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It's the third meeting of the season between Houston and Toronto FC, and the timing of heading back into BBVA Arena couldn't be worse for the Reds. Saturday night they will try to recompose themselves and put in an effort that has been eluding them for weeks as they go up against one of the perennial top sides in MLS.
See also: TFC comeback falls short in Columbus
Winless in five games, with two losses on the bounce, TFC once again are in the middle of not only a congested run of fixtures, but also one against some of the best teams in the league, and the CONCACAF region. When Houston came to Toronto at the end of July and won 2-0, they were among the top sides in the league. The Dynamo have continued in fine form since, only losing to New York on the road, and establishing their new home field as one of the toughest venues in MLS.
Toronto were able to steal points in their first encounter this season, but it was a game where if the bout had gone fifteen rounds, there is no question TFC would have been been undone by a side that surged late and overwhelmed a side that looked spent. Finding energy and scoring early once again will be the Reds best hope and hanging with a team like Houston, who are more stable and cohesive well into the final stretch of the season. Given how the team has looked over the last month, it will require a 180 degree turn in approach for Paul Mariner's side to overcome an opponent of Houston's calibre.
Keep Thinking
Coming off a 2-1 loss to the Columbus Crew, Toronto displayed many of the same characteristics that are becoming a disappointing trend since Paul Mariner took over as head coach. Save for a handful of games that were now clearly competitive due to the return to form of Danny Koevermans, Mariner has done no better job of preparing TFC to kick off games properly motivated than Aron Winter did through the opening weeks of the season.
Slow starts have been the achilles heel for the Reds this season and that can be attributed to a number of things, but without question it comes down to preparation leading up to the game to get the squad on edge and ready to fight from the opening whistle.
This fixture will be important to measure and compare where the team is at since their first meeting June 20th. That match marked the beginning of an impressive run by the team, fueled by a Danny Koevermans brace that night which was followed by four games on the bounce where he found the back of the net.
One of the keys to that result was the team coming out from the opening whistle and establishing an attacking presence. Jeremy Hall's goal at the 13th minute was surprising, as was Koevermans almost a minute after Houston had levelled the score. Again, the underlining positive in that result was the big Dutchman up top and now TFC will be looking at their Frenchman to carry the load in the matches that remain.
Like Toronto, Houston played a match midweek, defeating Salvadoran side FAS 3-1 in El Salvador. While TFC keeper Milos Kocic got his first night off in a long team in the Reds 2-1 defeat to Columbus on Wednesday, Houston rested a number of their best players ahead of Saturday’s match.
In the End
With the Eastern Conference standings looking tight, Houston are still in a position where they could finish anywhere from first to fifth in the conference, or even outside of the playoff spot if there were to find themselves in a losing streak down the stretch. With the excellent personnel at his disposal, the latter is not likely to happen to a top quality coach like Houston’s Dominic Kinnear. Still, expect the Dynamo to be fully motivated and well prepared to get all three points at home against a team that they should beat based on a number of variables, including recent form and team cohesion.
Toronto and Houston look to be two teams going in opposite directions and there is a very real possibility that the Reds could end their season in a very similar fashion to the way they started it – with a long losing streak in the league.
Prediction
Houston Dynamo 2 Toronto FC 0
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