MLS Preview: Houston Dynamo vs. San Jose Earthquakes

THE BASICS
Houston Dynamo vs. San Jose Earthquakes
Sunday, July 31, 2016, 7:45 p.m. CT
BBVA Compass Stadium, Houston, Texas

TICKETS AVAILABLE

BROADCAST INFORMATION
ROOT SPORTS - 7:30 p.m. (CHANNEL LISTINGS)
610 AM / Radio.com app- 7:30 p.m.
Univision Radio 1010 AM - 7:30 p.m.

PREVIEW
A pair of clubs in real need of points to begin a move up the conference table meet for a second time this season as the Houston Dynamo play host to the San Jose Earthquakes on Sunday evening at BBVA Compass Stadium. The Dynamo are at the bottom of the West table, returning home for a scoreless draw with Vancouver Whitecaps FC last weekend. The Quakes are in eighth place in the conference, four points below the red line, after their 1-1 draw at Real Salt Lake last Saturday evening.

REFEREE: Alan Kelly. AR1 (bench): Kyle Atkins; AR2 (opposite): Eric Weisbrod; 4th: Ismail Elfath
MLS Career: 48 games; FC/gm: 26.2; Y/gm: 3.3; R: 12; pens: 21

HEAD-TO-HEAD

• ALL-TIME (16 meetings): Dynamo 8 wins, 21 goals … Earthquakes 7 wins, 21 goals … Ties 1
• AT HOUSTON (7 meetings): Dynamo 5 wins, 12 goals … Earthquakes 2 wins, 7 goals … Ties 0
• FUTURE MATCH: 8/19: San Jose Earthquakes vs. Houston Dynamo, 8 p.m. PT (UNI)
• The teams are meeting for the second time this season. Alberto Quintero scored twice as the Quakes claimed a 3-1 win May 11 at Avaya Stadium.
• The Dynamo won the final two meetings a year ago, winning once at each ground, claiming a 2-0 victory July 10 at Avaya Stadium, then winning 2-1 on Aug. 8 at BBVA Compass Stadium.
• The Quakes had won the two previous meetings in the series, once at each ground, including a 1-0 win last May 5 at BBVA Compass Stadium, and a 3-0 win May 25, 2014 in the final meeting ever at Buck Shaw Stadium.
• The two teams have shared a pitched rivalry since the Earthquakes returned to the league in 2008, after the Dynamo moved to Houston from San Jose in 2006. The Dynamo have won eight meetings and the Quakes six, with one draw.
• Coaches record: Dominic Kinnear vs. HOU: P4 W2 L2 D0 … Wade Barrett vs. SJ: first meeting

LAST MEETING
5/11: SJ 3, HOU 1 (Quintero 3, 70; Godoy 50 – Clark 43)

• The Quakes opened the scoring just three minutes in, as Chris Wondolowski sent in a low cross from the right flank that Alberto Quintero got a touch to in front of goal after racing to beat the Dynamo defenders, the ball taking a wicked bounce before trickling inside the right post.
• The Dynamo pulled even two minutes before halftime. A long-range shot was parried by Quakes goalkeeper David Bingham, but Ricardo Clark ran onto the ball and unleashed a wicked first-time effort that flew unimpeded into the net.
• The Quakes regained the lead five minutes after the break, as Alberto Quintero and Anibal Godoy played a one-two on the left side of the area which Godoy finished past Deric.
• Quintero nabbed his second goal of the night in the 70th minute, when Wondolowski saw an effort blocked but, surrounded by three defenders, slid a short pass to Quintero all alone in front of goal.
• The Dynamo's night went from bad to worse in the 79th minute, when goalkeeper Tyler Deric was sent off for denial of an obvious goalscoring opportunity, and defender Jalil Anibaba had to go in goal because Houston had already used all three substitutes on the night.
• SAN JOSE EARTHQUAKES (4-4-2): David Bingham - Kofi Sarkodie, Marvell Wynne, Victor Bernardez, Shaun Francis - Alberto Quintero (Chad Barrett 80), Fatai Alashe, Anibal Godoy, Matias Perez Garcia (Shea Salinas 64) - Chris Wondolowski, Simon Dawkins.
• HOUSTON DYNAMO (4-2-3-1): Tyler Deric (ejected 79) - Jalil Anibaba, David Horst, Agus, Abdoulie Mansally - Ricardo Clark, Alex - Andrew Wenger (Leonel Miranda 59), Cristian Maidana (Boniek Garcia 58), Giles Barnes - Will Bruin (Erick Torres 59)

