Who. Houston Dynamo
Record.
- All-time: 5-6-4 (15 goals scored : 15 goals conceded)
- Road: 2-5-0 (6 GF: 11 GC)
- This season: No previous meetings
Style of play. Houston is not going to build from the back very often. They want to move the ball forward and get their wingers on the ball in space. They will often try to play up the left because Damarcus Beasley offers such smart passing from the left fullback role. Regardless of what side they attack from, Houston’s aim is to penetrate the back line quickly, or at least force the back line so deep that space opens in front of it for Tomas Martinez to step in and create. Martinez is something of a poor man’s Borek Dockal, but with such elite talent in wide areas the Dynamo do not need a superb playmaker to succeed, just someone who can occupy the right zone atop the box and feed the skill men ahead of him.
Key men. The Dynamo are like the Union in that their attack is predicated on strong wing play. Romell Quioto and Alberth Elis are two of the top wide men in Major League Soccer, with Elis checking in with the top tier of goalscorers and Quioto topping the American Soccer Analysis Expected Assists table going into last weekend.
Keep an eye on. Mauro Manotas. The Colombian striker is for real, and has already matched his 10 goal return from 2017 this season. The primary quality Manotas brings is endless movement, and the Dynamo need that in order to push opponents deep enough to use the center of the pitch. If Houston cannot create space in the attacking half, they can still look to play over the top because their wings have such absurd speed. But to be truly accurate, those longer balls require time for the passers to pick their heads up. And when the opponent’s defense compresses the field, that time is hard to come by. Manotas stretches the defense and, in doing so, creates the spaces the Dynamo need to consistently threaten.
