The Houston Dynamo and Colorado Rapids are plenty familiar with each other after playing eight times in the last two seasons, but Houston defender Bobby Boswell is familiar with one of Saturday's opponents for a very different reason.
Boswell was teammates with Christian Gomez at D.C. United from 2005-07, but both players were traded in the offseason, Boswell to Houston for Zach Wells and Gomez to Colorado for a draft pick and a designated player slot.
When they meet on the Robertson Stadium field Saturday, shutting down Gomez will be one of Boswell's major goals as the Dynamo aim for their first win of the season against Colorado, which is tied for first place in the Western Conference with a 3-3 record.
"Christian's a great player. He's one of the best players in the league, in my opinion," Boswell said. "He's great at turning and looking to pick guys out, so we just have to make sure we're aware of where he is at all times. He likes to find holes, and we have to keep an eye on him."
If Colorado employs a 4-4-2 formation for the second straight game, the job of picking up Gomez will often fall to defensive midfielder Ricardo Clark, with Dynamo defenders picking up Rapids forwards Omar Cummings and Tom McManus.
The Houston back line should be bolstered by the return of center back Eddie Robinson, who missed the last three games due to suspension and only recently returned to training due to swelling in his knee. While Generation Adidas player Patrick Ianni has been a more than capable replacement, Robinson is a key component of Houston's defense.
"Eddie's a leader at the back," Boswell said. "He's really aggressive, and he goes and wins everything. It's great to have a veteran guy in there with the experience that he has, so I'm sure if he's able to go, he will."
Defense has not been the problem lately for Houston; the Dynamo have conceded just one goal in 180 minutes since veteran goalkeeper Pat Onstad returned to the lineup April 26. The biggest problems have come at the other end of the field, where Houston has scored in just two of its six games and has only led for 50 minutes out of 900 this season in MLS play.
The Dynamo have played well in terms of possession during their winless start but have failed to capitalize in the penalty area. Instead, Boswell and his teammates have fallen prey to brief defensive lapses, such as allowing Columbus defender Chad Marshall a free header on a corner kick that led to a goal in the 1-0 loss to the Crew April 26.
"It's little things that are hurting us," Boswell said. "The big things, the intangibles, are the ones that we have: the effort and the desire to defend as a team and to work hard. We have that, but it's the little stuff that's hurting us - a little chance that we miss and a little chance that we give up. That's where we've been getting punished. I think the important thing is taking care of the big things, and the little things will take care of themselves."
Boswell and Robinson have partnered together six times in Houston's 10 competitive games, but only three times with Clark on the field, and Boswell said he still wants to improve on his chemistry with the rest of his new team.
"It's going well, but there's still a lot of room for improvement," Boswell said. "The more games that we play, the more I'll get used to the other guys, and those guys will get used to me. But overall, things are going well. It's a hard-working team, and that's good for any player, especially a guy like myself. That's what I pride myself on, and that's what the team prides itself on: hard work."
Boswell's hard work Saturday will include trying to shut down a former teammate and helping his new squad earn its first win of the season.
