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First Thoughts
Two Western conference sides will put undefeated records on the line at BC Place on Saturday, as the Vancouver Whitecaps face off against the Houston Dynamo.
Even with the Whitecaps having home field advantage at BC Place for this fixture, Saturday’s match presents the stiffest challenge that Carl Robinson’s side have faced yet. After obliterating the New York Red Bulls with style in their home opener, Vancouver has struggled in draws against Chivas USA and the New England Revolution.
On the other side of the equation, Houston come into this one with a 2-0 record following big wins over the Montreal Impact and the Revolution. Dominic Kinnear’s side also had a bye week last weekend, so his troops should be fresh, rested and recovered from any minor fitness issues picked up in the first two fixtures.
Keep Thinking
While there are plenty of juicy match-ups to watch in this one, the most interesting one will probably come down to the one between the two men at the helm of each side, as the Whitecaps rookie Head Coach goes up against one of the more experienced gaffers in the league. Dominic Kinnear is undoubtedly one of the top managers in MLS history and Carl Robinson is going to have his hands full in this chess match against a genuine master.
Overall, looking at the two squads a real dichotomy emerges. In addition to Robinson and Kinnear, it is clear that this match will in many ways be one in which a somewhat inexperienced team with talented youngsters and new faces to Major League Soccer will be pitted against one of the most experienced and balanced sides in the league. Vancouver’s inconsistent performances to date suggest a team that is still building chemistry and figuring out its own identity.
Houston, on the other hand, know exactly who they are. The Dynamo are adefensively solid squad that are fantastic on set pieces and on the counter attack. Kinnear has lead them to the MLS Cup final for two of the last three years and they have the players to give Vancouver a real run for their money in the midfield with Boniek Garcia and Brad Davis and with the forward combination of Will Bruin and Giles Barnes up top. With Vancouver possessing a multitude of players who like to get forward and attack, Robinson’s side will need to make sure they don’t get burned from pushing too many numbers forward.
Whitecaps FC Preview: Vancouver vs Houston Dynamo:
Even with all of their positive attributes, the Dynamo are not an unbeatable side. While they are pretty much unbeatable at home, they have not been nearly as good on the road in recent years. So Vancouver will need to take full advantage of having the home field for this one.
Furthermore, the Houston central defense duo of Jermaine Taylor and David Horst will undoubtedly have their hands full dealing with a Whitecaps attack that has both deadly pace in players like Darren Mattocks, Kekuta Manneh and Erik Hurtado and quality playmaking with Kenny Miller and Pedro Morales.
Final Thoughts
Even though they come into this match unbeaten, Vancouver have been something of a Jekyll and Hyde team so far. Houston are a known quantity as an overall quality club who are near unbeatable at home and, like many sides in MLS, quite beatable on the road. So the real question heading into this one surrounds which Whitecaps side will show up for this one? The one that showed resplendent form against the Red Bulls at home or the squad that stuttered on the road in its last two away games.
Vancouver have undoubtedly shown that the team has the pieces to be a dangerous and competitive club. However, with so many young faces and players new to MLS on the Whitecaps roster, expect the Dynamo to take full advantages of any mistakes made by the home side as they move to 3-0 on the season.
Prediction
Vancouver Whitecaps 1-2 Houston Dynamo
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