Montreal Impact vs. Houston Dynamo | MLS Match Preview

MLSsoccer staff

MONTREAL IMPACT vs HOUSTON DYNAMO
STADE SAPUTO, Montreal, Que.
June 29, 2014 (WEEK 17, MLS Game #147)
7:30 pm ET (MLS LIVE; TVA; CSN-Hou)

A pair of clubs looking to reverse recent skids and begin moving up the Eastern Conference table meet when the Montreal Impact and Houston Dynamo clash Sunday evening at Stade Saputo. The clubs met a year ago in the Knockout Round of the MLS Cup Playoffs, but currently sit outside the postseason positions. The Impact returned to league play at midweek with a scoreless draw at Vancouver, while the Dynamo haven't scored in more than six hours in a four-game losing slide, their last league contest a 2-0 home loss to Sporting Kansas City.

REFEREE: Jose Carlos Rivero. AR1 (bench): Richard Gamache; AR2 (opposite): Oscar Mitchell-Carvalho; 4th: Mathieu Bourdeau
MLS Career: 26 games; FC/gm: 27.2; Y/gm: 3.7; R: 8; pens: 14

SUSPENDED: none
WARNINGS:
SUSPENDED NEXT YELLOW CARD: HOU: Jermaine Taylor
SUSPENDED AFTER TWO YELLOW CARDS: MTL: Matteo Ferrari, Karl Ouimette
DISABLED LIST: HOU: Mark Sherrod
INTERNATIONAL ABSENCES: HOU: Brad Davis (USA)

HEAD-TO-HEAD
ALL-TIME (7 meetings): Impact 3 wins, 12 goals ... Dynamo 3 wins, 8 goals ...Ties 1
AT MONTREAL (3 meetings): Impact 3 wins, 11 goals ... Dynamo 0 wins, 2 goals ... Ties 0
FUTURE MATCH: 9/6: Houston Dynamo vs. Montreal Impact, 7:30 p.m. CT

The teams are meeting for the second time this season. Will Bruin scored the game's only goal in the 40th minute to lead the Dynamo to victory March 15 at BBVA Compass Stadium.
The Dynamo have not lost in all five lifetime meetings in all competitions at BBVA Compass Stadium, including the meeting in the Knockout Round of the MLS Cup Playoffs last season.
The Impact have won all three meetings lifetime in Montreal, including a 5-0 win last Aug. 24 at Stade Saputo.
Coaches record: Dominic Kinnear vs. MTL: P7 W3 L3 D1 ... Frank Klopas vs. HOU: P8 W1 L2 D5

LAST MEETING (MLS)

3/15: HOU 1, MTL 0 (Bruin 40)
The game's lone goal came in the 40th minute. From a throw-in, Giles Barnes laid the ball off to Will Bruin, and after settling it, his shot deflected off defender Eric Miller's foot and over goalkeeper Troy Perkins but under the crossbar.
Dynamo goalkeeper Tally Hall made four saves on the night for his second shutout in as many matches.
HOUSTON DYNAMO (4-3-1-2): Tally Hall - Kofi Sarkodie, Jermaine Taylor, David Horst, Corey Ashe - Andrew Driver (Brian Ownby 82), Ricardo Clark, Brad Davis (Servando Carrasco 86) - Boniek Garcia - Giles Barnes (Mark Sherrod 89), Will Bruin.
MONTREAL IMPACT (4-2-3-1): Troy Perkins - Eric Miller, Matteo Ferrari, Hassoun Camara, Jeb Brovsky - Hernan Bernardello (Calum Mallace 85), Patrice Bernier (Blake Smith 72) - Collen Warner (Santiago Gonzalez 86), Felipe Martins, Justin Mapp - Andrew Wenger.

MONTREAL IMPACT
The Montreal Impact remained winless away from home for the season, playing to a scoreless draw with Vancouver Whitecaps FC on Wednesday evening at BC Place. The Impact are in 10th place in the Eastern Conference with 11 points from 13 games.

