WASHINGTON ā Their 2010 record does not match their reputation, but D.C. United interim coach Ben Olsen still expects a vintage Houston Dynamo performance when the Western Conference underachievers visit RFK Stadium on Saturday night.
Perennial playoff participants, Houston have slumped badly down the stretch this season and now sit just five points ahead of United in the overall league standings. Wednesday nightās 4-3 loss in Kansas City might have marked a low point for Dominic Kinnearās side as they fumbled away a 3-1 halftime lead with a lamentable second-half display.
But Olsen isnāt reading much into that result as he continues to focus on addressing his own teamās shortcomings.
āHouston, in a lot of ways, has had similar results and experiences as weāve had this year,ā said Olsen on Friday. āI think both teams are hungry for a win. I know theyāve had two very difficult losses and weāve had several as of late, too.
āHouston always comes with a big physical presence. They always have. But weāve pleased to be back at home and weāre always trying to finish this season on a positive note.ā
The battle in the center of the park will be telling.
Carrying a sports hernia that will require surgery at the end of the campaign, DC defensive midfielder Clyde Simms will be in uniform on Saturday but probably wonāt start, making it likely that Stephen King and Kurt Morsink will man the central roles again unless playmaker Branko Boskevic is brought back into the first 11.
Carlos Varela is in contention for a more prominent role after making his United debut against the Galaxy last week, and fellow newcomer Junior Carreiro will also be hoping to see his first MLS action. Olsen praised both as offensive options with game-changing potential.
"Varela just got a little bit of a look last game and I liked it," he said of the Spaniard. "Even though it was a couple minutes, you could tell that heās a guy who has played at a very high level and been in some big games. So I have no problems with him stepping in.ā