Match Preview: Houston Dynamo at San Jose Earthquakes

THE BASICS
Houston Dynamo at San Jose Earthquakes
Friday, August 19, 2016, 10:00 p.m. CT
Avaya Stadium, San Jose, California

BROADCAST INFORMATION
UniMás - 10:00 p.m. (CHANNEL LISTINGS | WATCH IN ENGLISH)
650 AM / Radio.com app- 9:30 p.m.
Univision Radio 1010 AM - 9:3}0 p.m.

PREVIEW
A massive match for a pair of clubs trying to pull themselves back above of the red line is ahead on Viernes de Fútbol when the San Jose Earthquakes play host to the Houston Dynamo at Avaya Stadium. Both teams sit outside the top six and the playoff positions in the conference entering the week. The Quakes are just a point back of sixth-place Portland, their undefeated run now at five games after a 2-1 win at Vancouver Whitecaps FC last weekend. The Dynamo sit at the foot of the West table, 10 points behind the Quakes with 11 games to play, their winless run now at six games following a 1-1 home draw with Toronto FC last Sunday evening at BBVA Compass Stadium.

REFEREE: Robert Sibiga. AR1 (bench): Jeremy Hanson; AR2 (opposite): Cameron Blanchard; 4th: Baldomero Toledo
MLS Career: 14 games; FC/gm: 22.3; Y/gm: 3.0; R: 4; pens: 12

INJURY REPORT, PRESENTED BY HOUSTON METHODIST (as of August 16)

HOUSTON DYNAMO—OUT: DaMarcus Beasley – left knee surgery; SUSPENDED: Abdoulie Mansally – red card

SAN JOSE EARTHQUAKES—OUT: Marc Pelosi – left knee; Mark Sherrod – left knee; Bryan Meredith – abdominal strain; Clarence Goodson – back; Fatai Alashe – right hamstring; QUESTIONABLE: Kofi Sarkodie – left ankle

HEAD-TO-HEAD

• ALL-TIME (17 meetings): Earthquakes 7 wins, 22 goals … Dynamo 8 wins, 22 goals … Ties 2
• 2016 (MLS): 5/11: SJ 3, HOU 1 (Quintero 3, 70; Godoy 50 – Clark 43); 7/31: HOU 1, SJ 1 (Alex 47+ -- Wondolowski 59)
• The teams are meeting for the third time this season, the second time in three weeks. On July 31, Houston’s Alex and San Jose’s Chris Wondolowski scored on either side of halftime as the teams reached a 1-1 draw at BBVA Compass Stadium. In the first meeting May 11 at Avaya Stadium, Alberto Quintero scored twice as the Quakes claimed a 3-1 win.
• The draw in the last meeting was the second ever between the teams, the first since Sept. 13, 2008, when the teams played to a 1-1 result at Buck Shaw Stadium in the second meeting ever between the clubs.
• The two teams have shared a pitched rivalry since the Earthquakes returned to the league in 2008, after the Dynamo moved to Houston from San Jose in 2006. The Dynamo have won eight meetings and the Quakes six, with one draw.
• Coaches record: Dominic Kinnear vs. HOU: P5 W2 L2 D1 … Wade Barrett vs. SJ: P1 W0 L0 D1

LAST MEETING

• The Dynamo opened the scoring in first-half stoppage time, Alex picking up a deflected ball before weaving through the 'Quakes defense and curling a shot past David Bingham from just outside the area.
• But the Earthquakes found the leveler just before the hour. As the defense pulled out as the ball went to the right flank, Chris Wondolowski snuck in behind the backline to knock home a Cordell Cato cross first-time to tie the match.
• HOUSTON DYNAMO (4-1-4-1): Joe Willis - Sheanon Williams, David Horst, Jalil Anibaba, Abdoulie Mansally - Collen Warner (Eric Alexander 61) - Boniek Garcia, Ricardo Clark (Andrew Wenger 84), Alex, Cristian Maidana - Will Bruin (Mauro Manotas 72).
• SAN JOSE EARTHQUAKES (4-4-2): David Bingham - Cordell Cato, Marvell Wynne, Victor Bernardez, Jordan Stewart - Alberto Quintero (Shea Salinas 73), Fatai Alashe, Anibal Godoy, Simon Dawkins (Andres Imperiale 87) - Chris Wondolowski, Quincy Amarikwa (Chad Barrett 83).

