HOUSTON DYNAMO vs. SEATTLE SOUNDERS
BBVA Compass Stadium | Houston, Texas
Wednesday, August 24 | Week #25 | MLS Game #254
9 pm ET (MLS LIVE)
A pair of clubs in real need of points if they’re going to haul themselves back into the Western Conference playoff picture meet when the Houston Dynamo play host to Seattle Sounders FC on Wednesday evening at BBVA Compass Stadium. The Dynamo put an end to a six-game winless run with a 2-1 win at the San Jose Earthquakes last Friday, leaving them eight points below the red line at the foot of the conference standings with 10 matches to play. Sounders FC have reeled off three wins in a row, the last a 3-1 win against arch-rivals Portland Timbers on Sunday evening at CenturyLink Field, now sitting just two points below the red line in eighth place in the division.
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- The Dynamo put an end to a six-game winless run on Friday, defeating the San Jose Earthquakes 2-1 at Avaya Stadium. It was the club’s first victory since July 2 and their second in 12 matches after Wade Barrett took over as interim head coach.
- Clint Dempsey scored a pair of goals as Sounders FC won a third consecutive game in league play for the first time this season, recording a 3-1 win against the Portland Timbers on Sunday evening at CenturyLink Field. Dempsey has five goals and one assist over Seattle's three-game winning run.
- The teams are meeting for the second time this season. They drew 1-1 on April 10 in their first contest, with Seattle defender Chad Marshall scoring deep in second half stoppage time to cancel out Giles Barnes' first-half goal at BBVA Compass Stadium.
- The Dynamo have never lost to Sounders FC in Houston. In six meetings all-time there, the Dynamo have won three, with three draws. The Dynamo also won a home game against Seattle in the 2009 MLS Cup Playoffs.
- Sounders FC have never lost to the Dynamo in Seattle. In six league meetings all-time, Sounders FC have won five, with one draw, outscoring Houston 10-2, following their 1-0 win last April 4 at CenturyLink Field. Sounders FC also won a U.S. Open Cup match at home vs. Houston; the teams played a scoreless draw in Seattle in the 2009 MLS Cup Playoffs.
REFEREE: Armando Villarreal. AR1 (bench): Jonathan Johnson; AR2 (opposite): Jeffrey Greeson; 4th: Caleb Mendez
MLS Career: 70 games; FC/gm: 22.8; Y/gm: 2.9; R: 19; pens: 19
SUSPENDED: none
WARNINGS:
SUSPENDED NEXT YELLOW CARD: none
SUSPENDED AFTER TWO YELLOW CARDS: SEA: Osvaldo Alonso, Joevin Jones
DISABLED LIST: none
INTERNATIONAL ABSENCES: none
HEAD-TO-HEAD
ALL-TIME (12 meetings): Dynamo 3 wins, 13 goals … Sounders FC 5 wins, 16 goals … Ties 4
AT HOUSTON (6 meetings): Dynamo 3 wins, 11 goals … Sounders FC 0 wins, 6 goals … Ties 3
FUTURE MATCH: 10/12: Seattle Sounders FC vs. Houston Dynamo, 7:30 p.m. PT
LAST MEETING (MLS):
4/10: HOU 1, SEA 1 (Barnes 35 – Marshall 94+)
• The Dynamo took the lead after 35 minutes, when a Jalil Anibaba pass found Giles Barnes completely unmarked in the center of the area and he casually looped an effort over Stefan Frei in the Seattle goal.
• But Sounders FC hit for the leveler with the last kick of the game, as Oalex Anderson's fizzing cross wasn't cleared and center back Chad Marshall was left with an easy finish deep into stoppage time.
• HOUSTON DYNAMO (4-2-3-1): Joe Willis - Jalil Anibaba, David Horst, Raul Rodriguez, DaMarcus Beasley - Alex, Ricardo Clark - Andrew Wenger (Leonel Miranda 75), Cristian Maidana (Boniek Garcia 67), Giles Barnes (David Rocha 90) - Will Bruin.
• SEATTLE SOUNDERS FC (4-1-2-3): Stefan Frei - Tyrone Mears, Brad Evans, Chad Marshall, Joevin Jones (Dylan Remick 71) - Osvaldo Alonso - Clint Dempsey, Cristian Roldan - Aaron Kovar (Oalex Anderson 63), Jordan Morris (Herculez Gomez 79), Andreas Ivanschitz.
