THE BASICS
Houston Dynamo vs. Montreal Impact
Saturday, April 11, 7:30 p.m. CT
BBVA Compass Stadium, Houston, Texas
BROADCAST INFORMATION
ROOT SPORTS (Alternate Channel) - 7:30 p.m. (7:00 p.m. pregame) CHANNEL LISTINGS
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
Playoff rivals just a few years ago, the Houston Dynamo and Montréal Impact meet for the only time this season when the clubs face off Saturday evening at BBVA Compass Stadium. Both teams come into the game sitting at the foot of their respective conferences. The Dynamo are winless in their last four matches following a season-opening win, coming off a 1-0 defeat at Seattle Sounders FC. The Impact are winless in their three league matches, their last MLS game a 2-2 home draw with Orlando City SC that preceded their historic CONCACAF Champions League advancement.
REFEREE: Fotis Bazakos. AR1 (bench): Peter Manikowski; AR2 (opposite): Jonathan Johnson; 4th: Ismail Elfath
MLS Career: 36 games; FC/gm: 26.4; Y/gm: 3.6; R: 7; pens: 14
INJURY REPORT, PRESENTED BY HOUSTON METHODIST (as of Thursday, April 9)
HOUSTON DYNAMO – OUT: Raúl Rodríguez – concussion/facial laceration
MONTREAL IMPACT – OUT: Maxime Crépeau – shoulder injury; Adrian Lopez – knee injury; Justin Mapp – elbow surgery; Cameron Porter – knee injury
HEAD-TO-HEAD
- ALL-TIME (9 meetings): Dynamo 4 wins, 11 goals Impact 4 wins, 17 goals Ties 1
- AT HOUSTON (5 meetings): Dynamo 4 wins, 9 goals Impact 0 wins, 3 goals Ties 1
- RETURN MATCH: 10/18: None.
- This is the only league meeting between the teams this season.
- The visiting team has never won in the three-year history of the series between the clubs. The road team has come away with points just once – after a 1-1 draw at BBVA Compass Stadium in 2011.
- The Dynamo have won the last four meetings between the teams in Houston in all competitions, including in the Knockout Round of the MLS Cup Playoffs in 2013. The Impact have won all four meetings all-time in Montréal.
- Coaches record: Owen Coyle vs. MTL: first game Frank Klopas vs. HOU: P10 W2 L3 D5
HOUSTON DYNAMO
The Houston Dynamo had their winless run extended to four matches, falling 1-0 to Seattle Sounders FC on Saturday evening at CenturyLink Field. The Dynamo are in a tie for eighth place in the Western Conference with 5 points from 5 matches
LAST MATCH
- The game's lone goal came in the 39th minute. Clint Dempsey took a pass in the midfield and in turn found a streaking Obafemi Martins racing into the box. He then spun around Dynamo center back Jermaine Taylor, before applying the decisive finish minutes past goalkeeper Tyler Deric.
- Sounders FC ended the match a man down when Gonzalo Pineda was shown a straight red card in the 56th minute by referee Ted Unkel after catching Dynamo midfielder Ricardo Clark in the stomach with a high boot. But the home side was able to see out the final half-hour.
- Dynamo head coach Owen Coyle made four changes to the team that reached a scoreless result with the Colorado Rapids at BBVA Compass Stadium. Jermaine Taylor returned to central defense for David Horst, and Boniek Garcia and Luis Garrido came back into the midfield for Leonel Miranda and Rob Lovejoy, and Giles Barnes started up top in place of Will Bruin
- HOUSTON DYNAMO (4-2-3-1): Tyler Deric - Kofi Sarkodie, Raul Rodriguez (David Horst 26), Jermaine Taylor, DaMarcus Beasley - Luis Garrido (Will Bruin 64), Nathan Sturgis - Boniek Garcia (Leonel Miranda 72), Ricardo Clark, Brad Davis - Giles Barnes.
TEAM NEWS
- The Dynamo were shut out for a third time in five matches in the loss at Seattle. The Dynamo have now not scored in their last 259 minutes, currently the fourth-longest goalless drought in MLS.
- “We kept trying to chip balls in the middle when they have 10 guys standing on their 18 and that’s hard to do,” Dynamo captain Brad Davis said. “We need to be able to figure these things out to figure out what’s working and what’s not working, so our decision-making just needs to be better. There were times when we went up a man that we kept trying to do things that weren’t working.”
- The Dynamo still have yet to allow more than one goal in any game this season. They have lost two games by 1-0 scorelines (also: March 13 vs. Orlando City SC).
- “I think we’ve got to take more chances going forward, personally,” Bruin said. “We’re all fine in possession; if you look back at that game I can only think of a handful of quality chances. We’ve got to start creating more chances and I think that’s everybody getting more creative in the final third and finding that groove.”
- “We’ve conceded three goals this season and with all due respect, it’s not been due to a good passage of play from the opposing teams. Quality opposition can hurt you if you make key mistakes and we did that [in Seattle]. We’ll have to learn from that quickly,” said Dynamo head coach Owen Coyle.
- The Dynamo have put just 10 total shot attempts on target this season, the fewest in MLS. They have taken the 12th-most shots, with 48.
- We’re a young team that needs to figure that out but now we are five games into the season and we feel like we have let some points slip here,” Davis said. “It’s tough, but it’s the same story. We have next week to try to turn it around.”
- Added Barnes: “We need to be more creative in the attacking third, we need to push forward more and take some chances. The game’s about who scores more goals at the end of the day, and we were lacking in that area. That’s three points disappeared because of a lack of concentration.”
- Ricardo Clark started and played 69 minutes, his fourth start in four matches this season, despite facing fitness concerns throughout the week with a chest injury.
- Back from international duty, Barnes returned to his role as the lone out-and-out striker, with Boniek Garcia regaining his place wide on the right of the attack as he also returned from national team action
- Raúl Rodríguez made his second consecutive start in central defense, alongside Jermaine Taylor, also returned from international responsibilities. But Rodríguez was forced off before the half-hour through injury
