Rival FC Dallas on deck for restart to league action
As the Dynamo prepare for their third opening day of the 2020 season, they are still seeking their first win.
The Dynamo will try to earn it Friday when they return to BBVA Stadium for the first time since February to face rival FC Dallas.
“Honestly, these games just have a different feel to them, right?” said forward Darwin Quintero, speaking ahead of his first Texas Derby match.
“The way I look at it is that you don’t play these games, you win them. So, especially at home, we have to get a positive result and a victory would really boost our confidence. That’s the only thing we are missing so far.”
The Dynamo (0-2-3, 3 points) fought back to a 1-1 draw with the LA Galaxy in their last game at BBVA Stadium — the original season opener — earlier this year. Their last game featured the same result against the same team, which eliminated them from the MLS is Back Tournament in Orlando, Fla., last month.
Entering the restart, the Dynamo want to give coach Tab Ramos his first league win, but more importantly, they want to snap their current winless streak and stay afloat in the standings. Houston is second-to-last in the Western Conference, just one point above the Galaxy. Houston is one of three winless teams in the league.
“I think it is important for … Tab, the team, the organization to just get the first win of 2020,” midfielder Memo Rodriguez said. “We have been close to getting wins, but I think it is a matter of us closing down games, being clinical inside the box and finish teams off.”
That inability to close — whether it be sacrificing late goals or failing to generate them — has plagued Houston for some time.
The Dynamo opened the season with a tie then a blowout loss in the two games before the league’s coronavirus-related suspension. When they reemerged for the MLS is Back Tournament, they seemed to have evolved beyond those past tendencies when Rodriguez helped give them a 3-1 halftime lead over LAFC in the tournament opener.
Despite having forwards Alberth Elis and Quintero healthy, the team ended up in a draw with LAFC then lost to eventual champion Portland Timbers.
But players said those performances built confidence. Quintero said he feels comfortable in Ramos’ system and Rodriguez expects the switch back to midfield to improve his productivity.
Collectively, they said the past five months have helped the team take steps towards fulfilling Ramos’ vision for the club, which added two players earlier this week. Neither forward Ariel Lassiter nor midfielder Wilfried Zahibo will be available as they self-quarantine for up to 10 days.
“Right now, we are still waiting to hear back from the league on Zahibo,” Ramos said, noting the league has not determined whether he must quarantine for seven or 10 days. “He would likely only become available as early as next Monday night, which could potentially put him into our Tuesday game (against Sporting Kansas City).”
MLS announced the first phase of its return to play in home markets in early August. Houston’s current schedule features six games through Sept. 14, starting and ending against FC Dallas (1-1-2, 5 points).
While Houston hasn’t played since July 23, Dallas has played Nashville SC twice in the past 10 days after both were removed from the tournament following an outbreak of COVID-19 cases. Partially because of that break, Dallas has not scored a goal since March 7.
“You always worry that any team can break out against you,” Ramos said. “I watched their games. They actually created quite a few opportunities. They took 20something shots between the two games they played against Nashville. Unfortunately, they couldn’t score, but they do have the firepower.”
Houston has acquired a reputation for its home success as much as its road struggles. Without fans on Friday, Ramos hopes his players can maintain that home-field advantage.
“We are ready to go,” he said. “We are in a different world right now, and we have to deal with what we have. We will play for the fans anyway and we know we have to win the derby.”