HOUSTON – The Texas Derby.
The name alone brings up vivid memories: Ricardo Clark kicking Carlos Ruiz, countless US Open Cup tussles, late dramatic goals and “El Capitan,” the mountain howitzer awarded annually to the winner.
On Saturday, another chapter gets written when the Houston Dynamo try to regain “El Capitan” from FC Dallas, who have have reigned supreme in the cross-state rivalry the last three years.
The kickoff can’t arrive soon enough for the Dynamo and interim head coach Wade Barrett. After Wednesday’s gut-wrenching 1-1 home draw against the Seattle Sounders, in which Houston gave up a goal on the last play of the game, Barrett and his team are laser-focused on FCD.
“I’m ready to fight and scrap,” said Barrett after Wednesday's draw. “I’m ready to play on Saturday.”
Fight and scrap are two words that describe the Texas Derby well.
“There’s motivation from a lot of different standpoints,” said Barrett before the Dynamo's practice on Friday. “Everyone was disappointed with how the [Seattle] game went, but we have the opportunity to go get three points and it’s right there for us. It’s against a big rival. It’s for the cannon to come back, so guys are looking forward to the game.”
Houston are in great shape to recover “El Capitan” for the first time since 2012 thanks to their 5-0 thrashing of Dallas in March. The Dynamo can win the season series – and possession of that cannon – with a win, tie or a loss by four goals or less this weekend.
Saturday’s game will be the first time Houston face Dallas since the departure of FCD's star winger Fabian Castillo. The Colombian had recently added his name to the folklore of this rivalry when his injury-time strike in their July 20 US Open Cup quarterfinal bout knocked the Dynamo out of the tournament.
Against the Sounders, Barrett fielded a five-midfielder setup utilizing Ricardo Clark, Alex and Collen Warner to shut down Nicolas Lodeiro and the rest of the Seattle attack.
How will Barrett contest with the problems Dallas presents? Barrett was cagey, but admitted that the Dynamo, who have scored just six times in their last nine league games, will have to open up the throttles.
“We’ll look at Dallas and see what lineup we need to put out to make sure that we’re secure, but also that we have chances on goal,” said Barrett. “Because this is a game we have to come out. We have to create, and we need to score goals to win the game.”