HOUSTON DYNAMO
The Houston Dynamo saw their winless run extended to six games, reaching a 1-1 draw with Toronto FC on Sunday evening at BBVA Compass Stadium. The Dynamo are in 10th place in the Western Conference with 21 points from 23 games.

LAST GAME

• After the match was delayed by 24 hours because of thunderstorms and the danger of lightning, both clubs scored in the opening quarter of the match.
• Cristián Maidana gave the hosts a 1-0 lead in the eighth minute, smashing home a Mauro Manotas from the right side of the area. But Jozy Altidore hammered home Sebastian Giovinco's corner kick in the 24th minute from the center of the penalty area for the leveler.
• The Dynamo were reduced to 10 men in the closing seconds of the first half, when left back Abdoulie Mansally was issued a straight red for hauling down Sebastian Giovinco just outside the penalty area.
• Dynamo interim head coach Wade Barrett made three changes to the team that fell 1-0 to the Montréal Impact at Stade Saputo. Agus came into central defense for the suspended David Horst, Cristian Maidana started in midfield for Ricardo Clark, and Mauro Manotas came in up top in place of Will Bruin.
• HOUSTON DYNAMO (4-1-4-1): Joe Willis - Sheanon Williams, Jalil Anibaba, Agus, Abdoulie Mansally (ejected 47+) - Collen Warner - Andrew Wenger (Raul Rodriguez 46), Alex, Cristian Maidana (Ricardo Clark 65), Boniek Garcia - Mauro Manotas (Will Bruin 83).

TEAM NEWS

• The Dynamo saw their winless streak stretched to six games since their only victory since Wade Barrett took over as interim head coach, July 2 vs. Philadelphia. It was their fourth draw in that winless stretch.
• “I’m inspired to see effort and energy like that but I do expect it and this group has given that over the last couple months. We continue to be a little disappointed at the end of every game but there are also some positives we can take from every performance. I’m trying to work on the things we need to get better at along with encouraging and riding the stuff that we’re doing pretty well,” said Barrett.
• The Dynamo have not allowed more than a single goal in a game since since June 26 in a 3-2 loss at Portland, with three shutouts in that span, allowing four goals.
• “Our team has been pretty solid defensively at home and it was good to see. It’s always something for us to build on as a team, and yeah, it was another good showing in that,” said midfielder Collen Warner.
• The Dynamo have not scored multiple goals in a game since that June 26 loss at Portland, now with three goals scored over their last seven matches.
• “I know we need to keep picking up points. I know that the guys are craving three points. I know that everybody in the organization is craving three points, but I’m still inspired by the work the guys put in in the second half,” said Barrett.
• Cristian Maidana scored his third goal of the season, his first since the July 2 game-winning free kick against his former club. Maidana was making a third consecutive start in the midfield.
• “I thought we started the game really well – the first 15 minutes were exactly what we had talked about, what we had planned. And we got the goal during that spell. We had had another couple of good runs, so I was really pleased with how the game started. I think we let a couple of things that we had talked about … start to creep into the game, so I thought it got a little bit away from us,: Barrett said.
• Mauro Manotas made his first MLS start, coming into the lone striker role and playing 83 minutes, collecting his first assist in the league. Manotas has made 11 appearances as a substitute in league play; he played the full 90 minutes in each of the Dynamo’s three U.S. Open Cup matches.
• “We had either Andrew [Wenger] or Boniek [Garcia] tucking into that inside space and Mauro running the channels, which made us dangerous. Every single time we did it I thought we looked good. I was asking Mauro to make that run every single time and I thought he did a good job. He created some good looks, assisted on the goal and had some good looks in the second half as well. We know he can cause problems in that position so I was pleased with his effort,” Barrett said.
• Agus made his first start since May 21, coming into central defense and playing the full 90 minutes. Agus replaced David Horst, who was serving a one-match ban following a ruling by the MLS Disciplinary Committee; he partnered Jalil Anibaba, who was making a second consecutive start in central defense.
• “Jalil has been indispensable, he’s done a good job in every position we’ve played him in. He’s had to make changes during the game and he’s been committed to every single thing that we’ve asked of him. I’m really pleased with him and I think he’s in really good form right now. I think he’s made some excellent plays and it gives me a lot of confidence that he’s in the lineup,” Barrett said.