The Black-and-Red face stout competition Saturday night in Western Conference foe Houston Dynamo, and since both teams are coming off mid-week road games, the match is a test of endurance as well as skill. Houston head coach Wilmer Cabreras’ side, who are currently in a playoff position with 29 points, have developed a weakness despite their strong attack: road matches.
The Dynamo have struggled mightily away from the confines of BBVA Compass Stadium, presenting United with an opportunity to establish themselves as the second half of the season gets underway. Despite an 8-0-2 record at home, the club has been in defensive disarray on the road, most notably in a 1-4 loss at Atlanta United on May 20.
United will look to take advantage with forward Deshorn Brown’s aggressiveness pushing the defensive line back, giving Luciano Acosta plenty of room to work in the middle. And with more goals starting to come for the Black-and-Red (they’ve scored multiple goals in back-to-back matches, both of them on the road), head coach Ben Olsen knows that now is the time to secure three points at home.
GOAL: Lloyd Sam scores United's 400th all-time away goal#DCUpic.twitter.com/HJXTPsWs1v
— D.C. United (@dcunited) July 20, 2017
GOAL: Ian Harkes with the silky touch and confident finish in the box #DCUpic.twitter.com/jI82dqP8AC
— D.C. United (@dcunited) July 20, 2017
GOAL: Deshorn Brown scores his second goal in as many matches, giving United their first goal in Seattle since 2010#DCUpic.twitter.com/7nw3ehllpe
— D.C. United (@dcunited) July 20, 2017
“We finally have a home game after this long road stretch and then six of our next eight games are at home,” Olsen said. “If we take care of those we’ll be in good shape.”
The main question for Houston is, which offense will fly with them to the Capitol? While the Dynamo lead the league in goals scored at home (28), they haven’t shown much in attack on the road, ranking near the bottom of MLS in goals scored away from home.
Houston also haven’t performed well in matches following a midweek game, something United will look to capitalize on. After losing 2-0 to Philadelphia on Wednesday, May 17, the Dynamo lost to Atlanta the following Saturday. Even when they won 5-1 over Real Salt Lake on Wednesday, May 31, they couldn’t carry the momentum to Seattle the following Saturday, losing 0-1.
It’s been just over a month since United’s last game in the District, one of the Black-and-Red’s best performances of the season, a 2-1 win over Atlanta United. Look for Ben Olsen’s men to get back on track at home tonight.
