Houston Dynamo begin two-game road trip in Colorado

The Houston Dynamo wrap up Phase 1 with a two-game road trip beginning on Wednesday at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park against the Colorado Rapids. Houston will look to extend their winning streak to four games after closing a two-game stretch at BBVA Stadium with six points.

Houston earned their first comeback victory under head coach Tab Ramos on Saturday with two second half goals from Alberth Elis and Mauro Manotas. Elis scored the equalizer from close range in the 59th minute off an assist from Darwin Ceren. Zarek Valentin found Mauro Manotas for the game-winning goal only minutes after Manotas entered the game as a substitute. That was Manotas’ first game-winning goal of the season and his 50th goal in league play. The Colombian forward is the third Dynamo player to reach 50 goals with the club and sits six goals shy of matching Brian Ching for the top spot.

Darwin Quintero played a large role in both goals by pulling defenders near the box and creating space for the final pass. The Colombian playmaker leads the team with six assists and has contributed to seven of the 10 goals Houston has scored in the last three games. Houston will aim for their fourth consecutive victory on Wednesday and match their impressive run to open the 2019 season with four consecutive victories in their first five games.

Houston won the series between the Dynamo and Rapids last year with a 4-1 victory on March 30, 2019. Both teams played to a 2-2 draw that summer and the Rapids hold a one-game lead in the all-time series with a 11-10-9 record. The Dynamo will face FC Dallas on Saturday, Sept. 12 at Toyota Stadium to close Phase 1.

Here are three key points ahead of Wednesday’s game:

1. BACK ON THE ROAD: The Dynamo wrap up Phase 1 with consecutive games on the road. Houston has limited time away from BBVA Stadium under Tab Ramos due to the pandemic but earned their first victory of the season on the road. Wednesday’s game will be the first road game outside of their trips to Kansas City and the Dynamo will look to capitalize on their recent form and maintain pace for a spot in the top half of the table. The weather will be noticeably different on Wednesday as the Dynamo are tasked to adjust to nearly a 50-degree swing. The team will be welcomed by early morning snow showers and the projected temperature for kickoff is 35 degrees.
2. MAURO REACHES MILESTONE: Mauro Manotas scored his 50th goal in league play on Saturday and now, the next milestone is to surpass the club record, set by Brian Ching with 56 goals. Mauro’s first goal in league play was against Sporting Kansas City at Children’s Mercy Park on Sept. 9, 2016 and 112 games later the Colombian forward reached 50 goals against Peter Vermes’ squad at BBVA Stadium. Manotas reached the mark in 136 games, 24 games less than Will Bruin and the next goal for Manotas will give him sole possession of the second highest mark.
3. COLORADO LOOK TO EXPERIENCE FOR RESULTS: Colorado is winless in their last six games after a 1-1 draw with the San Jose Earthquakes on Saturday. Wednesday’s game will be the final Phase 1 game at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park and the Rapids will look for their first three points of the return to play schedule. The Rapids have a 0-1-1 record at home and have struggled to find the form that brought back-to-back victories to open the 2020 season. Kei Kamara scored the equalizer on Saturday in San Jose and the former Dynamo forward has scored three goals and added an assist earlier this season. The Dynamo backline will also need to keep an eye on Jonathan Lewis who has three goals and Diego Rubio who wore the captain’s armband for the Rapids versus San Jose.