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Houston Dynamo FC

Three Points: Dynamo Return to MLS Play Tonight at Sporting KC

June 23, 2018 - Major League Soccer (MLS)
Houston Dynamo FC News Release


HOUSTON - After a two-week hiatus from league play to make way for the beginning of the 2018 FIFA World Cup, the Houston Dynamo return to Major League Soccer action tonight at first-place Sporting Kansas City.

While Sporting sit atop the Western Conference table, the Dynamo are in seventh; however, a win could vault Houston as high as third in the table, depending on other results around the league this weekend. Tonight begins an eight-game stretch for Houston that features seven matchups with Western Conference opponents, giving the Dynamo a tremendous opportunity to gain ground on their rivals in the chase for playoff spots over the next two months.

GAME INFORMATION:

MATCHUP: Houston Dynamo (6-5-3; 21 pts.) at Sporting Kansas City (8-2-5; 29 pts.)

TIME: 7:30 p.m. CDT

STREAM: KUBE 57 (LOCAL 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 TONIGHT'S MATCH:

1. STRENGTH VS. STRENGTH - Houston boasts one of the most dangerous attacks in all of Major League Soccer, with 29 goals scored through 14 games to rank second in the league. Standing in the way of that attack tonight will be the stingiest defense in the league. Led by 2017 MLS Defender of the Year Ike Opara and Goalkeeper of the Year Tim Melia, Sporting has conceded just 14 goals through 15 games, the fewest in the league so far this year. Houston's attacking corps will have their hands full tonight against that unit, but they've proven capable of scoring on anyone in the league.

2. CLASH OF STYLES - In boxing, they say styles make fights. The same is often true in soccer. The Dynamo have been at their most dangerous this season against opponents who dominate possession, enticing the other team to push higher and higher up the field before winning the ball and springing a counterattack with their lightning-fast forward corps. With forwards Alberth Elis, Mauro Manotas and Romell Quioto, the Dynamo are capable of striking in a matter of seconds from anywhere on the field. Sporting is a team that typically prefers to have more of the ball and will look to control the flow of the game through possession. If Houston can win the ball in midfield and quickly hit Sporting on the counter, they give themselves a good chance to swipe three points on the road.

3. WHO CAN BE MORE EFFICIENT? - Heading into tonight's contest, Sporting ranks first in MLS with an average of 14.3 chances created per game, while the Dynamo are just behind at 12.0 game, good for third in the league. Needless to say, scoring chances should be plentiful tonight. The test will be to see which team makes better use of those chances. So far, Houston has averaged a goal every 5.8 chances - fifth-best in the league - while Sporting scores once every 7.6 chances (sixth-worst). So keep an eye on which team is more clinical in front of goal when the opportunity arises.

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