The Houston Dynamo look to claim El Capitan with a victory on Saturday against FC Dallas. This is the fourth and final meeting between both teams and Houston’s final road trip of the regular season.
The Dynamo look to snap a five-game winless streak after Wednesday’s 2-1 loss in Southern California against LAFC. Ari Lassister scored the only goal of the game for Houston and forward Darwin Quintero earned his 10th assist of the season. The Colombian playmaker is tied with Toronto FC forward Alejandro Pozuelo for the most assists in MLS. Houston will look to Quintero and Dynamo Academy product Memo Rodriguez to spark an offense that has only scored five goals in their last five games.
Houston looks to claim the Texas Derby for the first time since 2017. Both teams opened the series with a scoreless draw in August. Dallas earned a 2-1 victory two weeks later and the Dynamo claimed a 2-0 victory at BBVA Stadium on Oct. 7.
FC Dallas rallied for a 2-1 victory against Inter Miami CF on Wednesday at home with goals from Franco Jara and Ryan Hollingshead. Luchi Gonzalez’ squad enters the game in sixth place in the Western Conference and look to solidify their spot in the postseason with three games left in the regular season.
The Dynamo return to BBVA Stadium on Sunday, Nov. 8 to host the Colorado Rapids on Decision Day.
<strong>WHO:</strong> |
<p>Houston Dynamo vs. FC Dallas</p> |
<strong>WHEN:</strong> |
<p>Saturday, Oct. 31 – 2:30 p.m. CDT</p> |
<strong>TV:</strong> |
<p>Univision (Jose Luis Lopez Salido, Diego Balado and Ramses Sandoval) </p> |
<strong>RADIO:</strong> |
<p><strong>English</strong>: ESPN Radio 97.5 FM (Glenn Davis and Eddie Robinson)</p><p><strong>Spanish</strong>: TUDN Radio Houston 1010 AM (Daniel Mejia and Lester Gretsch)</p> |
Here are three key points ahead of Saturday’s game:
- DYNAMO NAVIGATE SUSPENSIONS: Houston defender Adam Lundkvist returns from a two-game suspension and the Dynamo will be without midfielder Matias Vera on Saturday. The Argentine midfielder received two yellow cards against LAFC on Wednesday, his first ejection of the season. Boniek Garcia and Rodriguez will look to avoid a caution on Saturday since they could miss the final game of the regular season on Nov. 8 if booked against FC Dallas.
- MLS SHIFT TO POINTS PER GAME IN PLAYOFF RACE: MLS announced on Thursday that qualification for the Audi 2020 MLS Cup Playoffs will be determined by points earned on a per match basis. The updated format leaves Houston in 11th place in the Western Conference with 1-point earned per game and the Dynamo are one of three teams in the Western Conference still able to play the full 23-game regular season. In addition to qualifying for the postseason, the points per game model will also be used to determine a berth in the Scotia Concacaf Champions League.
- FINAL TEXAS TWO-STEP: Saturday’s edition of the Texas Derby will be the final edition of the in-state rivalry between two MLS teams. Austin FC will join the league in 2021 and face both teams throughout their inaugural season. The current all-time record is tied with a 12-12-14 mark and Houston will aim to win the Derby for the first time since 2017 when it claimed three ties and triumphed due to the tiebreaker.
