Dynamo return to Champions Cup with visit to St. Louis: What to watch for
(image via Houston Dynamo FC)
The Houston Dynamo are back in a continental competition, returning to the newly renamed Concacaf Champions Cup for the first time since 2019. Houston was drawn with fellow Major League Soccer side St. Louis CITY SC in Round One. Tonight’s match is the first of two legs, with the second at Shell Energy Stadium next week. The winner on aggregate score will advance to the next round, with away goals being used as a tiebreaker.
When: Tuesday, February 20 | 7:00 PM CT
Where: CITYPARK; St. Louis, Missouri
TV/Stream: FS2
Radio: TUDN Deportes Houston 93.3 FM (Spanish)
Run it back
This winter was fairly quiet for the Dynamo, with the offseason not bringing in many new faces. The Dynamo brought in 19 new players last year in a complete overhaul so now they’re set to basically run things back in 2024 from what they had in 2023. The big departures are Teenage Hadebe and Corey Baird. Hadebe freed up a Designated Player Spot but the club has not yet filled that on the roster. The only new additions are Jan Gregus and youngsters Gabe Segal, Kieran Sargeant, and Stephen Annor Gyamfi. Houston did re-sign key pieces to new contracts with Artur, Griffin Dorsey, and Coco Carrasquilla signing new long-term deals. A lot of the fan base isn’t happy that more moves weren’t made this offseason but the Dynamo didn’t have much wiggle room outside of that DP spot. We’ll see how they do as they basically re-run the 2023 season. Especially now when…
Injury bug
Especially now when some key pieces are out injured. Captain Hector Herrera is out for the beginning of the season but the club has been quiet on more details. Winger Nelson Quinones is out for the season after suffering a knee injury playing for Colombia in Olympic qualifying. Head coach Ben Olsen has been clear that there is no like-for-like replacement for Herrera. We’ll get a first chance tonight to see how Olsen sets up the midfield. Will Gregus slot in to Herrera’s role? Will Carrasquilla change his role to play there and bring Sebastian Kowalczyk in on the right wing? Will Brooklyn Raines be given the reigns in the midfield? Quinones’ position is also up in the air. Veteran Brad Smith could be plugged in as a left wing. Aliyu Ibrahim could also be moved to the wing with Sebas Ferreira slotting back in as a number 9.
Sophomore season
St. Louis didn’t look like an expansion team last season as they stormed to the top of the Western Conference in their inaugural MLS campaign. Now entering year two, the expectations will be high for CITY. St. Louis plays a very distinct style under head coach Bradley Carnell where they press teams from a high block and look to win the ball back in the opposition end. It gave the Dynamo fits last season when the teams met at CITYPARK with St. Louis running away 3-0 winners. Roman Burki won MLS Goalkeeper of the Year last year and is the rock that St. Louis built on. CITY will look to be strong defensively, led by Burki and two new fullbacks in Nikolas Dyhr and Tomas Totland. Joao Klauss is a handful up front, with Olsen calling him “the big man up front” that is not fun to play against. St. Louis is sound across their starting lineup and will provide a huge test for the Dynamo right out of the gate.
Houston Dynamo – no report; Hector Herrera and Nelson Quinones ruled out
St. Louis CITY SC – no report
Predicted Lineup
