Houston Dynamo FC travel to Children’s Mercy Park on Saturday for their first road trip of the season. Saturday’s match with Sporting Kansas City will kickoff at 2:50 p.m. CT and fans can watch the match live on TUDN and Univision.
Dynamo head coach Paulo Nagamura returns to Kansas City for the first time since departing Sporting at the end of the 2021 USL Championship season. Nagamura spent 10 seasons with the organization as a player and coach, including four seasons as the head coach of Sporting Kansas City II. Nagamura aims to secure his first three points of the campaign after Sunday’s draw with Real Salt Lake.
Houston’s best opportunity last Sunday came off the left foot of forward Darwin Quintero, who hit the crossbar late in the second half. Two of the four chances created on Sunday came from midfielder Darwin Ceren, now in his eighth MLS season. Ceren has now matched El Salvador legend Mauricio Cienfuegos with that mark for most MLS seasons played by a Salvadorian international. Ceren has spent five of his eight MLS seasons with the Dynamo.
Sunday’s draw saw the Dynamo debut of four players brought in during the offseason. Goalkeeper Steve Clark finished with two saves and earned his first clean sheet with the Dynamo. Forward Sebastian Ferreira created a scoring opportunity and finished with two recoveries against Salt Lake. Defender Daniel Steres finished with five recoveries in his 90-minute shift on Sunday and rookie forward Thor Ulfarsson made his MLS debut when he came off the bench in the second half. Zeca was the lone offseason acquisition to miss the match on Sunday but reported for training earlier this week.
Kansas City took the season series last year with two victories at home against the Dynamo. Houston secured three points in the first meeting of the year, a 1-0 triumph at PNC Stadium on May 12. Houston enters the match with a slight edge in the all-time series with a 13-12-13 record against Kansas City.
The Dynamo return to PNC Stadium on Saturday, March 12 to host the Vancouver Whitecaps. For tickets and additional information, visit HoustonDynamoFC.com.
Here are three key points ahead of Saturday’s match:
- DYNAMO VALIDATE AMBITIONS: The Dynamo announced the acquisition of Mexican National Team captain Héctor Herrera on Wednesday and shook the soccer landscape in North America. Herrera is the third Mexican international signed as a Designated Player by the Dynamo and he will join the team this summer after completing his contract with Atletico Madrid in Spain. Herrera returns to North America as one of the most decorated Mexican players to ever play professionally in Europe. He won domestic titles in Spain and Portugal and his 55 Champions League appearances are the most for any Mexican player in history. Herrera was a key contributor in Atletico Madrid’s La Liga championship in the 2020-21 season. The midfielder also won three domestic trophies with Portuguese giants FC Porto, beginning with the league title for the 2017-18 season, and the 2013 and 2018 Portuguese Super Cup.
- ZECA REPORTS TO TRAINING: Dynamo defender Zeca joined the team earlier this week for his first training session. The outside back joins the Dynamo after spending 2021 as a regular starter with Club de Regatas Vasco da Gama, reaching the knockout round of the Copa Do Brasil tournament. The 27-year-old appeared in 39 games for Vasco da Gama and tallied four assists as a defender. Zeca is the fifth offseason acquisition to join the team this season. This is the first time the outside back plays for a team abroad after spending nearly a decade in his native Brazil with Esporte Clube Bahia, Internacional and Santos FC.
- SPORTING DROP POINTS AWAY FROM HOME: Kansas City look to bounce back after losing 3-1 on the road to Atlanta United. Daniel Salloi scored the lone goal for Kansas City and the forward looks to build on a stellar 2021 season where he finished with 16 goals and eight assists, both new career marks. Salloi will be key for the Kansas City offense due to the absence of Mexican forward Alan Pulido due to a season-ending injury. Sporting Kansas City host the Dynamo in their home opener on Saturday and they look to replicate their form at Children’s Mercy from last season. Sporting finished with a 9-3-5 (WLD) record at home in 2021, tied for the fourth most victories at home in the Western Conference.
