THE BASICS
Houston Dynamo at Montreal Impact
Saturday, August 24, 6:00 p.m. CT
Stade Saputo, Montreal, Quebec
BROADCAST INFORMATION
CSN Plus - 6:00 p.m. (5:30 p.m. pregame) CHANNEL LISTINGS
Yahoo! Sports Radio 1560 AM - 6:00 p.m. (5:30 p.m. pregame)
La Ranchera 850 AM - 6:00 p.m. (5:30 p.m. pregame)
PREVIEW
The Montréal Impact and Houston Dynamo will meet a crucial match for the Eastern Conference playoff picture as the clubs clash Saturday evening at Stade Saputo. The Impact ended a brief losing skid last time out, now sitting in a tie for third place in the East, just a point out of the top spot, following a 2-1 home win vs. D.C. United. The Dynamo are holding onto fifth place and the final postseason berth following their 3-1 home win vs. Seattle Sounders FC last week.
REFEREES
Hilario Grajeda. AR1 (bench): Bill Dittmar; AR2 (opposite): Corey Parker; 4th: Mathieu Bourdeau MLS Career: 92 games; FC/gm: 24.2; Y/gm: 3.4; R: 15; pens: 13
INJURY REPORT, PRESENTED BY HOUSTON METHODIST
HOUSTON DYNAMO -- Omar Cummings – Left knee MCL sprain; Tyler Deric – Right thumb fracture; QUESTIONABLE: Calen Carr – Left knee; Ricardo Clark – Illness
MONTREAL IMPACT -- OUT: Nelson Ramirez – Left knee surgery; Maximiliamo Rodriguez – Foot fracture
HEAD-TO-HEAD
- ALL-TIME (4 meetings): Impact 2 wins, 7 goals … Dynamo 1 win, 6 goals … Ties 1
- AT MONTREAL (2 meetings): Impact 2 wins, 6 goals … Dynamo 0 wins, 2 goals … Ties 0
- FUTURE MATCH: 10/4: Houston Dynamo vs. Montreal Impact, 7:30 p.m. CT
- The teams are playing for the second time this season. First-half goals from Felipe and Marco Di Vaio led the Impact to a 2-0 win June 19 at Stade Saputo.
- The Impact have won both meetings all-time at Stade Saputo. The Dynamo have won one of the two meetings lifetime in Houston, with one draw.
- Coaches record: Marco Schallibaum vs. HOU: P1 W1 L0 T0 … Dominic Kinnear vs. MTL: P4 W1 L2 T1
HOUSTON DYNAMO
The Houston Dynamo returned home and returned to their winning ways, defeating Seattle Sounders FC 3-1 on Saturday evening at BBVA Compass Stadium. The Dynamo are in fifth place in the Eastern Conference with 36 points from 23 matches.
LAST MATCH
- The Dynamo took the lead in the 17th minute. Will Bruin drew Seattle goalkeeper Michael Gspurning off his line before feeding Giles Barnes, who took a touch inside and blasted the loose ball into the top corner of the unguarded net.
- Four minutes later, Barnes and the Dynamo had a second. This was of the spectacular variety, as Barnes was given acres of space and blasted a sterling 30-yard strike past a leaping Gspurning and into the upper corner.
- Sounders FC pulled one back in the 65th minute when Shalrie Joseph found space on a Marc Burch free kick and headed the attempt downward and into the back of the net.
- But Houston restored the final margin in the 74th minute when Bruin finished from close range, potting the rebound after a Warren Creavalle header rang off the crossbar.
- Dynamo head coach Dominic Kinnear made one change to the team that dropped a 1-0 decision to Real Salt Lake at Rio Tinto Stadium. Boniek Garcia came back into the team in place of Warren Creavalle.
- HOUSTON DYNAMO (4-4-2): Tally Hall - Kofi Sarkodie, Jermaine Taylor, Bobby Boswell, Corey Ashe - Boniek Garcia, Adam Moffat, Ricardo Clark (Warren Creavalle 39), Brad Davis (Andrew Driver 82) - Giles Barnes (Cam Weaver 73), Will Bruin.
TEAM NEWS
- The Dynamo have now gone five games at BBVA Compass Stadium without a loss, following back-to-back home losses May 12-18. They’ve scored three goals in each of their last two home matches, both wins.
- “The first 30 minutes were probably the best 30 minutes we’ve played this year,” head coach Dominic Kinnear said. “I think we were excellent on both sides of the ball. Giles scored a good goal and followed up with a great goal. I thought we could’ve been 3-0 up and possibly more.”
- The Dynamo’s Giles Barnes netted his first goals since May 8, recording the first multiple-goal game of his MLS career with the brace vs. Seattle.
- “It’s always nice to get on the score sheet, but first and foremost your confidence comes from playing well with the team and working hard with the team,” Barnes said. “If you work hard you’ll get your rewards and hopefully that’s what I’m doing. I’m working hard and hopefully the rewards will come.”
- Will Bruin netted his second goal in the last three matches, after going nearly three months without hitting the back of the net. He also recorded his second assist in the last three games.
- “That’s what we’re supposed to do. We’re supposed to score goals,” Bruin said. “I think me and Giles are getting back on that same page that we were at the beginning of the year. That’s going to be dangerous come these last few games.”
- Said Adam Moffat: “It’s great confidence from the forwards scoring goals. When they score goals, good things happen.”
- Brad Davis collected a pair of assists, the 20th multiple-assist game of his MLS career. That’s tied for fifth-most in MLS history; the all-time leader is Carlos Valderrama, with 27.
- On Tuesday, the Dynamo began their CONCACAF Champions League campaign with a scoreless draw against W Connection FC of Trinidad & Tobago at Hasely Crawford Stadium in Port of Spain.
- Here’s the Dynamo team: Tally Hall; Kofi Sarkodie, Eric Brunner, Jermaine Taylor, Mike Chabala; Andrew Driver, Alexander Lopez (Adam Moffat 86), Warren Creavalle, Jason Johnson (Brian Ownby 86); Brian Ching (Giles Barnes 68), Cam Weaver
