Coming off a wild 3-3 draw at BBVA Compass Stadium, the Houston Dynamo will head to Canada for the second time in as many weeks for a matchup with the Montreal Impact. The expansion club has had its rough patches through the early portion of the season, but rebounded well last Saturday with a 4-1 thumping of the Seattle Sounders in the grand opening of the recently renovated Saputo Stadium.
WATCH: Ching discusses upcoming match with Montreal
The Dynamo are no strangers to stadium openings, having recently opened BBVA Compass Stadium in downtown Houston. Brian Ching, a Dynamo original who was a member of the Impact for a brief spell in the preseason, spoke with reporters on Thursday about his time in Montreal. Ching had nothing but praise for the players on the team and the organization as a whole and looks forward to seeing the fans that welcomed him with open arms earlier this year.
On the field, the Impact are a dangerous group, with nine different players having scored goals in 2012. Fortunately for the Dynamo, Bernardo Corradi, who leads the club with four goals scored, will miss Saturday's match after tearing his ACL. Here are a few key players to watch for the home side:
- Andrew Wenger - In January, the Impact made the Duke product the No. 1 overall pick in the MLS SuperDraft. Wenger has responded, scoring three goals in 12 games. The forward-turned defender-turned forward has only played 413 minutes this season but has made the most of his limited time.
- Davy Arnaud - Dynamo fans (and players) are familiar with Arnaud from his time with Sporting Kansas City. Montreal's captain is the heart and soul of the squad, and has tallied two goals and two assists this season.
- Donovan Ricketts - There is no denying that Ricketts is not the same goalkeeper that recorded a 0.89 GAA for the LA Galaxy in 2010. But the 6-foot-4 Jamaican international still has a few tricks up his sleeve and has the ability to get to shots that most goalkeepers cannot reach.
Canadian Hex
Believe it or not, the Dynamo are winless in Canada. Through seven matches, Houston has an 0-4-3 record, which includes five matches against Toronto and two against Vancouver. The Dynamo will be looking to break that winless streak this weekend with their first trip to Quebec to face the Impact.
Chasing Records
With his two-goal performance against Toronto FC, second-year striker Will Bruin now has eight goals on the seasons. The last Dynamo player to score more than eight goals in a season was Brian Ching when he tallied 13 in 2008 (a Dynamo record). If Bruin can reach double-figures in goal scoring, he will become only the third Dynamo player to do so (Ching, Dwayne De Rosario).
Broadcasting Update
Saturday's match will be broadcast on TV in English on FOX Sports Houston and FOX Sports Houston Plus. The Houston Astros have a game on FOX Sports Houston at 3 p.m CT. FOX Sports Houston will switch to the Dynamo match as soon as the Astros' postgame show ends. However, FOX Sports Houston Plus will have the Dynamo match in its entirety. The FOX Sports Houston Plus channels for tomorrow are: (Comcast=110; AT&T U-Verse SD=692 HD=1692; DirecTV SD=678 HD=678-1; Dish SD=443 HD=9581).
