THE BASICS
Houston Dynamo vs. Toronto FC
Saturday, August 25, 7:30 p.m. CT
BBVA Compass Stadium
All-time series: Houston leads 4-3-5
BROADCAST INFORMATION
FOX Sports Houston - 7:30 p.m. (Click here to view channel guide)
MultiMedios Houston - 7 p.m.
SportsTalk 790 - 7 p.m.
La Ranchera 850 - 7 p.m.
PREVIEW
The Houston Dynamo will look to keep their unbeaten home record alive when they play host to Toronto FC on Saturday evening at BBVA Compass Stadium. The Dynamo made it late, but came back for a 2-2 draw with Columbus at home last weekend, a result that left them tied for third in the Eastern Conference. Toronto FC are on a five-game winless run and sit in 10th place in the East, after starting their road trip with a 2-1 loss in Columbus at midweek.
REFEREE
Paul Ward. AR1 (bench): Chris Strickland; AR2 (opposite): Mark Cahen; 4th: Leszek Stalmach
MLS Career: 38 games; FC/gm: 23.2; Y/gm: 3.6; R: 11; pens: 7
INJURY REPORT PRESENTED BY THE METHODIST HOSPITAL SYSTEM (As of Tuesday, August 21)
HOUSTON DYNAMO – OUT: DF Alex Dixon (heat illness); QUESTIONABLE: MF Ricardo Clark (L ankle sprain) ...
TORONTO FC -- OUT: GK Stefan Frei (L lower leg); FW Danny Koevermans (L knee ACL tear); DF Ty Harden (lower abdominal strain); DF Matt Stinson (R quadriceps strain); DF Doneil Henry (L knee tendinosis); MF Reggie Lambe (R knee MCL sprain); PROBABLE: DF Jeremy Hall (L ankle sprain)
HEAD-TO-HEAD
- ALL-TIME (12 meetings): Dynamo 4 wins, 18 goals … Toronto FC 3 wins, 12 goals … Ties 5
- AT HOUSTON (6 meetings): Dynamo 3 wins, 12 goals … Toronto FC 1 wins, 6 goals … Ties 2
2012 (MLS)
- 6/20: HOU 3, TOR 3 (Boswell 20; Bruin 73, 90 – Hall 13; Koevermans 22, 45)
- 7/28: TOR 0, HOU 2 (Carr 45; Ching 86)
- The teams are meeting for the third time this season. They played to a wild 3-3 draw June 20 in Houston, as a late pair of goals from Will Bruin canceled out a first-half brace from TFC’s Danny Koevermans, then goals from Calen Carr and Brian Ching led the Dynamo to a 2-0 win, July 28 at BMO Field.
- That was the Dynamo's first win ever at BMO Field. TFC had taken two victories and three draws in the first five meetings all-time in Ontario.
- Houston’s 2-0 victory in the final meeting between at Robertson Stadium, last July 9, was the Dynamo’s first vs. TFC since 2009. Toronto FC had won two in a row vs. Houston after two draws.
- Coaches record: Dominic Kinnear vs. TOR: P12 W4 L3 D5 … Paul Mariner vs. HOU: P2 W0 L1 D1
LAST MEETING (MLS)
- The Dynamo struck just seconds before halftime. Brad Davis looped in a lovely corner to the near post and Bobby Boswell flicked it on to the back post, where an unmarked Calen Carr headed the ball into the bottom right corner.
- The visitors doubled the margin with a late goal. Another Davis run down the left side cleared space in the middle, and he angled his cross back to an oncoming Brian Ching, who made no mistake and slotted home from the heart of the box.
- TORONTO FC (4-4-2): Milos Kocic - Doneil Henry (Jeremy Hall 83), Logan Emory (Aaron Maund 83), Richard Eckersley, Ashtone Morgan - Reggie Lambe, Torsten Frings, Terry Dunfield, Luis Silva - Quincy Amarikwa (Andrew Wiedeman 62), Ryan Johnson.
- HOUSTON DYNAMO (4-3-3): Tally Hall - Warren Creavalle, Andre Hainault, Bobby Boswell, Corey Ashe (Kofi Sarkodie 78) - Boniek Garcia, Adam Moffat, Brad Davis - Calen Carr (Je-Vaughn Watson 83), Brian Ching, Macoumba Kandji (Luiz Camargo 74).
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