Houston, TX (Sports Network) - The Houston Dynamo last lost a home game in
league play on June 18, 2011, and the club will attempt to extend its unbeaten
streak on home soil to 18 games on Saturday when the Montreal Impact visits
BBVA Compass Stadium.
The Dynamo is one of two teams, along with Red Bull New York, that has
remained unbeaten at home this season, and coach Dominic Kinnear's side has
benefited from a recent home stand to move further up the table in the
Eastern Conference.
Four of Houston's last five games have come at BBVA, and the club has been
able to collect 11 points during that stretch to move to within five points of
the top spot entering the weekend.
And in the Dynamo's last two games, the club has been able to come away with
three points against teams placed above them.
"I think with the three-point rule, if you go on a winning streak, the three
point rule is such a big boost. If you put wins together you can either create
a gap on teams behind you or pick up points on teams in front of you," Kinnear
said. "Yes, we have had red cards in both games but it's against D.C. and
Kansas City and if you don't pick up the win they will jump farther ahead of
you."
One of the biggest reasons for the recent run of success that Houston has
enjoyed is the fact that the club has yielded just one goal in its last four
contests.
Red cards in the past two games have obviously helped, a fact that is not lost
on the Houston players.
"Obviously, the turning point in the last two games has been the red cards.
Who knows what would have happened if it was 11 v. 11. When it's 11 on 10, I
fancy our chance to win every game we play here up a man," said defender Bobby
Boswell.
Montreal has won two of its last three games and has done a much better job
defensively in recent weeks, giving up only four goals in the past three games
after a stretch that saw the Impact let in 13 goals in a five-game span.
The Impact enters Saturday's match trailing Houston by seven points with two
more games played, and head coach Jesse Marsch has watched his side lose 12 of
its first 22 games in MLS.
But Marsch feels his team is continuing to improve in its inaugural campaign
despite what the standings say, and he was proud with how his team responded
to a last-minute defeat against Philadelphia last weekend.
"I think we are moving ourselves along, but overall I think there is a little
disappointment in some of our performances because we feel we are a good
team," said Marsch. "We don't use the 'expansion' word anymore. We try to
emphasize coming together as a group and how to deal with tough moments, and
make adjustments, but the best part that after a crushing defeat last
Saturday, we came back with a good performance."
If Montreal is going to be the first visiting team to win at BBVA, the Impact
will have to be more than good. They will have to replicate their effort from
a 4-2 win over the Dynamo on June 23.
The Sports Network