After starting the 2010 season with a tie against FC Dallas, the Houston Dynamo have been consistently inconsistent. They alternated between wins and losses for their next six games. The good news for the Dynamo is that after playing poorly and losing their last match against FC Dallas, the team is due for a victory.
“I guess we're due for a good game if we continue on this rollercoaster ride,” joked Dynamo goalkeeper Pat Onstad. “I think we’re still getting over [the] disappointment of [losing to Dallas]. It’s still a game we felt let slip away from us. Most importantly against Chivas, [we need to make] sure we have a good performance.”
Assuming Onstad starts, the Canadian goalkeeper will become the oldest player in MLS history to play in an MLS match, passing current Toronto FC coach Preki.
The Dynamo will be without defender Eddie Robinson, who suffered a knee injury during Wednesday night’s match against Dallas. However, midfielder Richard Mulrooney got some minutes for the first time since suffering an injury against the Galaxy earlier in the season. As a result, coach Dominic Kinnear has the option of choosing to start Mulrooney at right back and move Andrew Hainault to central defense, or the more likely option of having Ryan Cochrane replace Robinson.
“I’ve been with Ryan since 2004, so it’s not an issue for me at all,” Onstad said. “For Bobby [Boswell] and Ryan it is probably a bigger issue to try to work out their partnership. Outside of the first 30 seconds [against Dallas], I think they looked sharp together.”
In addition to Mulrooney, Dynamo forward Brian Ching should be available as an option up top for the first time since the forward’s injury about a month ago. While it seems unlikely that Ching will start, his return to health gives the Dynamo some much-needed firepower off the bench.
Having that weaponry may be necessary as Houston expects to see a much different Chivas side than the one they beat 3-0 earlier in the season. Chivas is fresh off a dominant 4-0 win over the New England Revolution on Wednesday night.
“It’s going to be a tough game, especially with the way they played us last time,” said midfielder Corey Ashe. “I am sure they are going to want some type of revenge. So we’re going to have to go out there and play some good soccer to try and get a result.”
Dwain Capodice is a contributor to MLSsoccer.com. Questions or Comments can be sent via email to dwaincapodice@gmail.com.
