HOUSTON – BMO Field has been an unforgiving venue for the Houston Dynamo over the years: Houston are 1-3-4 when visiting Toronto FC, scoring just nine goals in those eight games.
On their most recent visit to Toronto in July, the Dynamo looked poised to take a Canadian victory after scoring twice in the first half. They then gave up four unanswered goals to continue their Canadian struggles. With their playoff hopes running thinner by the game, Houston need to find a way to hit the scoresheet and make it stick this time around when they face Toronto on Wednesday night (7:30 pm ET, TSN in Canada, MLS LIVE in US).
“It has to be a combination of patience and a calculated attack,” Dynamo forward Omar Cummings said Tuesday. “You want to attack, but you can’t leave yourself open. It’s going to be a game where you have to manage yourself pretty well and can’t leave anything open.”
Patience may not come easily, considering the club's current place in the standings. After dropping a 1-0 result to the New York Red Bulls last weekend, Houston sit seven points behind the final playoff spot, currently occupied by the Columbus Crew, with Wednesday serving as a game in hand over most Eastern Conference competitors.
With so much on the line, the tactical discipline Cummings alluded to could prove more challenging than usual.
Toronto FC are one of the teams standing between the Dynamo and the final playoff spot, meaning neither Houston nor Toronto will be satisfied with a tie on Wednesday. The Reds have been underachievers in the results column, considering their highly-touted offseason acquisitions, and their closest two rivals for the final playoff spot, Columbus and Philadelphia, go head-to-head down the stretch, meaning at least one team will earn points from each game.
On the Houston side, Wednesday's task became even tougher after two starters, Boniek Garcia and Luis Garrido (Honduras), and regular contributor Jermaine Taylor (Jamaica) were ruled out of the match due to national team call-ups.
“Obviously, for people like me personally, it’s a chance to step up and show our quality,” said Andrew Driver, who could be called upon to replace Garcia as he has in the past. “Being on the bench, you find it hard to get opportunities, and when you get them, you have to take them.”
Having gone 5-3-2 over their last 10 matches while trying to climb up from the bottom rungs of the Eastern Conference ladder, Houston have grown in confidence but have also seen an increase in desperation.
“I think you have to [face] every game as a must-win game,” Cummings said. “It’s tough seeing that if you miss a game, or lose a game, you drop a little bit. I think the intensity in practice’s been great, and the momentum since August has been great.”
Added Driver, “We know nothing but a win in every game is good enough. We to have that mindset that it’s a cup final.”
Darrell Lovell covers the Houston Dynamo for MLSsoccer.com.
