Houston Dynamo vs. Toronto FC | 2018 MLS Match Preview

Dylan Butler

Houston Dynamo vs. Toronto FC
2018 MLS Regular Season - Week 8
BBVA Compass Stadium — Houston
April 21 - 3 pm ET
WATCH: CTV, ESPN+

Looking to hold on to their leads and finish off matches in the right way, the Houston Dynamo return to BBVA Compass Stadium trying to even their home record at 2-2 when they welcome in a Toronto FC squad that promises to be heavily rotated with the defending MLS Cup champions focus squarely on rallying in Guadalajara to capture their first Concacaf Champions League title.

Houston Dynamo

Their winless streak extended to four matches, but the Houston Dynamo (1-2-2) will draw positives from a 2-2 draw with the San Jose Earthquakes that comes on the heels of a 2-0 home loss to the New England Revolution two weeks earlier.

Tomas Martinez put forth a man-of-the-match performance with a 48th-minute goal — his first of the season — and the secondary assist on Mauro Manotas’ go-ahead goal 15 minutes later. Martinez was named to the MLS Team of the Week presented by Audi for Week 7.

Houston was five minutes from their second win of the season, but Jahmir Hyka leveled for the hosts.

Wilmer Cabrera made one change to his starting XI from a loss to the Revolution, bringing on Romell Quioto with Andrew Wenger slotting to left back to replace the suspended DaMarcus Beasley.

Cabrera thought his team played well, but he was left to lament the Dynamo’s inability to close out another game.

“We played a very solid game, but again we have to change the results,” Cabrera said after the game. “We’re doing the job very well and then just one or two attacks from the other team is becoming a goal.”

Suspended: None
Suspended after next caution: None
International duty: None
Injury Report: OUT: D - A.J. DeLaGarza (torn left ACL), M - Juan David Cabezas (left quad), D - Philippe Senderos (right hamstring), D - George Malki (left knee sprain), D - Dylan Remick (concussion)

Projected Starting XI
(4-3–3, right to left)
GK: Chris Seitz — Adolfo Machado, Alejandro Fuenmayor, Leonardo, DaMarcus Beasley— Darwin Ceren, Tomas Martinez, Eric Alexander — Alberth Elis, Mauro Manotas, Andrew Wenger

Notes: Martinez scored a goal and had an assist against San Jose last weekend, making him just the 11th Dynamo player to score and assist in the same game since the start of the 2016 season. … Houston has lost three of their last four home games, conceding two goals in all three losses. They had gone 12W-1L-6D in their previous 19 games at home (inc. playoffs).

Toronto FC

Following a 2-1 loss to Chivas de Guadalajara in the first leg of the CCL final, Toronto FC (1-3-0) have an uphill battle in order to become the first MLS team to win the trophy. TFC wanted to move Saturday’s league match in order to fully focus on Chivas, but when that request was denied, Toronto FC officials said they’d use a reserve-heavy roster in Houston.

That was also the case last Saturday when Toronto FC fell to the Colorado Rapids, 2-0, in Commerce City.

Suspended: None
Suspended after next caution: None
International duty: None
Injury Report: OUT: D - Nick Hagglund (hamstring); DOUBTFUL: M - Victor Vazquez (back spasms)

Projected Starting XI
(4-3-3, right to left)
GK: Clint Irwin — Nicolas Hasler, Jason Hernandez, Eriq Zavaleta, Ryan Telfer — Ager Aketxe, Liam Fraser, Jay Chapman — Tosaint Ricketts, Ben Spencer, Jordan Hamilton

Notes: Since the start of the 2015 season, Jozy Altidore has started 65 games for TFC. They are 32W-18L-15D in those games (1.7 points per game, 1.8 goals per game) and 18W-14L-9D in the 41 games he has not started (1.5 points per game, 1.7 goals per game). … Since a 4-0 win at the StubHub Center on Sept. 16, 2017, Toronto is 3L-1D on the road in league play, having scored just three goals.

All-Time Series

Overall: Houston Dynamo 6 wins, 28 goals … Toronto FC 5 wins, 24 goals … 10 ties
At Houston: Dynamo 3 wins, 16 goals … Toronto FC 1 win, 10 goals … 6 ties
Last meeting at Houston: Houston Dynamo 1, Toronto FC 1 (Aug. 14, 2016)