After a 4-2 loss in Montreal the Houston Dynamo return to the friendly confines to host Eastern Conference rivals Philadelphia Union. The Dynamo and Union last squared off in last season’s MLS Cup playoffs with the Orange winning both legs of their conference semifinal tie. Philadelphia has struggled to find form this season but have since replaced their head coach and come off a big 4-0 win in league play last weekend against Sporting Kansas City.
In addition to their win over Sporting KC, the Union earned a place in the US Open Cup Semifinals with a win Tuesday against USL Pro side Harrisburg City Islanders. With new coach John Hackworth in charge the team has begun to turn their season around. Freddy Adu leads the attack for Philly with Columbian Lionard Pajoy and Panamanian Gabriel Gomez sharing the team lead in goals with four. Young keeper Zac MacMath anchors the defense. Philadelphia signed defender Bakary Soumare this week but he is unlikely to play tonight.
Will Bruin’s sizzling form continued in Montreal with another goal and he will spearhead the attach against Philadelphia. Bruin spoke after the Toronto FC draw about new DP Oscar Boniek Garcia coming in to the side and whipping crosses in and how excited he is to play with him. Bruin will likely get his first look at his new teammate tonight as the Honduran is set to make his debut after his international transfer paperwork has been processed. If Boniek gets the start I’d expect to see him on the right wing. More than likely we’ll see him as a second half sub.
With 15 goals allowed in the last 6 games, and 7 in the last 2, the Dynamo defense will need to find a way to “fix the leaks”. With a sale possibly in the works for Geoff Cameron, it feels like the young American defender isn’t completely “in the game”. The past few games he’s seemed lackluster in the back but going forward he’s been dynamic. I wouldn’t mind seeing Cameron start in the center of midfield, not only to kickstart the offense but to add some value to a possible transfer. Jermaine Taylor is expected to return after missing the last two games due to injury. Taylor has played well this season and will bolster the back line.
This is a game the Dynamo should win but we’ve said that numerous times this season. With the Union coming in hot and with a new found spark they won’t be an easy team to beat. A 2-1 win seems likely but in this unpredicatable season I wouldn’t be surprised at a 1-1 or 2-2 draw. Rain storms have been moving through the Houston area for the last couple of days and rain is possible for tonight’s game. Weather is always an unpredicatable variable in a match and if the rain comes anything can happen. With the Dynamo prowess on set pieces, maybe a little shower could help put off the Union defense. Whether rain or shine, the crowd in Orange will be rocking at BBVA Compass Stadium.
(image courtesy of Anthony Vasser/Houston Dynamo)
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