Following their 1-0 win last week against Portland, Chivas USA head to Texas to take on the Houston Dynamo (8:30 pm ET, Direct Kick/Matchday Live). In looking at the history between these two clubs, Chivas have not had a great deal of luck against Houston and have not scored at Robertson Stadium since 2006. Needless to say, the Goats will be seeking to write a more positive chapter in their history with the Dynamo. And coming into the match, Chivas should feel confident they can score some goals and get a result on the road. The team has clearly clicked with Coach Robin Fraser and the system he has implemented. Since April, they have come into every single match believing they could get a result, and more often than not, they have. Chivas have more players returning from the injury report every week, and have the deepest squad they have all season. On top of that, Houston has not won in seven games, and Chivas have to feel like they can overcome their boogeyman in Robertson.
Coming into the season, it was unclear if Houston’s rebuilding project would pay dividends quickly or if they would struggle through another difficult season. So far, it has been a mix of the two. The Dynamo are one of a handful of teams in the league that is completely unpredictable, which obviously makes it difficult to know what to expect from week to week. Midfielder Brad Davis, perhaps the best dead-ball specialist in MLS, has been in fine form this season, and a variety of unheralded players have scored the goals, which has mitigated any potential reliance on Forward Brian Ching, who has battled injuries this year. It is unclear if Ching will play against Chivas, as he returned to training this week and has played hurt for much of his career, but he is listed as questionable and it might be more sensible to rest him as much as possible instead of hurrying him back into the line-up. Additionally, Houston will miss defender Andre Hainault, who has played well this season and is away playing for Canada in the Gold Cup.
Perhaps the biggest change this season is that Houston has shifted to the Eastern Conference with two expansion teams entering the league on the North American West Coast. If the Dynamo had the same record in the Western Conference this season, they would be second from the bottom, but they benefit from being in a weaker Eastern Conference and currently sit in fifth place with 15 points. Meanwhile, Chivas are in sixth place in the West with 17 points, but would be in fourth if they played in the Eastern Conference. Fortunately, the wild card playoff spots could prove to be significant for Chivas if they can manage to pick up enough points over the season, and playing in the stronger conference may not be the disadvantage it would appear to be.
The injury report this week is quite bare, as longterm absentee Jimmy Conrad is the only person listed. This bodes well for Chivas, who finally have some depth to work with. I would expect Dan Kennedy to start in net; Ante Jazic, Zarek Valentin, Andrew Boyens and Heath Pearce to start in defense, although Michael Lahoud is another possibility. In the midfield, Ben Zemanski and Marcos Mondaini are the locks, and I would expect Jorge Flores to start as well on the wing. I’m not sure if Paulo Nagamura or Simon Elliott will start, as both have played well. Considering their injury history and age, respectively, Fraser may start rotating the two into and out of the lineup. Up front, Alejandro Moreno will be back for the game as he has a quick break in his Venezuela duty before he rejoins them for the Copa America, and I would expect Justin Braun to start, although he may also feature on the bench. Midfielder Blair Gavin, who got his first action at the end of the Portland game after suffering a hamstring injury, will likely be used as an impact sub in this match.
Chivas will seek to keep the same game plan that has proven successful this season: high energy, strong workrate, playing good defense and hitting on the counterattack. Although their history at Robertson has not been good, they can take heart from the fact that they have played quite well on the road this season and have a team that is not afraid of any challenge they may face.
(image courtesy of Juan Miranda/Chivas USA)
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