A pair of promising performances at home have the Houston Dynamo feeling good about the revamped squad at the start of 2016, but know it’s all put to the test again as the team goes on its first road trip of the season against the New York Red Bulls this Saturday (6 p.m. CT; ROOT Sports Alt.).
The Dynamo showed flashes of what they wanted the team to be last season at BBVA Compass Stadium, with impressive wins against MLS Cup champions Portland Timbers, Supporters’ Shield winners New York Red Bulls, and Western Conference playoff teams LA Galaxy, Vancouver Whitecaps and Sporting Kansas City. On the road, however, Houston could only manage two wins and 11 points total. That total will need to change if the Dynamo are going to make noise in the playoff race.
“If we can figure it out on the road, we’re definitely a playoff team,” forward Will Bruin told media after practice on Tuesday. “I think we’ve shown what we can do at home, and now it’s time to go and do it on the road.”
New York comes into Saturday’s match on the opposite end of the spectrum from the Dynamo: after an excellent 2015, the start to 2016 has brought two losses and no goals.
“They’re a very dangerous team; they’ve had a rough start to the year, but we’re not thinking about that,” midfielder Andrew Wenger said. “They’re a very good team so we’ll prepare for them properly.”
Houston could be without midfielder Giles Barnes and Cristian Maidana this weekend due to injuries sustained in the Dallas win, which will test another key area that the team sought to improve over the offseason: depth. Last year, losing two cogs in the attack may have derailed the Dynamo, but Bruin is optimistic about the players waiting in the wings.
“The depth is awesome on this team, at every position,” he said. “I think that brings the best out of every player because if you’re not giving your best every day, then there’s someone waiting to get in that eleven. I think that healthy competition is very important for how long the MLS season is.”
Despite how pleased the Dynamo may be through the first fortnight of the season, head coach Owen Coyle knows that there’s plenty of work ahead of the team to prove their merits.
“Nothing is won or lost in two games. We’ve gained points and are up and running but it has to be over 34 games. As I’ve said, we have to be in the playoffs,” Coyle said. “We are not the finished article, we have a long way to go but block by block we will put it together to become a difficult team to play."
