Houston Dynamo FC close a three-game road trip on Saturday against Real Salt Lake at 7:30 p.m. CT. The match will air live in English on AT&T SportsNet and in Spanish on TeleXitos 47.2.
At nearly 5,000 miles this is the longest road stretch of the year for Houston who have split the first two games away from home. The road trip began with a 3-0 victory over the LA Galaxy on Sunday and the Dynamo lost to Sporting Kansas City on Wednesday in Round 16 of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup.
Wednesday’s game saw the return of defender Daniel Steres, who made his first start since a 1-1 draw with the Colorado Rapids on March 19. Brooklyn Raines earned his third start of the tournament and the 17-year-old finished with nine passes in the final third and one chance created. Offensively, forward Corey Baird scored his first goal for the club.
Saturday is the final meeting of the regular season between both teams. The Dynamo and Salt Lake played to a 0-0 draw on Opening Day at PNC Stadium. The all-time series is also tied with a 12-12-10 mark in the regular season. The Dynamo will look for their third victory in the all-time series away from home and their last victory in Rio Tinto Stadium was a 1-0 triumph on Sept. 17, 2016.
Both teams are currently in the top half of the Western Conference and Salt Lake is unbeaten at home. Salt Lake have won three out of their last five games, which includes a 2-1 victory over Austin FC at home and a 2-1 victory on the road against Club de Foot Montreal.
The Dynamo will return to action on June 11 when they host Atlético de San Luis from LigaMX in the Dynamo Charities Cup, presented by PNC Bank. Houston will return to league action on June 18 in Florida when they face Orlando City SC at Exploria Stadium.
Here are three key points ahead of Saturday’s game:
- ROTATION KEY DURING ROAD TRIP: The Dynamo have rotated players throughout this three-game stretch to have options as they tackle the most congested stretch of the season. Twenty-two players have seen the field for the Dynamo in the last two games as the team closes the road trip on Saturday. The match in Rio Tinto Stadium will be the seventh game played in May and the fifth in the last two weeks for Houston. League play will pause for the FIFA break after this weekend and the Dynamo will look to maintain a spot in the top half of the conference. To date, the Dynamo enter in seventh place with only six points separating second and ninth place. The backline has played a key role in this first third of the season and the team is currently tied with the fourth fewest goals allowed in the league at 14.
- DYNAMO PLAYERS PREPARE FOR INTERNATIONAL DUTY: Three Dynamo players have been named to their respective national team and additional callups are expected as the club season takes a break for the upcoming FIFA window in June. Sebastian Ferreira will join Paraguay for a pair of friendlies in Asia. Coco Carrasquilla will join Panama to compete in the Concacaf Nations League and Thor Ulfarsson will join the U-21 Iceland National Team for three qualifiers for the U-21 UEFA Championship in 2023. Puerto Rico, El Salvador and the U.S. Youth National Teams have not announced their rosters yet for the upcoming window that includes matches in the Concacaf Nations League and training camps prior to international competition.
- SALT LAKE MIDFIELD KEY TO EARLY SUCCESS: Salt Lake have scored 14 goals this season with the bulk of those generated from midfield. Salt Lake’s midfielders Maikel Chang, Pablo Ruiz and Justin Meram combine for 10 assists this season and have played a key role in Salt Lake’s unbeaten run at home. The team has outscored opponents 8-4 at Rio Tinto Stadium and holds a 4-0-1 record at home.
