The Houston Dynamo return to BBVA Stadium on Wednesday and look to earn back-to-back victories for the first time under head coach Tab Ramos.
Ramos earned his first victory with the club last Tuesday in a 5-2 triumph on the road against Sporting Kansas City. Houston enter Wednesday’s game with a three-game unbeaten run that began against the Los Angeles Galaxy on July 23 in the MLS is Back Tournament with a 1-1 draw.
Darwin Quintero finished with two goals and two assists against Kansas City and the Colombian forward has now scored a goal in two of Houston’s last three matches. This will be the first outing for Quintero against his former team after joining the Dynamo this offseason via a trade with the Loons. Christian Ramirez enters Wednesday’s game after scoring his first goal of the season and starting in back-to-back games. The 29-year-old forward also spent time with the Loons and scored against his former team in the last meeting between both clubs, a 2-0 victory for the Dynamo at BBVA Stadium on Sept. 11, 2019.
Minnesota enter Wednesday’s game with back-to-back losses after they fell to FC Dallas 3-1 in Frisco on Saturday. The Loons reached the semifinals of the MLS is Back Tournament this summer and gave Kansas City their only loss of the regular season prior to Tuesday’s game with the Dynamo. Kevin Molino, Jan Gregus and Ethan Finlay have led the offense for Minnesota and have contributed to seven of 13 goals Minnesota has scored this year. The Loons are currently tied for second place in the Western Conference with 11 points and will need three points to keep pace with Kansas City, Seattle and Portland.
The Dynamo will remain in Houston and host Sporting Kansas City on Sept. 5 at BBVA Stadium.
WHO: Houston Dynamo vs. Minnesota United FC
WHEN: Wednesday, Sept. 2 – 7:00 p.m. CDT
TV: QuestTexas Ch. 55 (Glenn Davis, Eddie Robinson and Cindy Burbano)
RADIO: TUDN Radio Houston 1010 AM (Daniel Mejia and Lester Gretsch)
Here are three key points ahead of Wednesday’s game:
FINAL RUN AT BBVA STADIUM: The Dynamo will host two matches at BBVA Stadium this week prior to finishing Phase 1 of MLS’ return to play schedule on the road in Colorado and North Texas. The Dynamo have earned two draws at home this season and going back to 2019, the Dynamo are unbeaten in their last six games at BBVA Stadium. Houston have outscored their opponents 11-6 in that stretch with a record of 3-0-3. Houston’s Phase 2 schedule will be announced in the near future as the league aims to play 12 games prior to the Audi MLS Cup Playoffs.
NEW OPTIONS GOING FORWARD: Dynamo FW Ariel Lassiter and MF Wilfried Zahibo will be eligible to play on Wednesday after completing a 10-day quarantine. The duo joined the club for their first training session on Friday, Aug. 28 at Houston Sports Park. Lassiter joined the club on loan from Liga Deportiva Alajuelense in Costa Rica. The forward scored 21 goals in his tenure Alajuelense and reached the league final in three consecutive tournaments. Zahibo represented New England in the 2018 MLS All-Star Game in Atlanta, where he faced Juventus.
LOONS ON THE ROPES: Minnesota enter Wednesday’s game with two consecutive losses since returning to action from the MLS is Back Tournament. An own goal cost the Loons a share of the points in their first Phase 1 match at home against Kansas City. Minnesota faced FC Dallas on Saturday and could not recover from two goals in the first 15 minutes of the game. The Loons will look to bounce back and find the form that took them to the semifinals of the MLS is Back Tournament this summer. Minnesota defeated two of the tournament favorites in the knockout rounds, first in a penalty kick shootout with the Columbus Crew. The Loons left not doubt in the following game as they eliminated the San Jose Earthquakes 4-1.
