Houston Dynamo FC look to snap a nine-match winless streak however can have to beat the visiting Portland Timbers, historically certainly one of their most troublesome opponents, when the edges square off on Sunday in every squad’s return to MLS play after the Leagues Cup.
The Dynamo (8-10-5, 29 factors) occupy the ninth and remaining Western Conference playoff spot with 9 matches to play however have not gained a match in practically two months since June 21, within the course of going 0-3-3 in MLS motion and 0-1-2 in Leagues Cup. Four of their previous 5 matches have resulted in attracts, together with a 0-0 tie at Colorado Rapids on July 15.
Houston has not performed a match since an Aug. 7 loss to Charlotte FC within the Leagues Cup knockout spherical however has captured seven of its eight MLS wins this season on its residence pitch.
“I think we’re refreshed and ready,” Houston coach Ben Olsen mentioned. “The message is that we’re in crunch time and this is the fun part. As of now we’re in a playoff spot and most of the games down the stretch are against teams in and around the playoff spot.
“So it is about appreciating the second and attempting to transfer up within the desk and get outcomes and simply understanding the significance of each single sport and each single play.”
The Timbers (6-9-8, 26 points) are in 12th in the West and head to Houston after getting bounced out of Leagues Cup play in the Round of 32 with a 1-0 home loss to C.F. Monterrey on Aug. 4. The Timbers earned a 3-2 home victory over Columbus in their last regular-season match on July 15 but has not won back-to-back matches all year.
“I believe we have now proven that we are able to compete very a lot in MLS proper from the get go and take a look at to make the playoff and transfer ahead,” Portland coach Giovanni Savarese said after the loss to C.F. Monterey.
Portland has an eight-match undefeated stretch against the Dynamo, winning five matches and drawing three times with Houston since the start of the 2019 season. That streak ties the Timbers’ longest active unbeaten run against any MLS opponent.
—Field Level Media
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