THE BASICS
Houston Dynamo at Seattle Sounders FC
Sunday, August 10, 9:30 p.m. CT
CenturyLink Field, Seattle, Washington
BROADCAST INFORMATION
ESPN2 - 9:30 p.m.
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
One-time pitched cup foes, Seattle Sounders FC and the Houston Dynamo will meet for the only time this season when the clubs face off Sunday evening at CenturyLink Field before an ESPN2 audience. Sounders FC have lost back-to-back games for the first time this season and now no longer lead the MLS overall table, following their 1-0 defeat at San Jose last weekend. The Dynamo put an end to their eight-game winless run last weekend, leaving it very late before getting the game’s only goal in a win against D.C. United at BBVA Compass Stadium.
p>REFEREE: Chris Penso. AR1 (bench): Ian Anderson; AR2 (opposite): Mike Rottersman; 4th: Daniel Radford
MLS Career: 56 games; FC/gm: 23.1; Y/gm: 3.1; R: 16; pens: 18
SUSPENDED: HOU: Jermaine Taylor (caution accumulation; through July 20)
INJURY REPORT, PRESENTED BY HOUSTON METHODIST (as of Thursday, July 17)
HOUSTON DYNAMO -- OUT: Tony Cascio – Right knee surgery; Mark Sherrod – Left knee ACL tear;
SEATTLE SOUNDERS FC -- OUT: Damion Lowe – left hip surgery; Kevin Parsemain – ACL tear; QUESTIONABLE: Marcus Hahnemann – left hamsring strain; Chad Marshall – neck sprain; Lamar Neagle – left ankle sprain; Dylan Remick
HEAD-TO-HEAD
- ALL-TIME: Sounders FC 3 wins, 11 goals … Dynamo 3 wins, 11 goals … Ties 2
- AT HOUSTON (8 meetings): Dynamo 3 wins, 13 goals … Toronto FC 1 win, 7 goals … Ties 4
- AT SEATTLE (4 meetings): Sounders FC 3 wins, 7 goals … Dynamo 0 wins, 2 goals … Ties 1
- This is the only league meeting between the teams this season. The teams also set in a pitched quarterfinal in the 2009 MLS Cup Playoffs when the Dynamo were in the Western Conference, the Dynamo scoring the only goal of the series in extra time in the second leg.* Neither team has won on the other’s home ground in the all-time series. The Dynamo have won three of four league matches all-time in Houston, including a 3-1 win last year at BBVA Compass Stadium in the only meeting, while Sounders FC have won three of the four encounters at CenturyLink Field.
- Coaches record: Dominic Kinnear vs. SEA: P8 W3 L3 D2 … Sigi Schmid vs. HOU: P14 W4 L5 D5
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HOUSTON DYNAMO
The Houston Dynamo put an end to their winless run after eight games, defeating D.C. United 1-0 on Sunday evening at BBVA Compass Stadium. The Dynamo are in ninth place in the Eastern Conference with 19 points from 20 games.
LAST MATCH
- The game's only goal came after the regulation 90 minutes were complete. After the ball came off a United defender in the area with goalkeeper Bill Hamid out of the play, substitute forward Omar Cummings got to the ball first and set up Will Bruin for an easy tap-in and the game-winner.
- Dynamo goalkeeper Tally Hall was credited with two saves in recording the shutout.
- Dynamo head coach Dominic Kinnear made three changes to the team that reached a 2-2 draw with Toronto FC at BBVA Compass Stadium. Jermaine Taylor and DaMarcus Beasley came into the back four in place of Eric Brunner and Corey Ashe, and Luis Garrido started in midfield for the departed Warren Creavalle.
- HOUSTON DYNAMO (4-4-2): Tally Hall - Kofi Sarkodie, Jermaine Taylor, David Horst, DaMarcus Beasley - Boniek Garcia, Luis Garrido (Brian Ownby 76), Ricardo Clark, Brad Davis (Andrew Driver 88) - Will Bruin, Giles Barnes (Omar Cummings 88).
TEAM NEWS
- The Dynamo put an end to their winless run after eight games, their first victory since a 1-0 win vs. the LA Galaxy on May 17 at home. The Dynamo were 0-6-2 over their winless run.
- “That’s two months without a win,” Dynamo head coach Dominic Kinnear said. “It gets frustrating because it’s all June and all of July. I think in the end we deserved to win the game. Sometimes it’s just a funny play that gets you.”
- It was also the Dynamo’s first defensive shutout since that last victory, after conceding 21 goals over their eight-game winless run.
- “Everything finally came together,” said goalkeeper Tally Hall. “We’ve had it for bits and pieces throughout the season, but that was a 90-minute performance. It’s taken us far too long to get that, and better late than never.”
- Will Bruin scored a goal for a second consecutive game, his first goals since May 7. Bruin now has eight goals for the season, tied for eighth place in the MLS Golden Boot standings.
- “If I miss that there I probably retire,” Bruin said. “[I was thinking] get in front of goal and hoping what happens and happened. Just waiting there ready to poach and ready for it to bounce to me. Omar [Cummings] busted his (butt) to get there.”
- US international DaMarcus Beasley made his Dynamo debut, playing the full 90 minutes at left back.
- “It was good to get back on the field after about a month off I felt good to be back. I still need to get my fitness back,” Beasley said. “It’s somewhat a preseason but I can’t say that because we need results. I need to get fit and 100 percent very quickly. As a first game, it was OK.”
- Honduras national team midfielder Luis Garrido also made his Dynamo and MLS debut, playing 76 minutes in a deep-lying midfield role.
- “Great guy to have,” Beasley said of Garrido. “Good player, calm on the ball. He moved it from side-to-side. When he needed to be an enforcer he was an enforcer. … It’s great to see he has that knowledge of the game at such a young age and he’s going to do well for us the last couple of months.”
- Said Kinnear: “I thought Luis held his position well, won some tackles, kept it simple and I thought DaMarcus got better and better as the game went on. The first 20 minutes I was giddy with the way we were playing.”
- Added Brad Davis: “When you also start to bring in competition for some spots it also raises some eyebrows. It gets competition going and some blood boiling. You start to peek over your shoulder as well all the time now. It’s always a good thing, competition in training, competitions for spots on the weekend.”
