Goals the goal for hosts as Dynamo pay a visit

The Vancouver Whitecaps (4W-5L-1D) took a step back last week with a 1-0 loss to 10-man Minnesota, and look to bounce back tonight when they host the Houston Dynamo (3-3-2) at B.C. Place.

THE BIG MATCHUP

Kei Kamara vs. Adolfo Machado In desperate need of some offence trailing the Loons last week, the Caps inserted Kei Kamara into the game after he started the Major League Soccer contest on the bench in his first game back from a groin pull.

Another solid week of training should help Kamara round back into form for the goal-starved Caps, and be a handful for Adolfo Machado on the Dynamo backline.

FIVE THINGS TO WATCH

1.

IN NEED OF A BLONDELL MOMENT The Caps have scored just three goals in their last five games, of which they’ve lost four and been shut out three times. Last week with the man advantage, they had 19 shots, the third-highest total in a game they were blanked.

Robinson said after the game he could have tried pairing Kamara with Anthony Blondell, a combination we haven’t seen this season but could this weekend. 2.

THE SHORT STUFF The short pass has been a problem for WFC, which hasn’t been able to string much together in tight quarters. The Caps are last overall in total passes per 90 minutes (350.9), 18th in overall accuracy and have the most inaccurate short passes per 90 minutes in MLS. 3.

THE SHORT WEEK It’s a busy schedule for the Caps, who host the San Jose Earthquakes on Wednesday night before travelling to Texas to face FC Dallas next Saturday (May 19) afternoon. Their depth at each position is going to be in high demand this week, especially on a team that has five key contributors 30 or above.

“I don’t mind the short weeks, so you can just focus on the game, recover, then play the next game. You don’t have to think about it too much, you can just play,” said 31-year-old fullback Marcel de Jong, who started five straight games before sitting the past two, giving way to youngster Brett Levis. 4.

BY THE NUMBERS At 1.22, the Whitecaps are better than seven other MLS teams in terms of expected goals, but that hasn’t been borne out by their average of one goal per game. PDO, which calculates finishing rate versus save percentage, is a good indicator of how much is skill, and how much is luck.

At 898, only three teams are lower than Vancouver, and they have 21 goals combined and are below the Caps in the standings.

5.

QUIOTO PROBLEM

When it comes to offensive effect, the Dynamo’s answer to Kamara is Romell Quioto. The dynamic winger has two goals and four assists, but his effect has kick-started the offence, such as a 90th-minute shot against the L.A. Galaxy that hit the crossbar and led to the game-winner from Memo Rodriguez.