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Preview: Dynamo vs. Colorado Rapids 7/14

Last Match

The Dynamo are coming off a solid 3-0 victory against MUFC, one that leaves a taste of optimism moving forward. The two biggest takeaways from the match have to be the incredible form Phillipe Senderos is in as well as Elis ending his goal drought. Senderos has been a huge part of the Dynamo defense all season, but recently he’s turned on the offensive output too. The Swiss centre-back has netted 3 goals in the last two games, all coming from corner kicks. And of course, Alberth Elis was finally able to end a goal drought that lasted all of June.

The big man’s on a roll. Two more goals Saturday, four for the season.

Check our scoring leaders and more stats on screen when you watch with @Xfinity X1. #ForeverOrange https://t.co/TdmcfmMw27

— Houston Dynamo FC (@HoustonDynamo) July 11, 2018

The Rapids are returning home after struggling mightily against the Montreal Impact. The final score of the match was 2-1 but that flatters the Rapids in a lot of ways. Montreal was dominant throughout the game, putting up 21 shots on goal compared to Colorado’s 2. That shot total is bad on its own, but the Rapids also failed to win a single corner and only had 37% possession.

The Teams So Far

With their last win, the Dynamo were able to stay in the playoff chase but due to wins from Vancouver, Portland, and Real Salt Lake, they’re still one point out of the playoffs. Meaning with a win over the Rapids this weekend Houston may very well move into playoff position. Meanwhile, after their last loss, the Rapids continue to mire near the bottom of the western conference, 10 points back from the Dynamo.

Things To Look For

This match will prove an interesting challenge for the Dynamo. Houston is definitely walking into this match as the favorites on paper, beating the Rapids in(among other things): goals for, goals against, and goals per game. However, the last time (and only time) that the Dynamo won a game on the road this season was all the way back in May, against the Chicago Fire. So it will be interesting to see if the Dynamo can pull away just their second road win of the season, especially since circumstances just don’t get more favorable than this. Along those same lines, the Rapids tend to play a lot better at home than away so it might prove to be a test what the Rapids can do when at home. The matchup that I’m looking forward to the most is Mauro Monatos vs. Tim Howard. It’s very likely that Monatos will be Houston’s #9 going into the match and he’s already scored against the Rapids once this season. Howard is a talented goalkeeper and should prove to be a challenge to Houston, especially in open play where the Dynamo strikers have struggled to get the ball past opposing goalkeepers.

Projected Houston Starting XI (4-3-3) Willis, Machado, Fuenmayor, Senderos, Beasley, Alexander, Ceren, Martinez, Elis, Manotas, Quioto

Projected Colorado Starting XI (3-4-2-1) Howard, Ford, Sjoberg, Smith, Blomberg, Price, Wilson, Wynne, Mason, Nicholson, Badji