THE BASICS
Houston Dynamo vs. San Jose Earthquakes
Saturday, August 8, 8:00 p.m. CT
BBVA Compass Stadium, Houston, Texas
BROADCAST INFORMATION
ROOT SPORTS (Alternate Channel) - 8:00 p.m. (7:30 p.m. pregame) CHANNEL LISTINGS
Yahoo Sports Radio 1560 AM - 8:00 p.m. (7:30 p.m. pregame)
La Ranchera 850 AM / 101.7 FM - 8:00 p.m. (7:30 p.m. pregame)
PREVIEW
The Houston Dynamo and San Jose Earthquakes renew their recent rivalry when the Western Conference clubs meet for a third time this season Saturday evening at BBVA Compass Stadium. The clubs come into the match separated by two points in the standings, both sitting outside the top six and playoff positions. The Dynamo return home following a 1- 1 draw at Sporting Kansas City last weekend, while the Quakes saw their winless run extended to five games in a home scoreless draw with the Portland Timbers.
REFEREE: Fotis Bazakos. AR1 (bench): Adam Garner; AR2 (opposite): Brian Poeschel; 4th: Ricardo Salazar
MLS Career: 44 games; FC/gm: 26.5; Y/gm: 3.6; R: 8; pens: 16
INJURY REPORT, PRESENTED BY HOUSTON METHODIST (as of Thursday, August 6)
HOUSTON DYNAMO – OUT: Jermaine Taylor – R quad tear; DOUBTFUL: Rob Lovejoy – Right hamstring strain; Taylor Hunter – Right peroneal strain; Ricardo Clark – Left hamstring strain; QUESTIONABLE: Will Bruin &ndashl Left knee effusion; Tyler Deric – Right foot contusion
SAN JOSE EARTHQUAKES – OUT: Innocent – Left knee; Steven Lenhart – Right knee arthroscopy; QUESTIONABLE: Clarence Goodson – Left leg; Matias Perez Garcia – Left leg
HEAD-TO-HEAD
- ALL-TIME (14 meetings): Dynamo 7 wins, 18 goals … Earthquakes 6 wins, 17 goals … Ties 1
- AT HOUSTON (6 meetings): Dynamo 4 wins, 10 goals … Earthquakes 2 wins, 6 goals … Ties 0
- 2015 (MLS): 5/5: HOU 0, SJ 1 (Jahn 54); 7/10: SJ 0, HOU 2 (Clark 10; Bruin 81)
- FUTURE MATCH: None.
- The teams are meeting for the third time this season, each winning on the road. Adam Jahn scored the game’s only goal to give the Earthquakes the victory, May 5 at BBVA Compass Stadium; Ricardo Clark and Will Bruin netted goals early and late to lead the Dynamo to a 2-0 win July 10 at Avaya Stadium.
- The Dynamo win in the last meeting ended a two-game Quakes winning streak in the series, their first wins against the Dynamo since 2011.
- The two teams have shared a pitched rivalry since the Earthquakes returned to the league in 2008, after the Dynamo moved to Houston from San Jose in 2006. Each team has won six meetings, with one draw.
- This will be first year since 2011 the series will include more than one meeting during the regular season, with both clubs now in the Western Conference.
- Coaches record: Dominic Kinnear vs. HOU: P2 W1 L1 T0 … Owen Coyle vs. SJ: P2 W1 L1 T0
HOUSTON DYNAMO
The Houston Dynamo made it two games without defeat, coming back for a 1-1 draw with Sporting Kansas City on Saturday evening at Sporting Park. The Dynamo are in eighth place in the Western Conference with 28 points from 22 matches.
LAST MATCH
- Sporting took the lead in the sixth minute. Benny Feilhaber swung in a free kick from the right wing and Dom Dwyer rose in the box to nod home.
- The Dynamo leveled terms in nearly identical circumstances in the 78th minute. From nearly the same spot on the pitch as the SKC goal, Brad Davis swung in a free kick and Ricardo Clark went up to send a header home for the equalizer.
- The Dynamo finished the match a man down when midfielder Nathan Sturgis was shown a straight red card by referee Jorge Gonzalez in the 86th minute for a serious foul on Kansas City's Roger Espinoza.
- Dynamo head coach Owen Coyle made three changes to the team that fell 2-0 to Real Salt Lake at Rio Tinto Stadium. Sheanon Williams and A.J. Cochran came into the back four for Taylor Hunter and the suspended Kofi Sarkodie, and Leonel Miranda started out wide in place of Alexander Lopez.
- Dynamo head coach Owen Coyle made two changes to the team that defeated the LA Galaxy 3-0 at BBVA Compass Stadium. DaMarcus Beasley came into the back four for A.J. Cochran, and Giles Barnes started in place of Leonel Miranda.
- HOUSTON DYNAMO (4-2-3-1): Tyler Deric - Sheanon Williams, David Horst, Raul Rodriguez, DaMarcus Beasley - Ricardo Clark (Luis Garrido 80), Nathan Sturgis (ejected 86) - Alex (Leonel Miranda 68), Brad Davis, Giles Barnes - Will Bruin (Erick Torres 62).
TEAM NEWS
- It was a second consecutive result for the Dynamo, who have lost just once in their last five matches (2-1-2). It was also a second result away from home out of the last three games.
- “We had chance after chance, not half chances but I’m talking about real goal scoring chances,” Dynamo head coach Owen Coyle said. “I’ve got to say it was an outstanding team performance … and we feel aggrieved we’re not leaving with three points truth be told.”
- Ricardo Clark scored his fifth goal of the season, a career single-season high in his 11th MLS campaign. Clark had scored four goals each of the last two seasons. Clark has two goals over the last four matches.
- Immediately after scoring the goal, Clark was forced to leave the field with an injury. He has started each one of the Dynamo’s 22 league matches this season.
- “He gives everything he’s got and it’s no surprise he popped up in front of goal,” Coyle said. “He’s surpassed his goal scoring record and for me he’s been a joy to work with. Of course he was annoyed he got beat by [Dom] Dwyer for the first one but that’s Ricardo Clark. He picks himself up, his performance was great and he scored another very good goal.”
- Brad Davis collected the assist on the goal, his second consecutive match with an assist, his first two assists since May 16. Davis now has six assists for the season.
- “We know if we're playing well or we're not playing well, and we knew we had some chances. We just had to stay with it, not get frustrated and continue to push,” Davis said. “Fortunately we were able to get our goal … and when we got that goal later in the game, it was very important that we were smart and locked it down and come away with a point at that point.”
- Giles Barnes returned to the Dynamo team after missing three matches while on international duty with Jamaica for the CONCACAF Gold Cup, playing the full 90 minutes.
- DaMarcus Beasley also returned to the lineup after missing two matches while with the U.S. national team for the Gold Cup.
- Newcomer Sheanon Williams made his second consecutive start, again playing the full 90 minutes at right back, while Erick Torres also made a second consecutive appearance as a late substitute.
- “Obviously they had a restart goal from a header five minutes in – that's not the ideal start. But instead of putting our heads down, we kept playing and we had chances,” said Will Bruin. “I could have scored on a little half-breakaway [in the first half]. We never put our heads down. We kept battling and found a way to score and even it up and leave with a point.”
