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Three Points: Houston Dynamo FC Host FC Cincinnati Prior to Three-Game Road Trip

July 2, 2021 - Major League Soccer (MLS)
Houston Dynamo FC News Release


HOUSTON - Houston Dynamo FC return to BBVA Stadium on Saturday to host FC Cincinnati in the first full-capacity match in EaDo since Feb. 29, 2020. Saturday's match is also the first meeting between both teams at BBVA Stadium.

Houston enters the match with three consecutive draws following the 1-1 tie at Real Salt Lake on Saturday. Maxi Urruti scored his sixth goal of the season and he is currently tied for fourth in the Golden Boot race. The Argentine forward surpassed his goal tally for the last two seasons and needs six more goals to match his regular season career high of 12 goals, which came in 2017 with FC Dallas.

Fafa Picault will be eligible for Saturday's match after serving a one-match suspension for yellow card accumulation. Midfielder Matias Vera will miss the match due to yellow card accumulation after his caution in Saturday's 1-1 draw in Utah. The Dynamo will also miss Darwin Ceren and Ari Lassiter who reported to international duty prior to the Concacaf Gold Cup.

FC Cincinnati defeated Houston 3-2 at Nippert Stadium on July 6, 2019 in the first game between the two sides. Saturday's match will also mark the return of Geoff Cameron to Houston. The 35-year-old was transferred to Stoke City in the summer of 2012 after five seasons in Houston. Cameron represented Houston at the 2009 and 2011 MLS All-Star Game and was named to the 2009 Best XI.

Cincinnati have won three of their last five games and enter Saturday's game with two consecutive victories on the road. Allan Cruz and Luciano Acosta scored for Cincinnati in their 2-0 victory over Toronto FC on Saturday.

Houston travel to the Pacific Northwest on Wednesday to face Seattle Sounders FC prior to the international break for the Gold Cup. The Dynamo return to league play on July 20 against the Vancouver Whitecaps in Sandy, Utah.

WHO: Houston Dynamo FC vs. FC Cincinnati

WHEN: Saturday, July 3 - 7:30 p.m. CT

TV: QuestTexas ch. 55

Glenn Davis, Eddie Robinson and Cindy Burbano

RADIO: Spanish: TUDN Radio Houston 1010 AM

Daniel Mejia and Lester Gretsch

Here are three key points ahead of Saturday's game:

DYNAMO NAVIGATE INTERNATIONAL WINDOW: Five Houston Dynamo FC players will report to international duty in the coming days to prepare for the Concacaf Gold Cup. Midfielder Darwin Ceren (El Salvador) and forward Ari Lassiter (Costa Rica) reported earlier this week and will miss Saturday's game. Maynor Figueroa (Honduras), Boniek Garcia (Honduras) and Tyler Pasher (Canada) will be available for selection on Saturday and that will likely be their final match with the team prior to the beginning of the tournament on July 10. Houston will look to Sam Junqua, Mateo Bajamich and Alejandro Fuenmayor for more minutes as the Dynamo navigate up to five games without the quintet competing in the Gold Cup.

URRUTI KEEPS PACE FOR GOLDEN BOOT: Maxi Urruti has found the back of the net four times in the last five games for the Dynamo. Houston has a 3-0-0 record at home when Urruti scores and a 3-1-2 record when the Argentine finds the back of the net this season. Urruti has the second most shots on target this season with 17 and 0.63 goals per 90 minutes. The forward needs seven goals to surpass his all-time high of 12 goals in 2017 with FC Dallas.

CINCINNATI FIND FORM AWAY FROM HOME: FC Cincinnati have won three games this season, all on the road and enter Saturday's game with back-to-back victories away from TQL Stadium. Jaap Stam's squad faced a challenging start to the regular season posting a 1-3-1 record in the first five games of the campaign. Cincinatti was outscored 10-2 in the first three games of the season. The Orange and Blue took to keep pace with the rest of the Eastern Conference and currently sit three points shy for a share of the seventh spot in the table.

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