THE BASICS
Houston Dynamo vs. Montreal Impact
Saturday, September 6, 7:30 p.m. CT
BBVA Compass Stadium, Houston, Texas
BROADCAST INFORMATION
CSN Houston - 7:30 p.m. (7:00 p.m. pregame) CHANNEL LISTINGS
MLS LIVE - 7:30 p.m. CLICK HERE
Yahoo Sports Radio 1560 AM - 7:30 p.m. (7:00 p.m. pregame)
La Ranchera 850 AM - 7:30 p.m. (7:00 p.m. pregame
PREVIEW
The Houston Dynamo and Montréal Impact meet for the third time this season in a crucial match for both clubs’ postseason ambitions when they face off Saturday evening at BBVA Compass Stadium. Both teams find themselves below the red line in the Eastern Conference, the Dynamo five points behind fifth place and the final berth, and the Impact a further eight points back. Both teams are coming off wins, the Dynamo putting an end to their club-record losing skid with a 3-1 win at Sporting KC, while the Impact won a second successive home game, 2-0 vs. Columbus.
REFEREE: Fotis Bazakos. AR1 (bench): Chris Strickland; AR2 (opposite): Matthew Nelson; 4th: Ismail Elfath
MLS Career: 31 games; FC/gm: 25.7; Y/gm: 3.4; R: 6; pens: 10
INJURY REPORT, PRESENTED BY HOUSTON METHODIST (as of Wednesday, August 27)
HOUSTON DYNAMO -- OUT: Tony Cascio – Right knee surgery; Mark Sherrod – Left knee ACL tear; Tally Hall – R knee ACL tear; Will Bruin – R mid foot sprain; Jermaine Taylor – concussion; SUSPENDED: Kofi Sarkodie – yellow card accumulation
MONTREAL IMPACT -- OUT: Adrian Lopez – knee injury; SUSPENDED: Hassoun Camara – serious foul play
HEAD-TO-HEAD
- ALL-TIME (8 meetings): Dynamo 3 wins, 8 goals … Impact 4 wins, 15 goals … Ties 1
- AT HOUSTON (4 meetings): Dynamo 3 wins, 6 goals … Impact 0 wins, 1 goals … Ties 1
- 3/15: HOU 1, MTL 0 (Bruin 40); 6/29: MTL 3, HOU 0 (McInerney 41, 75; Di Vaio 79)
- The teams are meeting for the third time this season. Jack McInerney scored twice and Marco Di Vaio added a late goal as the Impact took a 3-0 win June 29 at Stade Saputo. Will Bruin scored the game’s only goal to lead the Dynamo to victory March 15 at BBVA Compass Stadium.
- The Dynamo have not lost in all five lifetime meetings in all competitions at BBVA Compass Stadium, winning the last three, including the meeting in the Knockout Round of the MLS Cup Playoffs last season.
- The Impact have won all four meetings lifetime in Montréal, outscoring the Dynamo 10-0 over the last three meetings.
- Coaches record: Dominic Kinnear vs. MTL: P8 W3 L4 D1 … Frank Klopas vs. HOU: P9 W2 L2 D5
HOUSTON DYNAMO
The Houston Dynamo put an end to their club-record losing run after seven games, defeating Sporting Kansas City 3-1 on Friday evening at Sporting Park. The Dynamo are in ninth place in the Eastern Conference with 28 points from 25 games.
LAST MATCH
- After a weather delay of more than an hour at the 17th minute, the Dynamo took the lead in the 35th minute. Kofi Sarkodie put in a cross from the right flank that SKC center back Aurelien Collin was unable to clear, teeing up Will Bruin for a finish past goalkeeper Jon Kempin from just behind the penalty spot.
- Sporting equalized in the 55th minute. A through ball out of traffic by C.J. Sapong's found Benny Feilhaber just outside the area, and he drove in and centered a pass for Dom Dwyer to knock past goalkeeper Tally Hall with the help of a deflection.
- But seven minutes later Houston regained the lead. From a foul just outside the penalty area, Dynamo center back David Horst was left completely unmarked in the heart of the penalty area and rose to head home a Brad Davis free kick.
- Five minutes after that, it was 3-1 after another set-piece header. This time it was Ricardo Clark who ran onto Davis' free kick and headed it past Kempin and inside the left post.
- Dynamo head coach Dominic Kinnear made no changes to the team that fell 3-0 to the Columbus Crew at Crew Stadium.
- HOUSTON DYNAMO (4-4-2): Tally Hall (Tyler Deric 80) - Kofi Sarkodie, Jermaine Taylor, David Horst, Corey Ashe - Boniek Garcia, Luis Garrido, Ricardo Clark, Brad Davis (Andrew Driver 89) - Giles Barnes, Will Bruin (Jason Johnson 40).
TEAM NEWS
- The Dynamo put an end to their club-record road losing streak with their first victory away from BBVA Compass Stadium since the 4-1 defeat of Chivas USA on May 3. They had scored two road goals total over the seven-game stretch (both in the 4-2 loss at Toronto FC on July 12.
- “I think this was a game that we truly needed. We needed guys to show that they can not only play pretty, but they can play scrappy when the time comes because not every game is going to go the way you want it to go,” said Brad Davis. “But when you fight and work together, you can still come out victorious and I think tonight was that moment. Now hopefully we can really build off it going into these last nine weeks.”
- The Dynamo scored two goals from set piece opportunities, their first goals from standard situations since May 11. They have scored six goals from set pieces for the season.
- “You’re confident the ball’s going to be put in a dangerous place but it’s just a matter of the guys working free and attacking the ball,” head coach Dominic Kinnear said. “In a game like this there’s not a whole lot given, especially in the penalty areas. Guys worked themselves free and Brad put the ball in some good spots and it was the difference in the game for us tonight.”
- Brad Davis collected a pair of assists, both from dead ball services, and now has eight assists for the season, tied for ninth-most in the league. Over the last seven matches, since his return from the World Cup, Davis has three goals and three assists.
- “You're confident that the ball is going to be put in a dangerous place. It's a matter of the rest of the guys getting free and attacking the ball,” said Kinnear. “The one thing about Brad you can count on is he puts the ball in dangerous spots and there's good communication between him and the players attacking. In a game like this, there isn't a whole lot given, but we managed to get free a couple times and it worked out well for us.”
- Will Bruin scored his 10th goal of the season, his fourth over the last six matches. It marks the second time in his four MLS seasons Bruin has scored double-digits in goals. But there was an injury concern as Bruin was forced from the field with a twisted foot shortly after netting the opener.
- David Horst scored his second career MLS goal, his first since coming to the Dynamo. His last goal came June 24, 2012, with the Portland Timbers.
- “I was open pretty much the whole game and Brad played in a great ball and I was able to get my head on it,” Horst said. “I was surprised the way they were marking me that game. Hopefully with the goals tonight we can get the monkey off our backs and keep getting set piece goals to finish the season.”
- The Dynamo suffered a huge blow when goalkeeper Tally Hall had to come off with what was later diagnosed as a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee, putting him out for the season. Hall had missed just one league match all season, the June 6 match at Sporting Kansas City.
- “I’ve never had an injury like this before so I don’t know,” Hall said. “I don’t want to miss any games; I don’t want to miss a game this weekend. I don’t want to miss a game next year but I want to be smart about it and come back fitter and stronger than I was before.”