LAST MATCH

Montreal came close to taking the lead in the 76th minute when Maxim Tissot's looping effort crashed off the bar, and the woodwork came to Whitecaps FC's rescue again in the 83rd minute when Jack McInerney headed a free kick off the right post. Vancouver goalkeeper David Ousted made two saves.
Vancouver also hit the frame when a rebound from a save by Impact 'keeper Troy Perkins' fell to Jordan Harvey, and his shot crashed off the crossbar. Perkins was credited with four saves for the match.
Impact head coach Frank Klopas made three changes to the team that suffered a 4-2 loss to D.C. United at Stade Saputo. Matteo Ferrari came into central defense for Wandrille Lefevre, Gorka Larrea started in midfield in place of Hernan Bernardello, and Maxim Tissot came into a midfield spot for Felipe Martins.
MONTREAL IMPACT (4-2-3-1): Troy Perkins - Hassoun Camara, Heath Pearce, Matteo Ferrari, Karl Ouimette - Gorka Larrea (Wandrille Lefevre 76), Patrice Bernier (Santiago Gonzalez 88) - Issey Nakajima-Farran (Eric Miller 67), Andres Romero, Maxim Tissot - Jack McInerney.

TEAM NEWS

The Impact remain winless away from Stade Saputo this season, now 0-4-3 on the road in league play, the only MLS team without an away victory. The Impact also reached a draw and suffered a loss in two away matches in the Canadian Championship.
The Impact kept a clean sheet for the third time this season, all in the last seven matches. They were shut out at the attacking end for a fifth time.
"I thought we defended very well, everyone was committed to that part of the game. We had some very good chances to get the three points," said Impact head coach Frank Klopas. "They also did, but we found a way to get a point in a very difficult place and we have to continue. It was a good game to rebound after the break."
Maxim Tissot, nominally an outside defender, was given the start wide on the left of midfield for the first time.
"Well, he's good. He's got a lot on him. He can cover a lot of ground. With him, you need games to get more comfortable. I said, ëLook, when you get opportunities like this, you have to take advantage of them,' and I think he played very well," said Klopas. "He got forward and, yes, sometimes he could do better in possession and making decisions, not forcing the ball, but that's going to happen."
Said Tissot: "I've played a bit of left midfield with the academy, so it's not like it's a new position for me. I still have some stuff to work on, of course. I gave some bad balls in the first half, but I tried to correct that in the second half, and I think I did."
With the late introduction of Wandrille Lefevre, who had been in the starting team for the previous five league matches, as well as Eric Miller, also as a substitute, the Impact finished the match with seven listed defenders.
"We put in Wandrille, I know he's played in the back, but I know also that he's played in the middle. I know Eric, with the U-20, with the national team, I've seen him play in the middle. I saw him at the combine, and these are guys that are comfortable with the ball," said Klopas. "They're good sized, they defend well and they were fresh. I would prefer to have some more options attacking-wise, but I did the best with what I had going and the guys did a great job."
Said Patrice Bernier: "One center back who came in was a center midfielder. We have some injuries, but we had some young guys that came in and did the job. They did well, they came out of position, they hustled, that's what we need towards the end ñ it's a long trip, we're playing on turf, and everyone needs to be committed. They came in, did a very good job, and we got a result."
Gorka Larrea made his MLS debut, coming into a deep-lying central midfield position in place of Hernan Bernardello, who was forced off in the second half of the D.C. United match with injury.
Matteo Ferrari returned to the starting lineup for the first time since April 26, coming into central defense.

HOUSTON DYNAMO
The Houston Dynamo suffered their fourth consecutive shutout defeat, falling 2-0 to Sporting Kansas City on June 6 at BBVA Compass Stadium. The Dynamo are in seventh place in the Eastern Conference with 17 points from 16 games.

