Hunt for 1st win adds to home opener
Ben Olsen is no newcomer to MLS, but the first-year Houston coach is not entirely familiar of the rivalry with Austin FC or any of the Texas derbies.
“But I’m feeling it, I’m jazzed up,” Olsen said. “I understand. I hear people talking about it, I hear the players talking about it. I can feel the energy with not only it’s the home opener, but it’s the home opener against Austin.”
At 7:30 p.m. Saturday, the Dynamo open the home portion of their 34game league schedule following two straight road losses to start the 2023 season. It will be the first game fans can see the offseason renovations to Shell Energy Stadium, including the installation of 20,000 new mesh seats and the reconstructed East Club.
“We’re looking forward to putting our best performance of the year together,” Olsen said. “I love these types of games. I love the fact that Dallas is right down the road. Austin, three Texas teams. This whole state rivalry is new for me, and I’m personally looking forward to it. I certainly understand the magnitude.”
Austin finished second in the Western Conference with 56 points in 2022. Houston didn’t fare as well, occupying 13th place in the West. Coach Josh Wolff’s side has won each of the past three matchups with Houston,
“It’s a derby,” Houston midfielder Héctor Herrera said. “These are the games that we as players want to play. There is an added incentive to it being the Texas Derby and there is a little added motivation. We have started the week well, and we need to continue that throughout the week and get to Saturday in the best form possible for the match.”
Acquired in an offseason trade from Columbus, midfielder Artur will be making his Dynamo home debut.
“I’m just trying to be the best prepared that I can,” Artur said. “I’m very excited to be at home and to see the fans and to play at my new home, I can’t wait for that. I’m going to do everything that I can to play the best way possible and get the result.”
Houston (0-2-0) is certainly rested, having not played a league game in two weeks. The team did play the past weekend, a closed-door game against a Canadian side.
“We’ve had plenty of time to work on ourselves and make sure we utilize this week to get better and prepare for a very good team in Austin,” Olsen said “It’s a similar team to last year. Very clear in who they are and how they go about winning games.”
Austin (2-1-0) is looking for its third consecutive win in MLS play as well as its second straight road victory.
After falling to St. Louis City SC 3-2 in its opener, Austin rode Maxi Urruti’s 88th-minute strike to a 1-0 home victory over CF Montreal. Goals from Jon Gallagher and Owen Wolff helped the Verde and Black earn three points last Saturday at Real Salt Lake.
Olsen and the Dynamo have had ample time in prepping for Austin. But sometimes teams have too much time to evaluate an opponent.
“Austin’s a very good team and you can almost overprepare sometimes for a team,” Olsen said. “We think we struck a good balance of working on ourselves, but also making sure we understand who they are in and out of possession and what makes them tick.”
For the third straight game, the Dynamo will face off against one of the league’s premier playmakers in Sebastián Driussi, who is as well-rounded as they come. Against FC Cincinnati in the season opener, Houston dealt with Lucho Acosta, followed by New England’s Carles Gil.
Olsen said this week that he rated Driussi ahead of both.
“The reason I say that is he doesn’t have a lot of weaknesses,” Olsen said. “We talk about check (the) boxes when we look at players.”
Driussi checks a lot of the boxes. He has the ability to excel in one-on-one situations, can make the key pass, as well as score from distance. He is also good in the box and just knows how to play the game. Olsen will try to put structures in place to limit his effectiveness.
“He’s good for the league. He’s exciting,” Olsen said. “Every team circles his name. So of course, like most weapons for other teams, we’ve got to understand how to limit his influence on the game.”
Last season in Houston, Driussi scored to seal a 2-1
win over the Dynamo.
Three weeks into the season, Austin comes into Shell Energy Stadium in fourth place in the Western Conference. Houston is still looking for its first victory.
“It’s important for us to win because that helps the group continue to develop and gain confidence,” Houston midfielder Iván Franco said. “We aren’t getting those results. Despite that, I see that the group is really strong, united, and that is important for us to move forward.”
Houston has played one fewer game than Austin. The Dynamo’s lone goal came in their 2-1 loss at Cincinnati, prior to losing 3-0 at New England. At Cincinnati, Houston scored following a corner. Herrera whipped a ball from a set piece, and Tate Schmitt met the captain’s cross and converted.
Saturday’s match between the two Texas clubs will not count toward the 2023 Copa Tejas standings, given the unequal number of games to be played between Houston, Austin and Dallas on the MLS schedule this season.