one thing about this tournament is that there's no other games. You can fully shut down the league and there's no U.S. Open Cup. There’s no distractions. Everybody involved in this tournament can dial in on just this tournament. I think that does help bring the level up. It’s by design because I think if you had the regular season going on during this time, you would get different lineups, and it'd be hard to prioritize it.”
Taming the Lions
As the lowest seed in the group, based on last season’s performance, the Dynamo know they have a tough list of fixtures, starting tonight with Orlando. City is currently fifth in the Eastern Conference and will be a tough test for Houston. Goalkeeper Steve Clark knows the Dynamo are up for a difficult match. “We know from playing against them last year that they're a very good side,” Clark told the media. “It’s a difficult place to go to get points. They’re an organized team and well-coached with a lot of quality. So, we're expecting a difficult game.”
Availability Report
Houston Dynamo - Out: Ifunanyachi Achara (knee), Teenage Hadebe (leg), Tate Schmitt (knee), Coco Carrasquilla (international duty), Andrew Tarbell (concussion protocol)
Orlando City SC – Out: Gastón González (left thigh), Mikey Halliday (left thigh)
Predicted Lineup