LAST MATCH

Sporting went a man down in the 21st minute when Toni Dovale was sent off by referee Juan Guzman for an apparent off-the-ball elbow against Dynamo midfielder Alex Lopez.
But the visitors took the lead just before the halftime break. Just minutes after clearing a ball off the line, Dynamo defender Eric Brunner miscontrolled the ball on the edge of his box and it fell to Soony Saad, who coolly stroked a low shot into the far corner.
Sporting doubled their despite the manpower disadvantage in the 70th minute after rookie center back A.J. Cochran was adjudged to have handled in the penalty area and Dom Dwyer converted the spot kick.
Dynamo head coach Dominic Kinnear made two changes to the team that fell 3-0 to the Colorado Rapids at Dick's Sporting Goods Park. A.J. Cochran and Alexander Lopez came into the team, in place of Corey Ashe and Warren Creavalle.
HOUSTON DYNAMO (4-2-3-1): Tyler Deric - Kofi Sarkodie, David Horst (Eric Brunner 9 / Warren Creavalle 57), A.J. Cochran, Jermaine Taylor - Alexander Lopez, Servando Carrasco - Omar Cummings (Jason Johnson 68), Giles Barnes, Andrew Driver - Will Bruin.

TEAM NEWS

The Dynamo were shut out at the attacking end for a fourth consecutive match, the most in club history, having not scored in league play since May 17.
The Dynamo have also now gone 389 minutes without scoring, also a club record, one minute longer than the previous record set June 1-July 6 of last season. The streak is the longest in MLS this season.
The Dynamo were forced into an early substitution as David Horst had to come off with a groin injury with the game just nine minutes old.
"I'm the guy who picks the team, I'm the guy who makes the subs. This game is completely my fault tonight, I take 100 percent of the blame," said Kinnear.
Young Honduran Designated Player Alexander Lopez made his first MLS start, coming into the center of the midfield alongside Servando Carrasco.
Goalkeeper Tyler Deric made his fourth career MLS start. It was the second game regular No. 1 Tally Hall has missed since the end of the 2011 season, missing the season finale in October 2012 when the Dynamo had already secured a playoff berth and Deric started vs. Colorado.
The move was to "just give Tally a break. Tyler's been playing pretty good in practice, wanted to give him a chance and I think we've been giving up a lot of goals, I think Tally's getting kind of beat up; that was the thinking behind it," Kinnear said.
Said Deric: "It was nice being on the field but a really disappointing result. It's been a long wait, I've been working hard for a long time -- but you're in there to get results and this isn't the result that I wanted."
Following the league match, the Dynamo opened their U.S. Open Cup campaign with a 1-0 win against PDL Laredo Heat in their fourth-round tie at BBVA Compass Stadium. Alexander Lopez scored his first competitive goal for the Dynamo in the win.
Here's the Dynamo team: Tyler Deric (ejected 52); Kofi Sarkodie, Jermaine Taylor, AJ Cochran, Warren Creavalle; Alexander Lopez (Brian Ownby 64), Servando Carrasco, Giles Barnes (Jason Johnson 75), Andrew Driver; Will Bruin, Omar Cummings (Tally Hall 53)
But the Dynamo were bounced out of the competition in the fifth round, falling 3-2 in extra time to in-state rival FC Dallas on June 24 at home. Giles Barnes and Omar Cummings had scored for the Dynamo as the match went into extra time tied 2-2, but Tesho Akindele scored the match-winner in the 98th minute.
Here's the Houston side: Tally Hall; Kofi Sarkodie (Eric Brunner 106), Jermaine Taylor, AJ Cochran, Warren Creavalle; Alexander Lopez (Brian Ownby 66), Servando Carrasco, Giles Barnes, Andrew Driver; Will Bruin (Jason Johnson 23), Omar Cummings
The Open Cup matches left the Dynamo with more injury woes, as both Alex Lopez (left hip pointer) and Will Bruin (right hip pointer) were forced off during the match.
"It's been a sadly comical period of time for us with what we're going through," Kinnear said. "It's the second half of the season and our focus is solely on the league. There's no Open Cup, there's no CONCACAF [Champions League] and our schedule's going to be a little more regular which will be nice. It's nice to have that focus and to be able to concentrate on that."