Previewing Houston Dynamo at Minnesota United with Northland Soccer Journal
(image via Minnesota United)
The Houston Dynamo are back on the road as they’ll face Minnesota United tonight for the first of two meetings between the clubs in the next seven days. We talked to our friend Bridget McDowell from Northland Soccer Journal to get some insight on the Loons ahead of tonight’s match.
The Emanuel Reynoso saga has swirled around Minnesota United this season. Is he any closer to returning and how are the Lions handling things offensively without him?
MNUFC issued a statement Tuesday morning saying that Reynoso has been cleared to rejoin the team (suspension lifted, medicals cleared). However, the latest is that he won't join full squad training until after next week's USOC match in Houston. The soonest he is expected to appear in the lineup is the following Saturday (5/27) against Real Salt Lake.
In his absence, Adrian Heath has been testing a rotating field of attackers. Sang Bin Jeong and Robin Lod have both appeared at the 10, not a natural position for either. Luis Amarilla and Mender Garcia are competing for the 9 and Bongokuhle Hlongwane is steadily securing his role on the week. All have had positive moments (Bongi scored 2 goals against Philadelphia in USOC R4 and assisted on the third goal; Sang Bin scored his first goal in Vancouver, Amarilla is working on his hold-up play) but no one has cemented themselves as a go-to striker.
Minnesota lost 3-0 to KC Saturday. Do you think they’ll make a number of lineup changes for this midweek match?
Most of the starters for the SKC match also played long shifts in the midweek USOC match so I'd expect some rotation, but perhaps more so in terms of formation. The 3-5-2 was obviously not successful in KC so it's likely that Heath will go back to his 4-2-3-1/4-3-3 hybrid. Amarilla (who played only the last 30 minutes due to a knock) is expected to be available Wednesday and I would not be surprised to see him as the 9 in a 4-2-3-1. Fragapane, Sang Bin or Lod, and either Hlongwane or Garcia are the logical choices for the front three. Midfield is up for grabs - Trapp is rested so he may be the most likely defensive mid.
Miguel Tapias has played every league minute this season. How has the Mexican done this season and how has he fit in with the rest of Minnesota’s defense?
Tapias complements Michael Boxall really well. Both are incredibly physical and Boxy definitely benefits from having someone with the same style next to him. Both are free to press forward (We've seen Boxy come up with goal opportunities multiple times in the last few games) and are quick enough to get back and share the defense of counterattacks. Tapias is still learning the system but he's fitting in quickly and, despite a few mistakes, he's saved the backline a blush or two on goal with his physicality.
With Minnesota and Houston playing twice over seven days with another league game sandwiched in between, how are Loons fans feeling about the upcoming match ups against the Dynamo?
There are definitely some nerves over this compact schedule. The Loons often go into these parts of the season either on a high high or really low low and this year it's the latter. They have plenty of opportunities to turn around the frustration both on and off the pitch but Heath could lose a few fans if he once again chooses not to take the Open Cup match seriously. It's definitely a balancing act -- How do you perform at your best while conserving some of your best, for this stretch of two-match weeks? -- but fans want to see a team that comes together to solve these problems. Another performance like they saw at SKC will be very detrimental to fan morale. The biggest boost going into both matches is the absence of multiple Dynamo players due to red card suspensions. But the Loons can set the tone for the rest of the season before the end of May, for better or for worse.
How is the health of the roster and do you expect anyone to be unavailable tonight?
Amarilla is the only question mark for Wednesday. (Dibassy, Jiba and Marques continue to rehab, no other names on the report as of Tuesday evening.) I would expect some rotation from what Heath rolled out over the weekend -- both for tactical reasons and minute management.
Predicted lineup and prediction for the match?
It's hard to predict an Adrian Heath lineup but if I had to guess, 4-2-3-1: DSC / Lawrence, Boxall, Tapias, Taylor / Trapp, Arriaga / Hlongwane, Sang Bin, Lod / Amarilla (with Valentin, Fragapane, Garcia and Dotson warmed up). I'm going to go with a chippy 2-2 draw.
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We want to thank Bridget for her time and wish our friends in Minnesota the best of luck tonight. And make sure you check out our answers to their questions about the Dynamo on Northland Soccer Journal.
