Houston Dynamo FC travel to BC Place on Wednesday for the first of three road games across a seven-day stretch. This is the first meeting of the season between the Dynamo and Vancouver Whitecaps FC and the series was split in 2022 with each team winning at home.
The Dynamo closed a two-game homestand with a 2-1 victory over Austin FC. Captain Héctor Herrera scored the equalizer late in the first half. The midfielder also tallied an assist on the game-winning goal. Herrera’s corner kick fell to defender Daniel Steres near the six-yard box, and he flicked the ball to Iván Franco for his first goal of the season.
Herrera has now tallied two assists in his last two matches against in-state rivals and scored in the first meeting with Austin FC on March 18, a 2-0 victory at Shell Energy Stadium. Defensively, the midfielder won possession seven times and led the team with nine duels won. The Mexican international was named to the MLSSoccer.com Team of the Matchday for his performance on Saturday, his second league honor of the season.
Defensively, Daniel Steres returned to a central role after nine games as an outside back. The veteran defender led the team with seven clearances and tallied one interception. Goalkeeper Steve Clark finished with two saves and Micael played his first match as a left back, winning possession six times.
Houston and Vancouver split the season series in 2022 with each side winning 2-1 at home. The Whitecaps enter with a slight edge in the all-time series, posting a 9-7-5 record against the Dynamo. Houston has earned points in two of their last four road matches against the Whitecaps, including a 0-0 draw in Utah in 2021 and a 2-2 draw in BC Place during the 2018 regular season.
The Whitecaps look to bounce back after a 3-1 loss on the road to St. Louis CITY SC at CITYPARK on Saturday. Vancouver entered the match with back-to-back victories in league and cup play. Wednesday is the first of four games at home for the Whitecaps across an 11-day stretch.
The Dynamo travel to Missouri later this week to face St. Louis at CITYPARK at 7:30 p.m. CT on Saturday, June 3.
