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First Thoughts
Earning a valuable point on the road in a 0-0 draw against Canadian rivals Vancouver Whitecaps mid-week, the Montreal Impact will look to continue its recovery from a lengthy World Cup break when they host Houston Dynamo at Stade Saputo on Sunday.
Frank Klopas side isn’t officially out of playoff contention and will be pushing to work its way out of the bottom of the table in the Eastern Conference, as the Impact don’t have too many opportunities left and dropping further points isn’t an option. They take on a Dynamo squad that have gone through struggles of its own, as was evident in its pre-World Cup run where Dominic Kinnear’s side lost its last four games by a combined score of 10-0.
Keep Thinking
Montreal have made some roster moves over the last few weeks with an eye on giving the team more depth when CONCACAF Champions League rolls around and improving a defensive unit that to this point in the season has given up 26 goals. The Impact have brought in Gambian central defender Futty Danso, Polish left back Krzysztof Krol and Spanish midfielder Gorka Larrea while Jeb Brovsky was dealt to New York City FC and Argentine DP Hernan Bernardello is on his way to Liga MX side Cruz Azul.
It will be interesting to see how Krol and Larrea in particular will factor into the line-up going forward. The Spanish midfielder started alongside Partice Bernier against the Whitecaps and the relationship that they can strike together will be essential if Montreal are to make a final push for the playoffs. As for Krol, the hope will be that he adds balance to the back line and allow others to play in their natural positions.
The Dynamo have been hit fairly hard with World Cup call-ups, most notably losing midfielders Brad Davis and Oscar Boniek Garcia. With Honduras now eliminated from the tournament Houston could get one of its more influential players back in the starting XI. Defensive solidity has been a concern for the Dynamo as well, with Kinnear’s side giving up a league high 29 goals.
A key match-up to watch will be the forward battle between Jack McInerney vs. Will Bruin. Both players are of a similar goal-poaching style and both will give problems to the respective defensive units.
Final Thoughts
Both teams will still be looking to knock off some rust after such a lengthy break and, with the way both teams play, it should be a low scoring match, similar to the first meeting this season at the beginning of the year that ended 1-0 to the Dynamo, with Bruin scoring the lone goal.
Prediction
Montreal Impact 1-0 Houston Dynamo
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