THE BASICS
Houston Dynamo vs. Chicago Fire
Sunday, September 28, 2:00 p.m. CT
BBVA Compass Stadium, Houston, Texas
BROADCAST INFORMATION
CSN Houston Plus - 2:00 p.m. (1:30 p.m. pregame) CHANNEL LISTINGS
UniMas - 2:00 p.m. CHANNEL LISTINGS
Yahoo Sports Radio 1560 AM - 2:00 p.m. (1:30 p.m. pregame)
La Ranchera 850 AM - 2:00 p.m. (1:30 p.m. pregame
PREVIEW
A pair of clubs in desperate need of victories to put themselves back into the Eastern Conference playoff discussion meet when the Houston Dynamo play host to the Chicago Fire on Sunday afternoon at BBVA Compass Stadium. The Dynamo are seven points out of fifth place and the final postseason spot in the division, two points ahead of the Fire with six games to play for each. The Dynamo extended their undefeated streak to four games with a scoreless draw at Philadelphia Union last week, while the Fire tied the record for draws in a season with a 3-3 result with D.C. United.
REFEREE: Jose Carlos Rivero. AR1 (bench): Eric Boria; AR2 (opposite): Greg Barkey; 4th: Alejandro Mariscal
MLS Career: 33 games; FC/gm: 27.0; Y/gm: 3.7; R: 9; pens: 19
INJURY REPORT, PRESENTED BY HOUSTON METHODIST (as of Friday, September 27)
HOUSTON DYNAMO -- OUT: Tony Cascio – Right knee surgery; Mark Sherrod – Left knee ACL tear; Tally Hall – R knee ACL tear; Corey Ashe – R knee sprain); QUESTIONABLE: Will Bruin – R mid foot sprain; Jermaine Taylor – concussion; Boniek García (concussion)
CHICAGO FIRE -- OUT: Steven Kinney – herniated disc; Mike Magee – R hip surgery; SUSPENDED: Lovel Palmer (yellow card accumulation); Bakary Soumare (MLS Disciplinary Committee decision); QUESTIONABLE: Sanna Nyassi – R groin strain
HEAD-TO-HEAD
- ALL-TIME (18 meetings): Dynamo 7 wins, 26 goals … Fire 4 wins, 22 goals … Ties 7
- AT HOUSTON (9 meetings): Dynamo 4 wins, 13 goals … Fire 2 wins, 11 goals … Ties 3
- FUTURE MATCH: 10/24: Chicago Fire vs. Houston Dynamo, 7 p.m. CT
- In league play, the Dynamo last won in Bridgeview in 2009. The Fire won at Robertson Stadium in 2006 and 2007 in their first two trips ever to Houston – and have not won there since.
- The teams also met in 2012 in the Knockout Round of the MLS Cup Playoffs, the Dynamo taking a 2-1 victory at Toyota Park on their way to an eventual appearance in MLS Cup.
- Coaches record: Frank Yallop vs. HOU: P17 W6 L8 D3 … Dominic Kinnear vs. CHI: P23 W8 L6 D9
HOUSTON DYNAMO
The Houston Dynamo extended their undefeated run to four games, playing to a scoreless draw with Philadelphia Union on Saturday evening at PPL Park. The Dynamo are in eighth place in the Eastern Conference with 33 points from 28 games.
LAST MATCH
- Union nearly stole the match late in stoppage time when rookie Pedro Ribeiro hit the woodwork on a sharply angled shot.
- Philadelphia goalkeeper Rais Mbolhi was not called upon to make a single save, while Dynamo goalkeeper Tyler Deric was credited with three stops.
- Dynamo head coach Dominic Kinnear made one change to the team that reached a 2-2 draw with the Columbus Crew at BBVA Compass Stadium. Andrew Driver came into the midfield in place of Boniek Garcia.
- HOUSTON DYNAMO (4-4-2): Tyler Deric - Kofi Sarkodie, David Horst, A.J. Cochran, DaMarcus Beasley - Andrew Driver (Brian Ownby 82), Luis Garrido (Alexander Lopez 74), Ricardo Clark, Brad Davis - Omar Cummings (Jason Johnson 89), Giles Barnes.
TEAM NEWS
- The Dynamo have now gone four games without defeat – their longest undefeated run of the season – following a second consecutive draw in the scoreless result at Philadelphia.
- “It’s always good to get a point on the road. But you wish this was the beginning of the season when we were getting points on the road and not the last six games,” said goalkeeper Tyler Deric. “It’s crucial right now – we need to get three points, but you have to give credit to the guys. We worked hard.”
- The Dynamo were also shut out at the attacking end after hitting for multiple goals in each of their last three matches. The Dynamo have been held goalless in three of their last seven games; they’ve hit for two or more goals in the other four.
- The Dynamo were held without a single shot on goal, the third time this season that’s happened (also: April 12 vs. New England and June 1 vs. Colorado), and the eighth time in club history.
- “We got ourselves in good positions, but we didn’t take advantage of them,” head coach Dominic Kinnear said. “We put ourselves in good positions but our last pass let us down, as I’m sure Philadelphia could say the same thing. Philadelphia had us on our heels tonight, but I think we had chances to put them on their heels and, and like I said before, that last pass was missing for us.”
- Boniek Garcia missed out on the match, his first match missed since returning from the FIFA World Cup and the Honduras national team, after suffering a concussion in training in the days leading up to the match.
- Andrew Driver made his first start since July 12, after having come off the substitutes’ bench in each of the last eight matches.
- Omar Cummings made his third consecutive start in attack with Will Bruin still sidelined with a right foot sprain, after having recorded assists in the previous two matches.
- “We, like other teams, have been hit with a big injury bug at times,” Kinnear said. “I don’t think any team could rival our three ACLs, but Brian Ownby’s played some good minutes and Omar [Cummings] has come through in a good pinch here. Guys are dying to play and I think it’s been a good opportunity for them.”
- Giles Barnes saw his two-game goal-scoring streak – with three goals – come to an end. “When [Barnes] gets his nose pointed ahead or towards the goal it’s a positive for us,” Kinnear said. “When he finds those areas, whether it’s coming from deep or up high, he’s been having good form of late for sure.”
- Said Barnes: “I think quite a lot of my goals come from me making something outside the box and hitting it and going from there. Now I’ve got hanging off the end of defenders and getting one-on-one with the ‘keepers which is a little bit easier than hitting one from 30 yards all the time.”
