Universally described as one of the toughest teams to play in Major League Soccer, Houston brings its unparalleled work rate to RFK this weekend. After watching the Dynamo in their last three matches, here are a few things to watch for on Saturday night.
IN ATTACK
As a unit, there is little continuity toHouston's forward movement. TheDynamo rely heavily on dead balls or service from the wings, and when thosesituations arise they can be lethal. Specifically on corner kicks, Houston is extremely consistent in thatthey seemingly always win the fight for near-post positioning. If D.C. can disrupt this trend, theBlack-and-Red will have taken the edge off the Dynamo's most dangerousoffensive weapon.
Brian Ching and Will Bruin seem to bedeveloping a nice understanding up front and when long-ball service comes intowards one Houston striker, the other usually isn't far off. Bruin - who scored a hat trick lastyear against D.C. - is by far the more mobile, and therefore, dangerous ofHouston's forward pair. Based ontheir performance against other target forwards, United's central backs shouldmatch-up favorably against Ching.
With Thursday's report that Brad Davis expectsto be available on Saturday, D.C.'s defense will hone in on the crafty midfielder. The consistency in hisservice is remarkable, and - unlike most playmakers - Davis hardly needs anyspace to create with his dominant left foot. Houston'snext best creative threat may well be Geoff Cameron, and United will benefitgreatly from identifying - and putting a quick end - to his offensive foraysout of the back.
IN DEFENSE
Houston is extremely organized in defense andif an opponent's attack stalls in the least, it is likely a lost cause. Centrally, the aforementioned Cameron teams withBobby Boswell to give the Dynamo one of the most physically imposing central back combinations in the league.
Since Ben Olsen became head coach, D.C. hasproven to be pretty efficient on the counter-attack and that will serve theBlack-and-Red well on Saturday. For all the Dynamo's defensive qualities, their back four is not thefleetest of foot. Given the chanceto go one-on-one, guys like Nick DeLeon and Chris Pontius could have big days operating against Andre Hainault and Jermaine Taylor. Houston's disjointed style leads to lots of turnovers forboth sides, so United's midfielders will do well to turn their intentionsupfield quickly when they do win loose balls.
In net, Tally Hall has been solid. Only the most well played wide servicewill challenge the 6-foot-4 goalkeeper, who has proven to be exceptional withhis positioning. Hall doesn't alwaysmake the spectacular save, but it's usually because the 26-year-old is in theright spot already and isn't forced to.
