Changes could be the order of the day for Minnesota United FC, who make their second trip to Texas inside a week as they face the Houston Dynamo on Wednesday night.
Loons coach Adrian Heath was none too pleased with his side's effort in the first half of their 3-1 defeat to FC Dallas on Saturday night. A lightning delay extended halftime to an hour in length, and Heath spent most of it reading his team the riot act before making four of his allotted five substitutes - all in attack - and said "If we could have made seven or eight changes in the first half, I would have done it."
"I don't listen to what they've got to say," he added according to the Minneapolis Star Tribune. "They don't have an opinion. I had enough to look at in the first half. This was not a conversation. I know what wins football games. You win games by competing from the very first whistle. You win games by winning your individual battles. You win games by running around. … If you do not run, you don't fight, you don't tackle, you can't win a game of football. It's impossible."
Hassani Dotson gave Minnesota (3-2-2) a lifeline with a long-range strike just before the hour -- one the Loons almost made full use of -- but Raheem Edwards was unlucky to have his shot in the 58th minute hit the inside of the post and carom away.
Dotson and Edwards have played themselves into consideration for a start, though new signing and midfielder Emanuel Reynoso is expected to be unavailable as he completes his 10-day isolation in accordance with COVID-19 guidelines. Reynoso is the team's third Designated Player after signing from Boca Juniors on Aug. 25, ending a courtship of nearly eight months.
The Dynamo (1-2-4) have been feast or famine offensively, and it was finally feast Aug. 25 when they ran riot in a 5-2 victory at Sporting KC for coach Tab Ramos' first win. Alberth Elis had a goal and an assist in the first half and Darwin Quintero, who assisted on Elis' goal, had a brace of his own four minutes apart in the second half as Houston set a club record for goals in an away match.
"It's easy to be the losing team and win a game every once in a while," Ramos said according to the Dynamo's official Twitter account. "Now you've got to prove that you can win every week."
Eight of Houston's 11 goals in their seven regular-season matches have come in two games. Elis and Quintero each have three goals, with the latter also registering a team-high four assists. This will also be the first time Quintero faces his former team after totaling 21 goals and 21 assists in 58 matches with the Loons the past two seasons.
Another positive for Ramos heading into this contest has been how the Dynamo have maintained their shape defensively at home. Houston has conceded just once while recording draws versus Los Angeles and FC Dallas.
The home team has never lost in this rivalry, which Houston leads 3-2-2. The Dynamo rode first-half goal by Mauro Manotas and Christian Ramirez to a 2-0 victory to salvage a split of the season series last year.