The Houston Dynamo close a two-game stretch at BBVA Stadium on Wednesday against FC Dallas in the third leg of the Texas Derby this season.
Houston opened the two-game stretch with a 2-1 loss to Sporting Kansas City on Saturday in the fourth and final meeting between both clubs during the regular season. Dynamo Academy product Marcelo Palomino made his professional debut and became the seventh Academy product to represent the Dynamo in league play.
Houston’s lone goal of the game came in the final 10 minutes of the match off a corner kick, a first for the club this season. Colombian forward Darwin Quintero tallied his eighth assist of the season when his corner kick found Sam Junqua inside the box for his first professional goal. Quintero leads the team in goals this season with five and assists with eight.
Houston look to earn their first victory in the regular season series with Dallas on Wednesday and snap a six-game winless streak that began on the road with the 1-1 draw against the Colorado Rapids on Sept. 9. The Dynamo and Dallas split points in the first meeting this season playing to a scoreless draw on Aug. 21. FC Dallas pulled away, courtesy of a second half Franco Jara goal, to earn three points with a 2-1 victory on Sept. 12.
FC Dallas enter Wednesday’s game with a 2-1-2 record in their last five matches. Dallas won two consecutive games following their 2-1 victory over Houston on Sept. 12. Jara has settled in after a challenging stretch to open the season and now leads the team with five goals. The Dynamo backline will also have to limit Santiago Mosquera who has scored four goals in 333 minutes this season.
| WHO: | Houston Dynamo vs. FC Dallas |
| WHEN: | Wednesday, Oct. 7 – 7:00 p.m. CDT |
| TV: | QuestTexas Ch. 55 (Glenn Davis, Eddie Robinson and Cindy Burbano) |
| RADIO: | TUDN Radio Houston 1010 AM (Daniel Mejia and Lester Gretsch) |
Here are three key points ahead of Wednesday’s game:
- DYNAMO NAVIGATE SCHEDULE AND SUSPENSIONS: Houston will navigate disciplinary action on Wednesday as Maynor Figueroa and Matias Vera miss the Texas Derby to serve their suspension for yellow card accumulation. Boniek Garcia and Memo Rodriguez could miss Saturday’s match in Florida if they receive a caution on Wednesday evening. Two yellow cards in the next stretch of games would see Kiki Struna miss another match after serving a yellow card suspension on Sept. 26 in Houston’s 1-1 draw at Nashville. Additionally, Houston will face a quick turnaround as they travel to Florida for their first meeting with Inter Miami CF on Saturday.
- FIRST GOAL KEY TO POINTS: The first goal of the game could play a large role in who walks away with three points on Wednesday as the Dynamo look to avoid conceding the first goal of the game for the seventh consecutive match. FC Dallas enters the match with a 5-3-6 record when scoring the opening goal of the match, which includes the 2-1 victory over Houston on Sept. 12. The North Texas side has 0-3-1 record when conceding the first goal. Houston holds a 2-0-2 record when scoring first in 2020 and a 0-3-4 record when scoring second.
- TEXAS DERBY WELCOMES NEW RIVALRY: This is the final edition of the Texas Derby with only two MLS clubs in the Lone Star State. Austin FC begin play in MLS next season and their academy teams have begun activity in the new MLS Next format. Wednesday’s match is the third meeting of the regular season between Houston and Dallas. The final meeting between both clubs is scheduled for Oct. 31 as the Dynamo visit Frisco in their final road trip of the year. The North Texas side leads the all-time series between both clubs with a 12-11-14 record and the Dynamo hold a 8-4-7 record at home against their in-state rivals.
