WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW: HOUSTON DYNAMO

Welcome back to What You Need To Know, a preview for Austin FC fans to check in on their next opponent. 

Before getting too far into this, programming note that I was part of this week’s Topflight pod along with Hernan and fellow blogger JC, where we delved into this match, a recap of last week’s loss away to St Louis, and went over a few of MLS’ rules changes. TOPFLIGHT PODCAST HERE.

This week features another Copa Tejas match for Austin as they venture to Shell Energy Stadium to take on the Houston Dynamo. 

History vs. Austin FC:

Austin FC is 5-3 against Houston all-time, but only 1-3 against them at Shell Energy Stadium, including a 2-1 loss to them last season where the Dynamo came back to win after being a goal down. 

Recent Matches:

Houston is currently third in the West after beating Minnesota United at Allianz Field 2-1 last week. They’ve won four of their last five matches and every match of theirs has been decided by one goal or less. 

Players to Watch:

Hector Herrera

The Mexican star midfielder has been out all season, but is back in training this week and is likely to see the field on Saturday. While Houston has been playing well, they do have room for improvement and part of that is getting Herrera back into their midfield. It’s also his birthday on April 19, so a storybook performance to celebrate could be part of this match.

Adalberto “Coco“ Carrasquilla

For all the (deserved) headlines for Hector Herrera, Carrasquilla is Dynamo’s best and most important player. He’s been forced into a deeper midfield role where he controls the game with his defensive work and ability to get out of tight spaces to get the ball upfield quickly, but the best version of this Dynamo side is when he can be pushed forward to attack. Expect Diego Rubio or Sebastian Driussi to try and mark him when Austin is out of possession in an attempt to stall the Dynamo moving forward. 

Steve Clarke

Due to his time in Portland Clarke is still the goalie Austin has scored the most goals against. He is the organizer and stabilizing piece for a Houston defense that is tied for the league lead in goals allowed so far this season. For a team that is currently last in xG, they have to be solid defensively as the margins are slim for them to succeed. 

Keys to the Match:

New Defense, who dis?

With his 5th yellow card of the season against St Louis CITY, Julio Cascante is set to miss out on this match. Barring a quick return for Leo Vaisenan we will see a new centerback pairing for Austin with Matt Hedges playing next to newly favored Brandon Hines-Ike. A lot of fans have been clamoring to see what Austin’s defense looks like without Cascante involved, and the opportunity is here. Will these two provide the defensive structure needed for Austin and help limit the number of shots on goal against Brad Stuver? Or will we see that the problems can’t be solved by making one substitution? 

Midfield by Committee

The strongest part of the Dynamo lineup is their central midfield. They currently start Lateif Blessing, Artur, and the aforementioned Carrasquilla. With Sebas Ferreira out injured, they’ve used Sebastian Kowalczyk, Armine Bassi, and Aliyu Ibrahim as more reserved strikers. This sets up a deeper line of contention, but Houston uses that to pack the midfield with bodies and still aggressively goes after the ball in those areas as exemplified in their winner against Minnesota last weekend. Artur wins the ball in their attacking half, and makes a quick pass to Bassi, another quick pass to Kowalczyk who beats one defender and scores. This is the kind of quick and effective attack Austin FC can be susceptible to if they aren’t strong in possession playing out of the back. 

The Renaissance of Ben Olsen

Ben Olsen took over DC United as a caretaker manager in August of 2010 and was then appointed full-time manager when the season ended and remained in charge through the 2020 season. At the time of his appointment, he was the youngest manager in MLS history. In his time at DC, he had a record of 131-87-144 (W-T-L) for a 36% winning percentage. His team won the US Open Cup in 2013 while also having a 3-7-24 record in MLS play, one of the worst regular seasons in league history.

When he was hired by Houston before the 2023 season the fanbase (and most of MLS) didn’t think highly of the move, believing a re-tread coach who had been fired years before due to a lack of results was the wrong move. Since his hiring the Dynamo are 18-10-13 in MLS play, finished 4th in the Western Conference last year, made the Western Conference Finals, and won the US Open Cup. When you watch them play you can see a team playing hard and together, moving in unison, and have the belief and confidence to win even when important players are out. Coaching matters and Houston made a great choice, which is why they signed him to an extension this week.

See everyone on Saturday!