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MLS Houston Dynamo FC

Three Points: 2018 Texas Derby Fires off Saturday - Dynamo vs. FC Dallas

July 20, 2018 - Major League Soccer (MLS)
Houston Dynamo FC News Release


HOUSTON - The Houston Dynamo will ride a nine-game home unbeaten streak across all competitions into BBVA Compass Stadium on Saturday night when they host FC Dallas at 8 p.m. CDT. The annual grudge match between fierce in-state rivals is the first of three meetings in the 2018 Texas Derby, the annual rivalry series.

The winner of the Texas Derby each year keeps El Capitán, the Texas Revolutionary War-era cannon that serves as the "trophy" for the series. It may be the only trophy that is still capable of putting ordnance on a target down range. Houston has held the cannon the last two years after the won the 2016 series and the 2017 series finished deadlocked.

The all-time series between these two foes is incredibly level. Houston has won 10 times to Dallas' nine, with 11 draws mixed in; and the teams are level on goals through 30 meetings, each team having scored 44 apiece. Houston has outshot Dallas 321-316, though Dallas has been slightly more accurate, putting 131 of theirs on target to 125 for the Dynamo. Even the foul totals are nearly identical, with Dallas having committed one more foul - 385-384 - over the span of 2,700 intense minutes.

GAME INFORMATION:

MATCHUP: Houston Dynamo (7-6-5; 26 pts.) vs. FC Dallas (11-3-5; 38 pts.)

TIME: 8:00 p.m. CDT

TV: KUBE 57 (Channel Guide)

RADIO: SportsRadio 610 (English); Univision Radio 1010 AM (Spanish)

HERE ARE THREE KEY POINTS YOU'LL NEED TO KNOW AS YOU PREPARE FOR WEDNESDAY'S MATCH:

1. MANAGE THE MINUTES - One edge that FC Dallas will have over the homestanding Houston Dynamo is that Houston played on Wednesday and Dallas did not. The Dynamo thumped Sporting Kansas City 4-2 at BBVA Compass Stadium to move on to the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup semifinals, but they used a largely first-choice lineup in the win. How head coach Wilmer Cabrera manages the minutes and the fatigue on his team will be a major plotline leading up to kickoff on Saturday night.

2. KEEP THE MOMENTUM GOING - The Dynamo have been stout at home ever since Cabrera took charge before the 2017 season, and their nine-game unbeaten run at BBVA Compass Stadium is evidence of that. In those nine games, the Dynamo have outscored their opponents by a total of 28-7 and have knocked off the defending league champs (Toronto FC), the team with the second-best record in the league this year (New York City FC) and the defending Open Cup champs (Sporting Kansas City). Facing a Dallas team that sits atop the Western Conference, the Dynamo will need to remain Houston Strong on Saturday to keep that streak going.

3. GET ELIS GOING - The Dynamo have one player going to Atlanta at the end of the month to represent the club in the Audi MLS All-Star Game - forward Alberth Elis. The 22-year-old Honduran is in the league's top 10 in 13 different categories, including goals and assists, but only has one goal in his last six league matches (compared to eight in his first 12). Houston's offense hits another level with the speedy winger is hitting the mark, and there's no better time to get him back into a scoring rhythm than at home against your arch rival.

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