Grudge Match

It's been only 2 weeks since Sporting Kansas City handed Houston their first loss at home on the season.  Since then Houston has actually started a losing streak at home, losing to New England last weekend as well.  So tomorrow at Sporting Park, the Dynamo will be looking for a matter of revenge.  The games between these two teams lately have already been intense and physical, and now Houston comes into the game with the extra chip on their shoulder looking for pay back for KC giving them their first loss at BBVA Compass Stadium and their first loss in almost 2 years at home.

Houston comes into the game though a little thin at centerback.  The Dynamo will be without at least one, and possibly both of their starting centerbacks. Bobby Boswell is serving the first of a two game suspension for a headbutt in last week's loss to New England.  Also in that game, Jermaine Taylor left the game injured in the first half. It's the second game in a row the Jamaican has left a game early due to injury.  With both of them potentially out, Houston's centerbacks could be Eric Brunner and Ricardo Clark when they take the field tomorrow.  The Dynamo will have their 3 US call ups for the game tomorrow, Corey Ashe, Brad Davis, and Tally Hall are all leaving to join the US team after the game tomorrow.

Like the Dynamo's call ups, Sporting KC's two US call ups, Matt Besler and Graham Zusi will depart after tomorrow's game. Sporting will welcome back starters Aurelien Collin and Oriol Rosell, who both missed last week's game in DC due to yellow card accumulation. This will give KC the opportunity to field their best eleven tomorrow for not only the first time in a while, but the last time as well with all the call ups that are hitting Kansas City in the month of June. The most interesting question heading into the game is probably the right back position and who will start there for Kansas City.  Will it be the team's regular, Chance Myers, who has come into his own over the last few seasons, or will it be Mechack Jerome who has filled in very well for KC when he's started.

Nielsen

Myers - Collin - Besler - Sinovic

Nagamura - Rosell

Joseph

Kamara - Bieler - Zusi

Key Match Up - Claudio Bieler vs Houston center backs - As I stated above, Houston will be without at least one, possibly both center back starters. With the lack of a consistent pairing there, this could leave a number of openings in Houston's middle for Bieler to expose.  That could spell a lot of trouble for the Dynamo, especially if KC score early.

Number to Remember - 3 - It's been three games since KC had a goal scored by someone who was not a defender.  In those three games, KC has scored 2 goals, one by Aurelien Collin, the other by Ike Opara.  The last goals scored by a someone other than a defender was in KC's 4-0 win over Chivas. Before that? You have to go back to the beginning of April and KC's 1-0 win over DC.

PREDICTION - Sporting KC tends to have a habit of playing to the level of their competition this year.  This is evident of their wins over Montreal and on the road at New York and Houston, while also being shown in their loss to Toronto and draws with Chicago, New England, and DC. On that hand you'd think KC would be up for a big game against the Dynamo.  But KC has also seemed to struggle when teams come in undermanned.  Without Boswell and Taylor, Houston could be ripe for the pickings, but KC needs to actually make them pay?  Will they?  The only time lately they've shown they could punish a short handed team was against Chivas USA this year.

SKC - 1 (Kamara)
HOU - 1 (Davis)