THE BASICS
Houston Dynamo vs. New York Red Bulls
Friday, August 3, 7 p.m. CT
BBVA Compass Stadium, Houston, Texas
All-time series: New York leads 4-2-7
BROADCAST INFORMATION
NBC Sports Network - 7 p.m. (Click here to view channel guide)
La Ranchera 850 - 6:30 p.m.
SportsTalk 790 - 6:30 p.m.
PREVIEW
The Houston Dynamo and New York Red Bulls play the first of their crucial home-and-home series over the next two weeks when they meet Friday night at BBVA Compass Stadium. The Dynamo come in riding a four-game winning streak following a 2-0 win in Toronto last weekend, and still maintain an 18-game home unbeaten streak. The Red Bulls are coming off a 3-1 loss in Montréal to start a run of four road games out of six. The teams are separated by a single point atop the Eastern Conference.
REFEREE
Silviu Petrescu. SAR (bench): Jeff Muschik; JAR (opposite): Brian Poeschel; 4th: Kevin Terry Jr. MLS Career: 50 games; FC/gm: 27.4; Y/gm: 3.7; R: 8; pens: 7
INJURY REPORT PRESENTED BY THE METHODIST HOSPITAL SYSTEM (As of Tuesday, July 24)
HOUSTON DYNAMO -- DOUBTFUL: FW Will Bruin (R calf contusion) ... NEW YORK RED BULLS – OUT: DF Brandon Barklage (R hamstring strain); QUESTIONABLE: DF Heath Pearce (R hamstring strain)
HEAD-TO-HEAD
- ALL-TIME (13 meetings): Dynamo 2 wins, 14 goals ... Red Bulls 4 wins, 15 goals ... Ties 7
- AT HOUSTON (6 meetings): Dynamo 2 wins, 10 goals ... Red Bulls 0 wins, 5 goals ... Ties 4
- FUTURE MATCH: 8/10: New York Red Bulls vs. Houston Dynamo, 8 p.m. ET (NBC SN)
- The teams are meeting for the second time this season, after a Kenny Cooper goal gave the Red Bulls a 1-0 victory May 9 at Red Bull Arena.
- The Dynamo haven’t defeated New York since a 1-0 win May 31, 2008. The Red Bulls have won four of the 10 league and MLS Cup meetings since, with six draws.
- The teams have played to draws in their last three league meetings in Houston. But the Red Bulls closed out their Robertson Stadium history having never a regular-season game there (0-2-4) – though they did win the second leg of their Eastern Conference Semifinal Series in 2008.
- The Dynamo have never won at New York, with four losses and four draws in eight league and MLS Cup meetings all-time.
- Coaches record: Dominic Kinnear vs. NY: P18 W5 L5 D8 ... Hans Backe v HOU: P5 W2 L0 D3
- LAST MEETING (MLS): 5/9: NY 1, HOU 0 (Cooper 7)
- The game's lone goal came after seven minutes. Kenny Cooper raced onto a lazy back pass from Dynamo defender Corey Ashe, and deflected the ball into the back of the net as goalkeeper Tally Hall attempted to clear.
- Red Bulls goalkeeper Ryan Meara was called upon to make three saves on the night in recording a third consecutive shutout.
- NEW YORK RED BULLS (4-1-4-1): Ryan Meara - Brandon Barklage, Tyler Ruthven, Markus Holgersson, Connor Lade - Dax McCarty - Dane Richards, Mehdi Ballouchy (Juan Agudelo 46), Joel Lindpere, Jan Gunnar Solli (Roy Miller 87) - Kenny Cooper (Jhonny Arteaga 91+).
- HOUSTON DYNAMO (4-4-2): Tally Hall - Jermaine Taylor, Geoff Cameron, Bobby Boswell, Corey Ashe - Calen Carr, Adam Moffat, Luiz Camargo (Alex Dixon 56), Brad Davis - Macoumba Kandji (Colin Clark 73), Cam Weaver (Will Bruin 61).
