Dynamo try to close out first round series: What to watch for
(image via Aldo Canale)
After winning Game 1 at Shell Energy Stadium last weekend, the Houston Dynamo will try to close out the best-of-three first round series tonight in Sandy, Utah. Real Salt Lake must win to keep their season alive and send the series back to Houston. Game 3 will be back at Shell Energy Stadium on Saturday, November 11, if necessary. If the game is tied after 90 minutes, it will go straight to penalty kicks to determine a winner.
When: Sunday, October 29 | 8:09 PM CT kickoff
Where: America First Field; Sandy, Utah
TV/Stream: MLS Season Pass on Apple TV
Radio: ESPN 97.5 FM (English), TUDN Deportes Houston 93.3 FM (Spanish)
A familiar foe
Tonight’s match will be the fifth meeting between the Dynamo and Real Salt Lake in all competitions. Both teams know what to expect from the other. “I don't think we're going to surprise them with any crazy tactical schemes,” head coach Ben Olsen said on Saturday. “What we do (as a team) when we do it well is pretty good. It’s hard to deal with. We have to focus on being at our best and making sure that if they focus on taking away one area, we have to hurt them with something else. Those are the adjustments that you have to think about beforehand, but also during the game. That is the fun part of these three-game series.” Olsen and the Dynamo know that “their best” is hard to play against and can get results anywhere, now it is about execution.
Punish them early
Early goals change games. We saw that in game 1 when the Dynamo scored in the 22nd minute. Going up early in a match can change the way both teams play. Unfortunately for the Dynamo this season, they have had trouble putting teams away with additional goals. This happened last weekend when Diego Luna equalized. Houston knows they will need to not only jump RSL early, but put them away if they have the chance. “For us, it’s just about staying on top of teams and punishing them early,” defender Griffin Dorsey said. “We are a great first half team and sometimes I think we can lose it in the second half. Maybe it's a little bit of confidence or overconfidence, but I would just say that staying in it and punishing teams early is really where we need to focus.”
A different RSL
Real Salt Lake looked to be playing for a draw in Game 1 at Houston and played a much more relaxed style of play. Now, needing a win to extend their season, they are more likely to come out on the front foot and the Dynamo are expecting a very different style of play in Game 2. “It’s going to be more the way that they play,” goalkeeper Steve Clark said this week. “I expect them to press right away. I think that they're going to come after us. Here in Houston, they sat off us and were looking to counter a little bit more. It’s going to be a very different game. It's going to be challenging for us in the back because I think they're going to be really pressing. They always have a lot of fans, as well as the altitude and weather. I’ve played there in the playoffs before, and it’s very challenging for sure.”
Houston Dynamo – Out: Ifunanyachi Achara (knee), Tate Schmitt (knee)
Real Salt Lake – Out: Paulo Ruiz (knee), Bode Hidalgo (hamstring); Questionable: Brayan Vera (ankle), Erik Holt (shoulder), Chicho Arango (hamstring), Justen Glad (adductor); Probable: Marcelo Silva (bereavement)
Predicted Lineup
