FC Dallas midfielder Arturo Alvarez has played in five of the Hoops' six matches against Houston, but in only one of those -- the 0-0 draw between the two MLS Western Conference sides on June 30 at Pizza Hut Park -- has he been a starter.
But this Sunday, when FCD travels south to face Dynamo at Robertson Stadium, Alvarez is looking forward to getting his first start against the Orange in his hometown.
"This game against Houston is very important," Alvarez said. "If we win, we will go five points ahead with a game less than them. It will be really important. I also will be playing at home and this will be my first start against Houston there. I'm really pumped up and excited about getting to play in front of my parents, brothers, family and friends."
Sunday's match will be a battle between the top two sides in the West with FCD currently atop the conference table with 36 points, two ahead of Houston. The Hoops are also in search of their first-ever win against Dynamo in Houston. They are 0-3 all-time against the reigning MLS Cup champs, including a 2-1 loss to them there on June 3.
"I don't know (why we haven't won down there)," he said. "Playing here at home is an advantage. They are a good team at home and play well there. But I think that we can change that this weekend."
Currently in his fifth MLS season and with his contract expiring at the end of this season, Alvarez came into this year facing a make-or-break year with the Hoops. He has clearly responded with two goals and three assists and added three tallies in SuperLiga last month.
On Sept. 2, 2006, Alvarez netted a goal against Houston in the 86th minute in a match at Pizza Hut Park. That score held up as the game-winner and was one of three goals he had last year.
FCD heads into Sunday's match a bit depleted in the midfield. Defensive midfielder Marcelo Saragosa is suspended after getting sent off in a 3-2 win over Columbus last Saturday in Frisco. Juan Toja is also out after suffering a high ankle sprain in a Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup quarterfinal last Tuesday, while Ramon Nunez was traded to Chivas USA on Wednesday.
In a bit of good news for the Hoops, Pablo Ricchetti, who left Saturday's match in the 77th minute with an Achilles tendon injury, trained on Wednesday.
"We're going to miss those guys but I think this team has a lot of depth all year," Alvarez said. "Guys who haven't played much in the past have shown that they can step up and get the job done. We have to go in there, play our game, not think about the players that we're missing, go with what we have and try to get a good result."
Alvarez's emergence as a dangerous option for the FCD attack has come at a time when the FCD forward corps is a bit thin. Kenny Cooper suffered a broken right leg on July 9 and was leading the team with four goals when he went down. He should return by the end of this month.
Carlos Ruiz has also been away from the team this year during the CONCACAF Gold Cup and has also battled injuries. Ruiz has just four goals in 15 games this year but has been coming on of late.
"We miss Kenny (Cooper) a lot because he's a good goal scorer," Alvarez said. "I have just been going out there, having fun and playing my game. I've been doing well and scoring goals. I don't feel any pressure. Steve tells me to go out there, play my game and the rest will take care of itself. Our offensive players have been doing a great job. We're getting a lot of chances and as long as we keep taking advantage of those chances, it's good for us."
Steve Hunt is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
