Houston Dynamo FC return to league play in Nashville

Houston Dynamo FC travel to Tennessee this weekend for their final road trip of the season. Houston will face Nashville SC at 7:30 p.m. CDT on Sunday, Oct. 2 at GEODIS Park prior to closing the season at home the following week.

The Dynamo return to league play after a pause for the final FIFA international break of the regular season. Seven players from the first team were invited to represent their national team at the senior or youth level. The Club was represented in North America, Central America and Europe as national teams prepare for the 2022 FIFA World Cup and regional tournaments like the UEFA European Under-21 Championship.

Houston closed a three-game stretch over the span of eight days with a 3-1 loss at Banc of California Stadium to LAFC on Sept. 18. Forward Corey Baird scored his second goal of the season for the Dynamo to level the match at one. Panamanian international Coco Carrasquilla tallied an assist on the play after he found the forward with a diagonal ball into the box. Carrasquilla has played a key role for the Dynamo in the final third with three assists in his last five outings for the team.  

Sunday’s match is the second meeting of the regular season between both teams with Houston earning three points at PNC Stadium in May. Goals from Adalberto Carrasquilla and Darwin Quintero gave the Dynamo their fourth victory of the season. Nashville won the series in 2020 following a draw at Nissan Stadium on Sept. 26 and a 4-1 victory at BBVA Stadium on Oct. 14. Sunday’s match is only the fourth encounter between both sides and the all-time series currently stands at 1-1-1 (WLT).

Nashville welcomed Club America to GEODIS Park over the international break and defeated the Liga MX club in a penalty kick shootout following a 3-3 draw. The match was part of the Leagues Cup Showcase and Nashville head coach Gary Smith used the opportunity to divvy up minutes among 18 players. USMNT international Walker Zimmerman returns to Tennessee after he joined the U.S. in Europe for two friendlies.  

The Dynamo will close the regular season at home against Javier “Chicharito” Hernandez and the LA Galaxy on Oct. 9. Fans are invited to cheer for the favorite group at the Mariachi Battle at the Hold It Down Plaza during pregame. The winner of the battle will perform at halftime. Additionally, the first 5,000 fans in attendance will receive a Hector Herrera bobblehead.   

 Here are three key points ahead of Sunday’s road trip:   

1. INTERNATIONAL PLAYERS RETURN FOR FINAL STRETCH: Five players returned to Houston Sports Park earlier this week after competing for their national team. Midfielder Darwin Cerén came off the bench for El Salvador in a friendly against Peru on Tuesday in Washington D.C. Adalberto Carrasquilla logged a 90-minute shift for Panama in their 2-0 victory over Bahrain in the Persian Gulf. Sebas Ferreira came off the bench twice for Paraguay in their 1-0 victory over the United Arab Emirates and the 0-0 draw with Morrocco. Thor Ulfarsson came off the bench twice for the U-21 Icelandic National Team against the Czech Republic. 
2. DYNAMO LOOK FOR FOURTH ROAD VICTORY: The Dynamo have claimed three road victories this campaign, more than the last two seasons combined. A victory on Sunday would give the Dynamo the most road victories since the 2013 season, when Houston earned five wins on the road. Houston earned their first road victory of the season in South Florida with a 3-1 triumph over Inter Miami CF. Houston defeated the LA Galaxy 3-0 at Dignity Health Park on May 22 and the last triumph on the road was on July 17 when the Dynamo defeated the San Jose Earthquakes 2-1 at PayPal Park.  
3. NASHVILLE LOOK FOR BUFFER PRIOR TO POSTSEASON: Nashville enter Sunday’s game in fourth place with 47 points. Two points separate Nashville from Minnesota United in the seventh and final playoff spot, so the Tennessee based club will look to build a cushion as they prepare for their third trip to the postseason. Nashville has reached the conference semifinals in their first two appearances, and this is their first postseason appearance in the Western Conference. Hany Mukhtar has been key to Nashville’s success this season and enters the match as a frontrunner for the league MVP award. The forward was named the MLS August Player of the Month and back-to-back MLS Player of the Week awards after scoring seven goals and tallied three assists in a four-match run to start the month. To date, Mukhtar leads the league in goals with 23 and adds 11 assists.