THE BASICS
Houston Dynamo at LA Galaxy
Saturday, March 21, 9:30 p.m. CT
StubHub Center, Carson, California
BROADCAST INFORMATION
ROOT SPORTS (Alternate Channel) - 9:30 p.m. (9:00 p.m. pregame) CHANNEL LISTINGS
Yahoo Sports Radio 1560 AM - 9:30 p.m. (9:00 p.m. pregame)
La Ranchera 850 AM - 9:30 p.m. (9:00 p.m. pregame)
PREVIEW
MLS Cup foes for three times in four years but now both members of the Western Conference, the LA Galaxy and Houston Dynamo meet for the first time this season when the clubs face off Saturday evening at StubHub Center. The Galaxy return home after maintaining their undefeated start to the year in dramatic fashion, snatching a late 2-2 draw at the Portland Timbers last weekend. The Dynamo are on the road for the first time after splitting a pair of games in Houston, coming off a 1-0 loss to expansion side Orlando City SC.
REFEREE: Juan Guzman. AR1 (bench): Fabio Tovar; AR2 (opposite): Apolinar Mariscal; 4th: Kevin Stott
MLS Career: 49 games; FC/gm: 25.5; Y/gm: 3.5; R: 16; pens: 12
INJURY REPORT, PRESENTED BY HOUSTON METHODIST (as of Thursday, March 19)
HOUSTON DYNAMO – DOUBTFUL: Raul Rodriguez – Right hamstring strain
LA GALAXY – QUESTIONABLE: AJ DeLaGarza – Left ankle, Edson Buddle – Left leg
HEAD-TO-HEAD
- ALL-TIME (18 meetings): Galaxy 6 wins, 18 goals … Dynamo 8 wins, 21 goals … Ties 4
- AT LA (8 meetings): Galaxy 3 wins, 10 goals … Dynamo 3 wins, 2 goals … Ties 2
- RETURN MATCHES: 5/22: LA Galaxy vs. Houston Dynamo, 7 p.m. PT (UDN); 7/25: Houston Dynamo vs. LA Galaxy, 8 p.m. CT
- The Dynamo have won the last four league meetings between the teams, including a 1-0 victory last year at BBVA Compass Stadium. The Dynamo also took a 1-0 victory in the last meeting between the clubs at StubHub Center, in 2013. The Galaxy’s last league victory against the Dynamo came May 25, 2011, a 1-0 win in Carson.
- The teams met in three MLS Cups over a four-year period, the Galaxy winning all three, in 2009, 2011 and 2012, all in Carson
- Coaches record: Owen Coyle vs. LA: first game … Bruce Arena vs. HOU: P12 W5 L6 D1
HOUSTON DYNAMO
The Houston Dynamo suffered their first loss of the season, falling 1-0 to Orlando City SC on Friday evening at BBVA Compass Stadium. The Dynamo are in a tie for third place in the Western Conference with 3 points from 2 matches.
LAST MATCH
- The game's lone goal came through a bizarre sequence. Second-half OCSC substitute Pedro Ribeiro put pressure Houston goalkeeper Tyler Deric, blocking his clearance attempt at the edge of the box and sending the ball bouncing toward an open net. The two battled for the ball, with Deric grabbing his opponent and then punching the ball over Ribeiro’s head, sending it inside the left post. Orlando City goalkeeper Donovan Ricketts was not called upon to make a single save in backstopping his club's historic initial MLS victory.
- Dynamo head coach Owen Coyle made two changes to the team that took a 1-0 win against Columbus Crew SC at BBVA Compass Stadium. David Horst came into the back four for Raul Rodriguez, and Leonel Miranda started in place of Will Bruin.
- HOUSTON DYNAMO (4-4-2): Tyler Deric - Kofi Sarkodie, David Horst, Jermaine Taylor, DaMarcus Beasley - Leonel Miranda (Will Bruin 53), Luis Garrido, Ricardo Clark, Brad Davis - Boniek Garcia (Rob Lovejoy 83), Giles Barnes.
TEAM NEWS
- The Dynamo concluded their two-game opening homestand with a pair of 1-0 results, winning one and losing one
- “We shot ourselves in the foot and gave up a soft goal,” Dynamo head coach Owen Coyle said. “We never came with our A-game. It’s as simple as that and there’s no getting away from it.
- Said Brad Davis: “Worst thing we should have gotten out of there with was a 0-0 draw. You do have to have a very short memory, we’re going to play a very good team in LA so we have to be able to regroup. Guys have come back, had a good attitude, worked extremely hard this week looking to tweak a few things, change a few things and learn from our mistakes. We had some great moments in play with some great opportunities that we didn’t capitalize on but the biggest thing is we’re still getting those chances.”
- The Dynamo did not put a single attempt on target for the match, the ninth time in club history they’ve been held without a single shot on goal
- “We can certainly pass it better. It was just making that key decision in the final third,” Coyle said. “That’s not the reason why we lost the game; it’s the reason why we didn’t win the game. The reason why we lost the game was we gave up such a soft goal.”
- The loss to Orlando City was the third loss in the last four matches at BBVA Compass Stadium for the Dynamo, dating back to the end of last year.
- “They didn’t pressure us and we should’ve been able to pass the ball better,” defender DaMarcus Beasley said. “For some reason we just didn’t. Those games where everybody’s not clicking as a team, whatever excuse you want to use, we need to come out with at least one point. That was our problem last season and we need to correct that. If we do play bad like we did we do have to come out with one point.”
- David Horst came into central defense with Raul Rodriguez unavailable after he was forced off late in the season-opening win against the Columbus Crew.
- Leonel Miranda also made his first career MLS start, playing 53 minutes before giving way to Will Bruin as Boniek Garcia moved to a forward role, partnering Giles Barnes.
