Dynamo take on Real Salt Lake for second time in four days: What to watch for
The Houston Dynamo are on the road in Utah tonight to take on Real Salt Lake for the second time in four days. Houston won Wednesday’s Lamar Hunt US Open Cup semifinal 3-1 after added extra time. Tonight’s match will likely see rotated squads from both teams but points are vital in a tight Western Conference playoff race.
When: Saturday, August 26 | 8:39 PM CT kickoff
Where: America First Field; Sandy, Utah
TV/Stream: MLS Season Pass on Apple TV
Radio: ESPN 97.5 FM (English), Futbol de Primera (Spanish)
Going back to back
These two teams got together on Wednesday night in Houston for a tightly contested semifinal in the Open Cup. The Dynamo ended up coming out on top, booking their place in the final and in next season’s Concacaf Champions Cup. Now they’ll lace it up again and go at it, this time in Sandy, Utah. Just days after playing 120 minutes, there will almost surely be some rotated lineups from both team. Dynamo head coach Ben Olsen has a good sense of the players that can play tonight and those who will need to rest. “You go through a season and there's individuals that you have history with, and you know, can go back-to-back,” Olsen said Friday. “You have some that, you know, can’t and you have that history with these players and there's enough science behind it to make calculated decisions on who can go and who can’t. Still, freshening up the lineup is important. We've got some guys that are hungry to show that they belong on that kind of quote unquote starting group. So, it's a little dance, it's a little puzzle, but it's one that we've been doing all season because of the nature of the schedule. It's been so compact, more compact probably than any schedule I've ever dealt with.”
Moving on quickly
The Dynamo surely owned the right to celebrate after making it to a cup final and earning continental soccer again. They also don’t have the time to celebrate too long. They’re still in a close fight to make the playoffs, a goal majority owner Ted Segal reiterated when speaking to media on Thursday. Olsen knows his players will be up for it as well, saying Friday that the only motivation they need is “to flash the standings” to them. While Wednesday night was a huge moment for the club, they’re staying focused on the next task at hand. “We are focused. We were pleased with the result the other night, but we understand where we're at,” Olsen told us. “This is another important game to stay in the hunt for a playoff spot. It was a good performance (on Wednesday), but we'll need a better performance here to get something out of this match. It's always tricky when you play a team back-to-back. With the two days in between, they have a little luxury that they didn't have one on the front end. We're adding up some significant minutes for some guys. So, it's been a puzzle, getting the group together, but I think we'll be able to put together a good group that can get something there.”
Not so home sweet home
Real Salt Lake have historically been a tough team to beat at home. Whether it be the altitude or their always competitive teams, it’s never easy playing there. That hasn’t been the case this season, however. RSL have won just four of their twelve home games in league play and won one of two games in their stadium during Leagues Cup. Ironically, Salt Lake are the best road team in the Western Conferencem winning six of twelve, which has helped them vault to third place. The Dynamo have won just once on the road this season, a stunner in Los Angeles, but could they ride the high of Wednesday and get three points away from home? Despite Wednesday’s Open Cup loss, RSL welcomes Houston to Utah with an active 11-game MLS unbeaten run over the Dynamo, with their last loss in regular season play coming in 2017.
Availability Report
Houston Dynamo – Out: Ifunanyachi Achara (knee), Teenage Hadebe (leg), Tate Schmitt (knee)
Real Salt Lake – Out: Erik Holt (shoulder), Pablo Ruiz (knee), Brayan Vera (suspended)
Predicted Lineup
