FC Dallas vs. Houston Dynamo | MLS Match Preview

#DALvHOU: Dallas look for 6 in a row against rivals (Friday, 9pm ET, UniMás)

FC Dallas vs. Houston Dynamo, June 26, 2015

FC DALLAS vs. HOUSTON DYNAMO
TOYOTA STADIUM, Frisco, Texas
June 26, 2015 (WEEK 17, MLS Game #167)
9 p.m. ET (UniMás; UDN)

MLS Heineken Rivalry Week: FC Dallas vs. Houston Dynamo

MLS Heineken Rivalry Week continues with the battle for El Capitán when FC Dallas and the Houston Dynamo meet in the second Texas Derby of the season on Friday evening at Toyota Stadium before an UniMás and UDN audience. It’s the first home game since May 9 for FCD, who saw their long road run end with a sixth game without a win in a 1-1 draw last week at the Colorado Rapids. The Dynamo had their road winless streak extended last weekend, falling 2-0 at the Portland Timbers. FC Dallas took a dominant 4-1 win in the first meeting between the teams, May 1 in Houston, and have won five consecutive games in the head-to-head series in all competitions.


  • FC Dallas are playing at Toyota Stadium for the first time since May 15, returning home after a five-game winless road swing that ended in a 1-1 draw at the Colorado Rapids on Friday evening. FCD lost three times and drew twice on their travels.
  • Ryan Hollingshead, David Texeira, Mauro Díaz and Fabián Castillo all scored as FC Dallas rolled to a 4-1 win, May 1 at BBVA Compass Stadium
  • FC Dallas have won the last three MLS meetings between the teams over the last three seasons. Each of the last two victories have come by 4-1 scorelines, both in Houston. The wins are just the second and third wins all-time for FCD in Houston in 14 meetings in all competitions, the first since 2010.
  • In addition to MLS play, FC Dallas have eliminated Houston from the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup in each of the last two years, bringing their total to five straight wins in all competitions. Houston have not beaten FC Dallas since June 16, 2012.


REFEREE: Chris Penso. AR1 (bench): C.J. Morgante; AR2 (opposite): Scott Kachmarik; 4th: Marcos de Oliveira
Penso MLS Career: 65 games; FC/gm: 23.2; Y/gm: 3.2; R: 17; pens: 12


DOWNLOAD FULL GAME GUIDE (PDF)

SUSPENDED: none
WARNINGS:
SUSPENDED NEXT YELLOW CARD: DAL: Victor Ulloa … HOU: Ricardo Clark, Luis Garrido, Kofi Sarkodie
SUSPENDED AFTER TWO YELLOW CARDS: DAL: Atiba Harris … HOU: Jermaine Taylor, Giles Barnes
DISABLED LIST: none
INTERNATIONAL ABSENCES: none


HEAD-TO-HEAD
ALL-TIME REGULAR SEASON (22 meetings): FC Dallas 6 wins, 30 goals … Dynamo 9 wins, 32 goals … Ties 7
AT DALLAS (10 meetings): FC Dallas 3 wins, 10 goals … Dynamo 3 wins, 13 goals … Ties 4
FUTURE MATCH: 610/4: FC Dallas vs. Houston Dynamo, 4 p.m. CT (ESPN2)


  • The teams are meeting for the second time this season. Ryan Hollingshead, David Texeira, Mauro Díaz and Fabián Castillo all scored as FC Dallas rolled to a 4-1 win on May 1 at BBVA Compass Stadium.
  • FC Dallas have won the last three meetings between the teams over the last three seasons. Each of the last two victories have come by 4-1 scorelines, both in Houston. The wins are just the second and third wins all-time for FCD in Houston in 14 meetings in all competitions, the first since 2010.
  • The clubs play for “El Capitán,” a 19th-century mountain howitzer awarded to the winner of the regular-season series by supporters groups for both clubs. This will be first year since 2011 that the series will include more than one meeting during the regular season, with both clubs now in the Western Conference.
  • Houston have won El Capitán five times out of nine, but FC Dallas have won it in each of the last two years.
  • Coaches' records:
    Oscar Pareja vs. HOU: P4 W3 L0 D1
    Owen Coyle vs. DAL: P1 W0 L1 D0


LAST MEETING (MLS)
5/1: HOU 1, DAL 4 (Barnes 32 – Hollingshead 9; Texeira 21; Diaz 52; Castillo 55)


  • FC Dallas took the lead after just nine minutes. Pushing their attack up the left side, FCD midfielder Ryan Hollingshead cut across unimpeded and fired from 19 yards out to put the visitors into the lead.
  • The visitors doubled the lead 12 minutes later. From a turnover, Mauro Díaz pushed the ball upfield, releasing Fabián Castillo down the right flank. He pushed into the penalty area then cut the ball back between two defenders to a waiting David Texeira, who hit a first-touch shot inside the far post.
  • The Dynamo pulled a goal back in the 32nd minute. After Alex López earned a free kick 22 yards away from goal, Giles Barnes took a short run-up and hit a free kick which curled into the upper corner, as FCD goalkeeper Dan Kennedy could only manage to deflect the ball into the side netting.
  • The two-goal Dallas lead was restored seven minutes after the second-half restart when Diaz cut through Houston’s defense before stinging a shot from the top of the box into the back of the net for a 3-1 margin.
  • Three minutes later, FCD finished off the match on yet another quick combination, moving the ball up the field with four passes before Castillo capped it by toe-poking a shot just inside the far right post.
  • HOUSTON DYNAMO (4-4-1-1): Tyler Deric - Kofi Sarkodie, Raul Rodriguez, Jermaine Taylor, DaMarcus Beasley - Alex López (Boniek Garcia 56), Ricardo Clark, Nathan Sturgis (Luis Garrido 61), Brad Davis - Giles Barnes - Will Bruin (Rob Lovejoy 67).
  • FC DALLAS (4-2-3-1): Dan Kennedy - Je-Vaughn Watson, Zach Loyd (Walker Zimmerman 32), Matt Hedges, Moises Hernandez - Kellyn Acosta, Victor Ulloa - Ryan Hollingshead, Mauro Díaz (Tesho Akindele 74), Fabián Castillo (Alex Zendejas 86) - David Texeira.


Related Content:


Dynamo have always been No. 1 foe for FC Dallas Homegrown Players (6/25)
Five greatest villains in MLS rivalry history (6/25)
17-year-old Alex Zendejas earning his minutes for FC Dallas (6/24)
10 years after clincing penalty kick, Houston's Davis takes aim at another Gold Cup title for US (6/24)


CHECK OUT THE INJURY REPORT HEADING INTO THE MATCH
CHECK OUT THE DISCIPLINARY REPORT HEADING INTO THE MATCH