Ramos excited for first home crowd since February
Looming in the background as Houston begins the second phase of its return to play schedule is the impending departure of forward Alberth Elis. In the foreground is the reality of Houston’s first home game open to fans in months.
The Dynamo (3-3-5, 14 points) host Minnesota United (5-4-2, 17 points) on Saturday at BBVA Stadium. They travel to Chicago (Sept. 23) and Nashville (Sept. 26) next week.
“We are really excited, in particular about this weekend’s game, because it is our first chance to see our fans since the beginning of the season,” coach Tab Ramos said of Saturday’s game. “We are excited. Even though we (have limitations) we are very excited to play in front of them.”
When asked last week about Elis’ departure, Ramos said he was uncertain of the transaction but added, “there’s a good possibility that he goes overseas. I know that, overall, that’s what he wants.”
Houston’s last match against Minnesota, a 3-0 win on Sept. 2, was a showcase of Elis, who is expected to sign with a team in Portugal, and the player Houston recently signed to add a similar skill set. Forward Ariel Lassiter scored two goals in his debut in that game — each assisted by Elis. He earned his first Dynamo start in Houston’s last match, a 2-1 loss to FC Dallas on Sept. 12.
“In terms of Ari, Ari’s not here to replace Alberth,” Ramos said. “We brought Ari because we needed that type of forward. I like players with speed. Ari is a younger player who is, I think, ready to begin contributing, and I think (against Dallas) it showed. He’s starting to adapt to the league, and he’s going to be big for us down the road, so I’m really encouraged by what I’ve seen from Ari the last three or four games.”
Defender Zarek Valentin, who’s played behind Elis on the right side of the field, doesn’t anticipate a significant change in how the Dynamo will play moving forward.
“Ultimately, we have a system where a lot of times you plug and play guys where they fit the system really well,” he said. “Tab and (general manger Matt Jordan) have built a team where no matter who comes in, they’re ready.”
Dynamo players are poised to restart what had been a six-game unbeaten streak before last Saturday. They’ll do so in front of their first home crowd since their Feb. 29 season opener.
“This year is really special. You have to adapt to the situation continuously, and I feel like playing (Minnesota) again gives us a good chance to keep performing better against them,” defender Adam Lundkvist said. “We had a good experience playing against them last time, and we want to continue building on that performance. We want to build on that on Saturday and, hopefully, earn the three points.”