FC Dallas wraps up their 8-day, 5,100-mile road trip on Saturday as they head to Houston for their final Texas Derby matchup of the season against the Dynamo. Dallas (13-7-6) is coming off a late 1-0 loss against Real Salt Lake last weekend and a 1-1 CCL draw against Nicaraguan-side Real Esteli FC. Houston (5-10-10) is on the heels of a crushing 1-1 draw against the Seattle Sounders on Wednesday, allowing a 94th minute equalizer to dispel a 1-0 lead.
DERBY DOOZIE
The three versions of the Texas Derby this season have been quite the experiences. In March, Dallas dropped their first road match of the season to their rivals in a lopsided 5-0 defeat. The Dynamo would win only 2 of their next 11 games in league action ahead of Leg Two on June 2. In that one, the lone meeting in Frisco, the teams played 4 minutes of the match in a torrential downpour, before a two-hour rain delay commenced. When the teams returned to the field, they would play to a 1-1 draw in a match that ended near midnight. The teams also met in the 2016 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Quarterfinal round, a match taken in stoppage time by Dallas, 1-0, on a goal from Fabian Castillo – his last before being loaned.
KEY PLAYER FOR HOUSTON
Ricardo Clark – The Dynamo’s minute leader in 2016 has been a major component of Houston’s defensive turnaround under Wade Barrett – averaging 2.2 tackles, 2.3 interceptions and 1.6 clearances per game, while also scoring a second-best 4 goals on the year (2 of which came against FCD).
KEY MATCH-UPS
Maynor Figueroavs.Andrew Wenger – In just his second game with Dallas, Figueroa struggled in the opening meeting with Wenger, who scored a goal and two assists in the match. Since then, Figueroa has become one of FCD’s biggest assets on the back line and leads all players on the team with 1,984 minutes played on the year. Wenger has go on to lead his team in goals in 2016 with 5 of Houston’s 28 tallies.
Maxi Urruti vs. Raul Rodriguez – Another key component of Barrett’s defense-first Dynamo side of late, Rodriguez ranks 4th in MLS interceptions per game and is the anchor of a back line that hasn’t allowed more than one goal in any of their last 11 matches. Urruti has goals in 4 of his last 5 starts and FCD is 9-0-1 in games where he scores or picks up an assist.
PROJECTED LINEUP (4-2-3-1)
Goalkeeper: Joe Willis; Defenders: Jalil Anibaba, Raul Rodriguez, David Horst, Sheanon Williams; Midfielders: Collen Warner, Ricardo Clark; Alex, Cristian Maidana, Boniek Garcia; Forwards: Mauro Manotas.
KEYS TO THREE POINTS
Houston’s outside hope at a playoff berth could be squashed without a win at home this weekend. Dallas is looking to rebound from a road loss in Utah last weekend as they return to league play. Coupled with the already high stakes of a Texas Derby matchup, it's sure to produce a thrilling Leg Three on Saturday. If FCD can replicate their most recent game at BBVA Compass Stadium rather than the first one of the year, they can wrap up their marathon trip with 3 points in tow.
