Players focused on starting well
On a media video conference Wednesday afternoon, Dynamo defender Zarek Valentin fielded questions about MLS predictions placing the club at the bottom of the league and which player hung up those predictions in the locker room for motivation.
“Let’s just say I don’t know who did that,” Valentin said before pulling down his mask and winking with his left eye in an exaggerated manner.
Then he put his mask back in place, got serious and added: Yes, the Dynamo know they have something to prove.
“Listen, myself, a lot of my teammates, understand that last year wasn’t our best year,” Valentin said. “Let’s just call what it is right, we finished last in the West. Can’t argue that. We think that there were a lot of great moments, but ultimately, we didn’t get the job done. There is a lot of motivation this year, and I don’t think there’s a lot of belief in the MLS world about the Houston Dynamo. There’s not much going on here.”
Coming off a win in its opener, Houston (1-0-0, 3 points) can gain some league-wide respect with another victory when it takes on the Portland Timbers at 9:30 p.m. Saturday night at Providence Park.
The Timbers (0-1-0, 0 points) won the MLS is Back Tournament last year and won Western Conference titles in 2015 and 2018. In 2015, they won the MLS Cup. Four days after Saturday’s league game against the Dynamo, Portland will face Liga MX’s Club America in the first leg of a CONCACAF Champions League quarterfinal series.
That game being on the schedule could complicate matters for Portland as coach Gio Savarese tries to balance two competitions.
The Dynamo could be boosted by the return of center back Maynor Figueroa to training. The veteran missed time because of COVID-19 protocols but got back to practice Monday. Fellow center back Alejandro Fuenmayor has another week of training under his belt and will be available too. Midfielder Boniek Garcia filled in last week and again will be an option.
No matter which player gets the starting nod, he will join his teammates in playing with a chip on his shoulder. While they understand the predictions that placed them at the bottom of the league, they know they have the power to make sure they aren’t there in the real standings.
“Players see (the predictions), but for me, it was the idea that I want them to see it every day,” Valentin said. “When we come to work here in Houston, we come to work. I want the players to see just what a lot of people think about the Houston Dynamo, and that’s OK.”