Familiar foes meet as race intensifies

Come Saturday night, almost a third of Houston’s 2020 matches will have been played against Sporting Kansas City.

What could be their final meeting this year might be the most pivotal, as Houston (3-4-7, 16 points) looks to break above the playoff line against Kansas City (6-5-2, 20 points) at BBVA Stadium on Saturday.

“Yes, we have played them three times, but if you ask around the league about a team you really don’t want to play four times in a season, Kansas City would probably be at the top of the list,” defender Zarek Valentin said.

Aftera4-0loss in March— Tab Ramos’ first as Dynamo coach — Houston rebounded to win the next two by a 7-3 margin. Forward Mauro Manotas’ 85th minute goal punctuated a second half comeback in their most recent match Sept. 5.

Ramos’ approach won’t differ from past meetings. But as he sees it, both teams enter this game with more urgency in the thick of a tight Western Conference race.

After Saturday, Houston will play eight more regular season games — ending against the Colorado Rapids on Nov. 8.

“I think for the first time they are coming to play us really needing a win, because they are coming off a couple of losses,” he said of third-place Kansas City.

“In this case, we just have to worry about our situation. Right now, we are two points out of the playoffs. With a win on Saturday it could put us in a good spot. We have three of the next four games at home, and if we are able to take care of the teams at home, we are going to be in a good spot for a playoff position.”

Houston is ninth with 16 points, just behind Los Angeles FC and Real Salt Lake, which currently occupy the final two Western Conference playoff spots with 18 points.

Saturday’s opportunity could be even more valuable since three of Houston’s next five opponents are Eastern Conference teams— although its remaining Western Conference foes all sit above the playoff line and within four points.

After scoring 14 goals through a six-game late summer stretch, Houston has been outscored 5-1 in its previous two matches — highlighted by a 4-0 drubbing at Chicago. Its last win came against Kansas City in their previous meeting.

The Dynamo will try to get back on track without now-departed forward Alberth Elis, who was arguably their most intimidating threat.

But the team announced that it signed homegrown midfielder Memo Rodriguez to an extension — which runs through the 2022 season with club options for 2023 and 2024 — on Thursday, amove that signaled its readiness to take the next step with its current talent.

“I’m very excited about this. Memo and I had a conversation at the beginning of the year to talk about some of the expectations we had for that position, where I wanted him to play,” Ramos said. “We knowwhat he can do on the attacking side. He has made some great improvements on the defensive side of the ball. He has shown that he is going to be one of the elite players in the league.

“I really expect from Memo, over the next year, year and ahalf to become an international player. I think he has that type of quality.”