THE BASICS
Houston Dynamo vs. Portland Timbers
Saturday, April 6, 9:30 p.m. CT
JELD-WEN Field, Portland, OR
BROADCAST INFORMATION
CSN Houston - 9:30 p.m.
Yahoo! 1560 AM - 9 p.m.
La Ranchera 850 - 9 p.m.
MLS Stream of the Week (non mobile users) - 9:30 p.m.
PREVIEW
The Houston Dynamo (3‐1‐0; 9 points) travel to the Pacific Northwest to face the Portland Timbers (0‐1‐3; 3 points) at JELD‐ WEN Field on Saturday night. Houston earned a 2‐0 win over the San Jose Earthquakes on Saturday through goals from Will Bruin and Giles Barnes. The Timbers erased a 2‐0 halftime deficit behind two goals from Will Johnson for a 2‐2 draw at Colorado. Saturday marks Houston’s second trip to Portland since the Timbers joined MLS in 2011 and the only meeting between the clubs this season.
REFEREES
REF: Ricardo Salazar. SAR (bench): Ian Anderson; JAR (opposite): Mike Kampmeinert; 4th: Alejandro Mariscal MLS Career: 162 games; FC/gm: 26.9; Y/gm: 3.5; R: 47; pens: 58
INJURY REPORT, PRESENTED BY THE METHODIST HOSPITAL SYSTEM
HOUSTON DYNAMO -- OUT: Calen Carr – Left knee; Will Bruin - Left hamstring strain
HEAD-TO-HEAD
- ALL-TIME (3 meetings): Timbers 0 wins, 1 goal ... Dynamo 2 wins, 4 goals ... Ties 1
- AT PORTLAND (1 meeting): Timbers 0 wins, 0 goals ... Dynamo 1 win, 2 goals ... Ties 0
- LAST YEAR (MLS): 5/15: HOU 0, POR 0
- This is the only league meeting between the teams this season.
- The Timbers have yet to defeat the Dynamo since coming into MLS. A year ago, the teams played to a scoreless draw at BBVA Compass Stadium; Houston won both meeting in Portland’s inaugural MLS season of 2011.
- Coaches record: Dominic Kinnear vs. POR: P3 W2 L0 D1... Caleb Porter vs. HOU: first game
HOUSTON DYNAMO
The Houston Dynamo tied the MLS record for the longest home undefeated streak, getting two first-half goals for a 2-0 win against the San Jose Earthquakes on Saturday evening at BBVA Compass Stadium. The Dynamo are in second place in the Eastern Conference with 9 points from 4 matches.
LAST MATCH
- The Dynamo controlled the match from the outset and took the lead in the 21st minute. Boniek García nutmegged a defender on the right and sent in a low pass, where Will Bruin took no time in slotting home a professional finish.
- The home side doubled the lead just before the first half ended. Freed on the left flank, Brad Davis lifted a teasing cross that drew San Jose goalkeeper Jon Busch off his line, only to be beaten by a streaking Giles Barnes, who thumped home a header from the heart of the area.
- Dynamo head coach Dominic Kinnear made three changes to the team that recorded a 2-1 win against Vancouver Whitecaps FC. Jermaine Taylor, Boniek Garcia and Brad Davis all returned from international duty, in place of Eric Brunner, Warren Creavalle and Andrew Driver.
- HOUSTON DYNAMO (4-1-3-2): Tally Hall - Kofi Sarkodie, Jermaine Taylor, Bobby Boswell, Corey Ashe - Adam Moffat - Boniek Garcia, Ricardo Clark, Brad Davis (Andrew Driver 77) - Giles Barnes (Brian Ching 70), Will Bruin (Cam Weaver 83).
TEAM NEWS
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With the victory, the Dynamo extended their home undefeated streak to 34 games over all competitions,
matching the MLS record set by Real Salt Lake. -
“You don’t get anything for it,” Dynamo head coach Dominic Kinnear said. “You don’t get a T-shirt or a hat or a
ring for it. You get a lot of points and get asked a lot of questions and a lot of satisfaction on a week-to-week basis, but in the end it goes down in a statistical record book. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a wonderful accomplishment and I’m glad I’m part of the group that’s done it, but there is still a lot of stuff to be thought about as well.” - According to the Elias Sports Bureau, in North American professional sports, the 1995-96 NBA Chicago Bulls hold the record with 44 undefeated games at home between March 30, 1995 and April 4, 1996.
- The Dynamo also have the third-longest unbeaten run in league games to open a new facility at 20 games, behind the NBA’s Washington Capitols (27, at Uline Arena) and the WNBA’s LA Sparks (22, Staples Center).
- Said goalkeeper Tally Hall: “We’re obviously aware of it, but the streak is not something we’re trying to add to. It’s always, ‘Let’s just get to No. 1.’ It’s always about the game we’re playing that day. When we started the streak we took the same attitude that day that we did today when we came in.”
- For the first time this season, the Dynamo scored a goal in the first half – both vs. San Jose coming in the opening 45 minutes. Each of the Dynamo’s seven goals in their first five games in all competitions came after the interval, with five coming in the 79th minute or later.
- “I think it puts [the opponents] under pressure and it rewards the guys for their hard work,” Kinnear said. “I think every game we step on the field, home or away, I’d like to see the guys impose their will on the other team. It gives you confidence, a boost of energy, when you get the first goal. Then the second goal right before half time was a really good one for us.”
- Brad Davis, who was tied for fifth in assists in MLS in 2012 with 12, recorded his first league assist of the new season, setting up the Dynamo’s second goal.
- “Everyone knows what an ability Brad has in his left foot,” Barnes said. “We just locked eyes and looked at each other. He knew where I wanted it and I just tried to get on the end of it.
- Giles Barnes took over the club’s goals lead with his second of the season and his second in as many matches, while strike partner Will Bruin netted his first goal of the season to send the Dynamo on their way in the first half.
- “I think it looks pretty good,” Kinnear said of the pairing. “I think there were a couple times in the [San Jose] game where they seemed to be looking for each other, and that comes from playing together more than just throwing them out there for just a game or two.”
