THREE POINTS: Houston Dynamo FC return to league play on Saturday against Inter Miami CF

Houston Dynamo FC return from the first international window of the season this Saturday when they travel to Florida to face Inter Miami CF. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. CT and fans can watch the game live on AT&T SportsNet in English and TeleXitos 47.2 in Spanish.

Houston closed a two-game homestand with a 1-1 draw against the Colorado Rapids on March 19. Midfielder Memo Rodriguez capitalized on a misplaced goal kick in the final minute of regulation to secure a point for Houston. The Dynamo Academy alum intercepted the ball near midfield and found forward Tyler Pasher in space for his first goal of the year. With the draw, Houston is unbeaten at home to start the regular season.  

This is the second meeting between both teams and the first match also took place in Florida during the 2020 regular season. Miami edged past the Dynamo with a 1-0 victory after Lewis Morgan converted a penalty kick in the second half.  

Miami have opened the season with two of their first three games on the road, including a 3-1 loss in Cincinatti prior to the FIFA break. The team is managed by former England Women’s National Team head coach Phil Neville and their roster includes former Argentina Men’s National Team forward Gonzalo Higuain. Miami also features a familiar face in Ari Lassiter, who was traded to Miami from Houston earlier this year. Lassiter spent the second half of 2020 in Houston plus the entire 2021 regular season.   

The Dynamo returns to PNC Stadium on April 9 to host Cristian Espinoza and the San Jose Earthquakes. For tickets and additional information, visit HoustonDynamoFC.com. 

Here are three key points ahead of Saturday’s match:   

1. THREE DYNAMO PLAYERS RETURN FROM FIFA BREAK: Three Dynamo players return from international duty on Saturday. Forward Sebastian Ferreira earned his first start and appearance for the senior Paraguayan National Team. The Designated Player had one of the best opportunities for Paraguay early in the first half with an effort that was tipped over the crossbar. Midfielder Darwin Ceren featured in two matches for El Salvador and fellow midfielder Adalberto Carrasquilla represented Panama in their bid to qualify for the upcoming World Cup. 
2. DYNAMO DEFENSE LIMITS TOP TEAMS IN WESTERN CONFERENCE: The Dynamo enter Saturday’s game tied for the second lowest goals allowed per game at 4 xGA, according to FBRef.com. The Dynamo opened the year against four teams that qualified for the 2022 Audi MLS Cup Playoffs and limited the opposition to three goals in four games. Houston will aim to replicate that against a Miami team that has faced challenges in front of goal. Miami has only scored two goals in four games this season and enter the match with a negative eight goal difference.  
3. MIAMI LOOKS FOR BOOST AFTER FIFA BREAK: Five Miami players return from international duty for Saturday’s game. DeAndre Yedlin joined the U.S. Men’s National Team for their final fixtures in the Concacaf Octagonal and featured in the 0-0 draw with Mexico on Wednesday. Edison Azcona joined the Dominican Republic for a camp and Damion Lowe joined Jamaica for their final matches of this qualifying cycle. Additionally, Aime Mabika traveled to Africa to represent Zambia and Jairo Quinteros joined Colombia for a pair of matches in the Conmebol World Cup qualifiers.