Preview: Houston Dynamo vs. Vancouver Whitecaps – prediction, staff information, lineups

On Wednesday, a pair of sides within the combine for an MLS residence playoff recreation will meet for the ultimate time within the 2023 common season because the Houston Dynamo entertain the Vancouver Whitecaps at Shell Power Stadium.

The Dynamo have been minutes away from defeating St Louis Metropolis this previous weekend however finally needed to accept a 1-1 draw, enabling the Caps to maneuver a degree above them for fourth within the Western Convention, with Vancouver coming again to defeat Toronto 2-1.

Match preview

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After a near-perfect month of August for Orange Crush, wherein they gained all three of their home encounters with out conceding, Ben Olsen‘s males have slipped up a bit of in September.

Final Saturday was the primary time this season that the Dynamo had failed to say three factors at residence in an MLS encounter when main within the second half.

Though defeating the highest staff within the Western Convention final weekend would have given the Dynamo a psychological enhance, Houston have skilled many extra highs than lows so far of the marketing campaign, when in comparison with a few of their woeful seasons within the current previous.

With 40 factors after 28 league fixtures in 2023, the Dynamo have already equalled or crushed their totals from every of their earlier 5 regular-season campaigns, and with six matches remaining, they’ve an opportunity to set a brand new membership document for factors in a single season, with their finest MLS mark being 53, set in 2012.

Extra importantly, although, they’re well-positioned to make the postseason for the primary time since 2017, at the moment 5 factors above that line within the West, whereas they’ve gained extra video games domestically this 12 months (11) than in any of their earlier three campaigns and are on monitor for his or her first successful season since 2017.

The Dynamo are unbeaten in six successive home affairs, their longest MLS run with no defeat since 2020 (six), whereas they’ve claimed most factors in 9 residence fixtures, one fewer than what they wound up with in 2019.

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In Vancouver, the nice instances stored rolling final Saturday because the Whitecaps picked up one other three factors away from residence.

With 16 factors of their final seven home fixtures, the Caps are tied with Orlando Metropolis as probably the most in-form facet in league play since Might 31 and are only a level behind Los Angeles FC for second within the Western Convention.

Their victory over Toronto was the fourth for Vanni Sartini‘s males away from residence over this home marketing campaign, which is as many as Vancouver have been in a position to gather of their earlier two common seasons mixed.

These days, the Caps have earned their factors the arduous method, confronted with a second-half deficit in back-to-back contests however discovering a approach to declare a consequence, with seven factors gathered within the 2023 common season when trailing within the remaining 45 minutes.

They’re solely a dozen factors away from equalling their MLS single-season document from 2015 (53), are six factors above the playoff line in the meanwhile and have scored the second-most objectives of their convention (45).

Vancouver haven’t gained a match performed in Houston since 2018 (2-1), although they’ve emerged victorious from an encounter performed in Texas in every of their earlier two campaigns, whereas additionally successful the final two common season fixtures wherein they confronted the Dynamo.

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Houston will likely be with out two key gamers for this midweek encounter as Adalberto Carrasquilla and Franco Escobar will each be unavailable as a result of yellow card accumulation, whereas Tate Schmitt and Ifunanyachi Achara missed their earlier encounter due to knee accidents.

Corey Baird notched his third objective in his final three video games on Saturday, whereas Steve Clark was only a few minutes away from choosing up a sixth successive home clear sheet earlier than Klauss equalised for St Louis Metropolis in minute 87, although the Dynamo shot-stopper remains to be tied for the league lead in that class alongside Stefan Frei and Jonathan Sirois (11).

Baird has a objective involvement in two of his final three encounters versus the Caps, as he and Amine Bassi discovered the again of the online once they have been crushed handily by Vancouver earlier this season (6-2).

On Saturday, the Caps have been lacking Sam Adekugbe due to proper patella tendinitis, Thomas Hasal stays sidelined with patellar tendinopathy, Luis Martins remains to be recovering from a left calf pressure and Junior Hoilett was on the bench and isn’t anticipated to make his debut till the tip of the month.

Tristan Blackmon notched his second objective of the common season final weekend and his first since March 18, Ryan Gauld picked up his 18th objective involvement in MLS since Might 31, greater than any participant within the league over that span, as he arrange Brian White for his eleventh of the marketing campaign, placing the American simply three behind Hany Mukhtar, Giorgos Giakoumakis and Denis Bouanga within the Golden Boot race.

Gauld and White had a objective and an help every of their assembly in opposition to the Dynamo earlier this 12 months on an evening when former midfielder Julian Gressel picked up a brace, whereas Pedro Vite and Sebastian Berhalter additionally discovered the again of the online.

Houston Dynamo attainable beginning lineup:
Clark; Dorsey, Sviatchenko, Micael, Smith; Herrera, Artur; Caicedo, Bassi, Quinones; Baird

Vancouver Whitecaps attainable beginning lineup:
Takaoka; Laborda, Veselinovic, Blackmon; Cubas; Brown, Berhalter, Schopf, Vite; Gauld, White

We are saying: Houston Dynamo 2-1 Vancouver Whitecaps

That lopsided defeat that Orange Crush suffered versus the Caps earlier this 12 months looks as if the right motivation for them heading into this encounter, and if you put that along with their strong kind and stingy backline at Shell Power Stadium, it feels as if it may be an excessive amount of for even a resilient Vancouver facet to beat.

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