The Houston Dynamo are trying to end a lengthy winless drought when they host the Colorado Rapids on Saturday at BBVA Compass Stadium.
In their last fixture, Orange Crush dropped a 2-0 decision to Minnesota United, while the Rapids played to a 0-0 draw with Sporting Kansas City.
Match preview
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Over the past couple of months, the story for the Houston Dynamo can be summed up as good but not nearly good enough.
They have not been severely hurting themselves in most of their matches, but at the same time, this side have not been doing enough to win games.
After seven draws in eight fixtures, Tab Ramos has seen his team falter this month, losing to Austin FC 3-2 and then getting dominated by the Loons last weekend.
If the Dynamo are to make up the five points separating them from a playoff position, they need to start turning these draws into three points.
Five of their next six matches will occur in Houston, where they look to be a lot more comfortable, being one of only three MLS sides who have yet to lose at home this year.
Houston did make some moves during the Secondary Transfer Window to try and give their side a mid-season boost, and time will tell if the new additions can help them turn this year around.
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The Colorado Rapids have proven throughout the year that you do not need a huge budget, nor do you have to spend a ton of money in order to get results.
This team entered the 2021 campaign near the bottom of the league in terms of total payroll, but Robin Fraser has been a master tactician in blossoming many unknown talents on this team.
Currently sitting in fourth place, they have flown under the radar all season, but with two games in hand on the clubs above them in the Western Conference, it is a prime opportunity for them to show that they are contenders rather than pretenders.
Defensively they have to be feeling pretty good about themselves after holding the highest-scoring team in their conference goalless for only the second time this year, while not allowing them a single shot on goal, the first time this season that the Wizards have been shut out in that department.
If you get a scoring opportunity against the Rapids, you had better make it count because it does not happen too often, as the Burgundy Boys have not allowed more than two shots on target over their previous seven games.
Given the fact that they have played fewer matches than every team in the league, the Rapids could conceivably be in first place in the Western Conference by next weekend if they can string together some victories, with three games over the next seven days, beginning this Saturday.
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Team News
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Panama midfielder Adalberto Carrasquilla made his first appearance for the Dynamo last Saturday since joining the team in early August on loan from FC Cartagena, while striker Corey Baird has started in their previous two games in attack after joining the Dynamo before the end of the transfer window.
Teenage Hadebe has quickly become a mainstay in the Orange Crush defence, starting in each of their last five games after the club loaned Jose Bizama to Charlotte Independence in the USL.
Tyler Pasher missed their last game with a right lower-body injury, Ethan Bartlow is questionable with a right knee issue and Nico Lemoine is out with a right groin problem.
The Rapids will not have Younes Namli available because of an undisclosed injury, while striker Mark-Anthony Kaye made his first appearance for the Burgundy Boys last weekend, playing the full 90 minutes just in behind Michael Barrios.
Collen Warner made his 220th career MLS appearance last weekend, Braian Galvan started in his second consecutive match, Jonathan Lewis made his first appearance since his return from the Gold Cup with the United States and his American teammate Sam Vines is off to Belgium, signing with Royal Antwerp.
Houston Dynamo possible starting lineup:
Maric; Junqua, Hadebe, Parker, Lundqvist; Vera, Carrasquilla, Corona; Rodriguez, Urruti, Baird
Colorado Rapids possible starting lineup:
Yarbrough; Rosenberry, Abubakar, Trusty; Beitashour, Price, Lewis, Badji; Rubio, Kaye, Barrios
We say: Houston Dynamo 1-1 Colorado Rapids
The Dynamo rarely create many scoring opportunities throughout a game, but they can usually convert at least one of their shots on target into a goal.
Colorado are one of the most formidable defensive units in the league at the moment, but they do not score as many goals on the road as they do at home.
Top tip
Joel Lefevre
Data Analysis
Our analysis of all available data, including recent performances and player stats up until an hour before kickoff, suggested the most likely outcome of this match was a Houston Dynamo win with a probability of 43.57%. A win for Colorado Rapids had a probability of 30.51% and a draw had a probability of 25.9%.
The most likely scoreline for a Houston Dynamo win was 1-0 with a probability of 10.5%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 2-1 (8.97%) and 2-0 (7.64%). The likeliest Colorado Rapids win was 0-1 (8.47%), while for a drawn scoreline it was 1-1 (12.32%). The actual scoreline of 1-3 was predicted with a 2.8% likelihood.