HOUSTON DYNAMO
The Houston Dynamo rebounded from a first loss in three matches, reaching a goalless draw with Vancouver Whitecaps FC on Saturday evening at BBVA Compass Stadium. The Dynamo are in 10th place in the Western Conference with 19 points from 20 games.

LAST GAME

• The closest either team came was in the 70th minute when Boniek Garcia blasted his left-footed shot off the inside of the post.
• Whitecaps FC goalkeeper David Ousted was credited with four saves, many difficult, in recording the shutout. Dynamo goalkeeper Joe Willis also made four saves in keeping a clean sheet.
• Dynamo interim head coach Wade Barrett made two changes to the team that fell 1-0 to the LA Galaxy at StubHub Center. Erick Torres and Will Bruin made an all-change strike pair, coming in for Ricardo Clark and Giles Barnes.
• HOUSTON DYNAMO (4-4-2): Joe Willis - Sheanon Williams, David Horst, Raul Rodriguez (Abdoulie Mansally 13), Jalil Anibaba - Andrew Wenger (Cristian Maidana 67), Collen Warner (Giles Barnes 80), Alex, Boniek Garcia - Erick Torres, Will Bruin.

TEAM NEWS

• The Dynamo had their winless run extended to three games, with a second draw in that time, in the goalless result with Whitecaps FC.
• “We were right there. I’m proud of the shutout; I think that’s a tough thing to do. But at the same time it’s just disappointing,” said Dynamo interim head coach Wade Barrett. “We have some points that we’ve just left on the table here. So I changed things up tonight, we were in a different formation. I think the idea was really good. I do think we created some good things. I think with a little more work on it, I think we’ll do it a little bit better. But we still created some good looks.”
• It was also a third consecutive shutout at the attacking end for the Dynamo, their last goal having come July 2. They have now gone 270 minutes since scoring their last goal (the stoppage-time free kick from Cristian Maidana vs. Philadelphia), the seventh-longest scoreless streak in club history and the eighth-longest such run in MLS this season.
• “You got to keep working at it. There’s no easy answer to it. Teams go through periods like this. There are other teams in the league that have gone through the same thing, where they’re having a hard time scoring. We just kind of can’t seem to find the back of the net,” said Barrett.
• It was a fourth defensive shutout over the last six matches for the Dynamo. They have conceded just seven goals over their last 10 matches, dating back to May 15; they have allowed 1.30 goals per game, the eighth best defensive record in MLS this season. It was a fourth consecutive shutout in a home game for the Dynamo.
• Erick Torres made his first start in a league game since May 15, coming into a strike partnership with Will Bruin and playing the full 90 minutes. Bruin returned to the starting lineup after a one-match absence.
• “They looked really good together. They understand how to play with another four, but even if we haven’t done that in a long time, they both understand that and made some good connections that were there. So if we have a little bit more time, we’ll be able to refine some of those things and get better,” said Barrett.
• Said Bruin: “That’s the first or second time that we’ve played together since he (Torres) has been here, and I think you can see the chemistry there already in that one game, and if it’s something we work on it’ll only get better.”
• There was a forced change very early as Raul Rodriguez had to leave the game after just 13 minutes through injury.
• With the injury, Jalil Anibaba moved inside to central defense, with Abdoulie Mansally coming into his place at fullback, Mansally’s first appearance in a league game since May 11 when he made his lone MLS start of the season vs. Real Salt Lake.
• “It’s a testament to the fact that the guys are really paying attention to what’s happening in training that even though Jalil hasn’t played center back, he went in and it seemed liked a seamless transition. The same with Abdoulie coming in. And that gives them and gives us a lot of confidence,” Barrett said.
• Said Anibaba: “The last time I played as a center back was in 2014 with Seattle. It’s natural for me and it isn’t really something I have to think about to be honest.”