The Dynamo host the LA Galaxy for the only time this season Saturday at 8 p.m. at BBVA Compass Stadium. The game is sold out and will be broadcast on ROOT SPORTS SW alternate channel. Here are some notes ahead of the game.
- Dynamo head coach Owen Coyle will face some difficult lineup decisions, with up to eight players unavailable. DaMarcus Beasley (U.S.) and Giles Barnes (Jamaica) are with their national teams at the CONCACAF Gold Cup, Kofi Sarkodie and Luis Garrido are suspended, and Jermaine Taylor (quad tear; out), Boniek Garcia (adductor strain; out), Rob Lovejoy (hamstring strain; doubtful) and Alex Lima (concussion; questionable) are recovering from injuries.
- Galaxy head coach Bruce Arena will have his own lineup questions, with up to seven players in doubt. Alan Gordon, Omar Gonzalez and Gyasi Zardes (U.S.) and Jaime Penedo (Panama) are at the Gold Cup, Robbie Rogers is suspended and Jose Villarreal (leg) and Baggio Husidic (calf) are both questionable.
- Ricardo Clark and Raul Rodriguez are both on yellow-card warning and would be suspended for next Saturday’s game at Sporting Kansas City if they receive a caution tonight. Husidic is also on warning for the Galaxy.
- The referee is Silviu Petrescu, who has been in the center for 100 MLS games and issued 14 red cards and awarded 18 penalty kicks. Petrescu was the referee for the 2012 MLS Cup between the Dynamo and Galaxy and was named 2012 MLS Referee of the Year.
- The Galaxy are winless (0-5-5) on the road in MLS play this season and have not won a league game away from home since August 20, 2014, a 4-3 win at Colorado. The Galaxy did win on the road in the U.S. Open Cup, a 1-0 triumph at San Jose on July 1.
- Brad Davis has now made 312 career regular-season starts and can tie Landon Donovan (313) and Brian Carroll (313) for seventh on MLS all-time list with a start tonight.
- Ricardo Clark has tallied 15,627 career regular-season minutes with the Dynamo and can pass Bobby Boswell (15,672) for second on the club list with 46+ minutes vs. the Galaxy.
- Will Bruin has 11,384 career minutes in all competitions with Houston and can surpass Geoff Cameron (11,471) for 10th on the franchise list with 88+ minutes tonight.
- Galaxy forward Robbie Keane comes to Houston with two hat tricks in his last two league games – and three in all competitions this season. The back-to-back hat tricks were a second in MLS history after Eddie Johnson did it in the 2007 season. (Note courtesy Rick Lawes, MLS Communications)
- Keane, the 2014 MLS MVP, has seven goals and three assists in the last five games, with three of the goals from the penalty spot. He has 15 multiple-goal games for his league career, now eighth on the all-time list (via Rick Lawes).
- Will Bruin recorded his 50th goal in all competitions with the Dynamo in Tuesday’s U.S. Open Cup defeat at Sporting KC.
- Bruin, in his fifth season with Houston, is the second player in Dynamo history to record 50 career goals. Brian Ching, the club leader, tallied 69 goals in 224 career games with Houston. Bruin has 50 career goals in 156 career games in all competitions with the Dynamo.
- Dynamo forward Erick “Cubo” Torres made his first appearance with the Dynamo on Tuesday at Sporting KC, entering for Bruin in the 64th minute. Torres signed as a Designated Player in December but was loaned back to his childhood club Chivas Guadalajara for the spring season in Liga MX. Torres is set for his home debut against the Galaxy.
- It’s also a possible Dynamo debut for defender Sheanon Williams (pronounced: Shane-en) after he was acquired by the Dynamo on Thursday in a trade with the Philadelphia Union. Williams, 25, appeared in 141 regular-season games in six seasons with the Union, averaging 29 appearances per season over the last four years.
- The Galaxy have won four of their last five league games, outscoring opponents 20-6.
- The all-time series between Houston and LA has been tight, with the Dynamo holding a slight edge, with an 8-7-5 mark against the Galaxy. The series has also been low-scoring, with the Dynamo outscoring the Galaxy 22-20 in 20 all-time regular-season meetings.
- Tonight is also set to be Galaxy midfielder Steven Gerrard’s first road game in MLS after joined the Galaxy last month. The former England national team captain (114 caps) appeared in over 500 games in 17 seasons with Liverpool, including man of the match honors as Liverpool won the 2005 UEFA Champions League Final.
