The only game this season between the Montreal Impact and the Houston Dynamo takes place this Saturday night at 7:30pm EDT at Stade Saputo (TVA Sports, 98,5fm & TSN Radio 690). Here are 10 things to know on our visitors from Texas.
Context
This is a rough season down in Houston. The Dynamo is dead last in the Western Conference with four wins, nine losses and eight ties, good for 20 points in 21 games. And yet, the team kicked off the season with 11 goals in three games. For Dynamo fans, everything was possible in mid-March. Since then, the Houston has scored 13 goals in 18 games. Not only has the club been waiting for the good results to come, but it had to address the departure of head coach Owen Coyle, who returned to England on May 25 with a 3-7-2 record in 2016 and an overall record of 14-21-11. Wade Barrett took over on an interim basis, and while the Dynamo isn’t losing as many games, it hasn’t been winning many more. The Dynamo’s record in nine games under Barrett stands at one win, two defeats and six draws.
Current form (MLS and U.S. Open Cup)
W-D-L-L-D-D
Head coach
Wade Barrett (1-2-6 all-time as Houston Dynamo head coach) has been Dynamo interim head coach since Owen Coyle left the club in June 2016. A first-round pick (12th overall) of the San Jose Clash – rechristened San Jose Earthquakes in 1999 – at the 1998 MLS College Draft, Barrett spent five seasons in San Jose, winning MLS Cup once, before taking his talents at left back to Denmark and Norway from 2002 to 2004. Named Earthquakes captain upon his return to San Jose in 2005, he followed the club to Houston when owners Anschutz Entertainment Group moved the team there in 2006. Barrett won his second and third MLS Cups in 2006 and 2007 and played a lesser role in 2008 and 2009 before joining the Dynamo technical staff as assistant coach in 2010.
Current top scorer
Will Bruin and Andrew Wenger (4)
Players to watch
1. Ricardo Clark (#13) – A staple in midfield for Houston, Clark works relentlessly and remains a key element both for his recovery skills and for his presence in the penalty area.
2. Boniek García (#27) – The Dynamo tends to play down his side, and why not? Boniek is technically very solid.
3. Collen Warner (#26) – For Warner, Owen Coyle announcing his team’s starting XI was generally a source of bad news. Barrett, for his part, has made him the guy in front of the back four.
Team profile
Similar to the Impact’s previous opponent, D.C. United, the Houston Dynamo aims to be tough to beat. Wade Barrett can be pleased already, because his team has only lost two of the nine games he’s prepared as interim head coach. Early on, Barrett wanted to shore things up defensively, fielding Collen Warner as the anchor man in front of the backline. Settled in a rather low block, the Dynamo is near the bottom of the pile in MLS in terms of possession of the ball, according to Opta’s data. But this team can bend without breaking; it has only conceded seven goals in nine games. Four of those goals, however, came through set plays, in line with a season-long trend in Houston – and on the other side of the field, the Dynamo has been struggling to score on set pieces. From open play, the Dynamo has conceded goals in a variety of ways, but defending down the middle remains one issue that must be addressed. In the attacking phase, Houston exploits the flanks quite a bit, mainly down the left, where Boniek García and DaMarcus Beasley combine – and Cristian Maidana, who may replace the suspended Alex, can drift wide to create overloads and then play a ball into space. Crosses have been a weapon of choice for the Dynamo in recent years, but that approach has yielded few goals for the number of crosses whipped into the box. Incidentally, the only threat in the air this season has been centre back David Horst – on set plays, of course.
Tactical formation
While Owen Coyle mostly opted for 4-2-3-1, Wade Barrett has generally fielded a 4-1-4-1-type formation with an anchor man in front of the defence. Lineup v. San Jose (July 31): Willis; Williams, Horst, Anibaba, Mansally; Warner; Boniek García, Clark, Alex, Maidana; Bruin.
Against the Impact last season
The two teams faced each other on April 11, 2015, at BBVA Compass Stadium, where the Bleu-blanc-noir suffered a 3-0 defeat. Only 15 minutes in, forward Giles Barnes, recently traded to Vancouver, opened the scoring by nodding home a free kick taken on the left flank by Brad Davis – who has also gone, to Sporting Kansas City. Ricardo Clark and Rob Lovejoy both added goals in transition during the last 20 minutes to clinch the three points.
Injuries, absences and call-ups (as of August 4)
GK Tyler Deric (abdominal strain)
D DaMarcus Beasley (knee)
D Raúl Rodriguez (adductor)
D Agus (knee)
F Erick Torres (Olympic tournament with Mexico)
Next games
Houston Dynamo v. Toronto FC (MLS, August 13)
San Jose Earthquakes v. Houston Dynamo (MLS, August 19)
Houston Dynamo v. Seattle Sounders FC (MLS, August 24)
