Dynamo v FC Dallas: The First Must Win Match of the Season

Welcome Dynamo fans to the first must win match of the 2012 season.

Houston sits at a wonderfully symmetrical 4-4-4, good for 16 points and seventh place in the Eastern Conference. Sure they've spent a lot of time on the road (9 out of 12 matches) but it's June and it's time to start getting things in order. After last season's resurgence, there isn't any panic among players or fans, nor should there be, but it's never too soon to get started on something like that again.

The Dynamo made it through the international break with no apparent new injuries and a big time signing in Oscar Boniek Garcia that will buoy the team later this month when he's eligible to play. In the interim, there's some in state business to take care of this weekend against everyone's favorite team from Southern Oklahoma, FC Dallas.

The Hoops (they hate it when you call them that, at least their marketing department does) are struggling big time this season. Three wins, 13 points from 15 games and an eight place position in the West, ahead of only the LA Galaxy...HAHAHAHA...I'll stop.

Dallas isn't a bad team, they're just insanely beat up. David Ferreira has still not recovered from foot surgey last season. Brek Shea is out with a foot contusion, while Bobby Warshaw (foot fracture) and Ugo Ihemelu (concussion symptoms) are also unavailable. Add to that the questionable status of Hernan Pertuz, Ricardo Villar, Alex Lee and George John and you get the point. FC Dallas is in crisis mode. It doesn't help that this is MLS and filling roster gaps is basically an impossible task.

What this means for the Dynamo is there are no excuses for this weekend's match. A win is a expected, required, hell it's demanded. We're the better team, we're at home, we're nearly healthy and we're getting back Andre Hainault, Geoff Cameron, Jermaine Taylor and Je-Vaughan Watson from international duty. This, loyal readers, is the first must win match of Houston's season.

Now to be fair, the Texas Derby would be a must win no matter what the extenuating circumstances but this one is clear cut. Sorry to be the guy putting on the pressure here, but anything other than three points on Saturday evening is unacceptable.

The match gets going at 6:30pm on Saturday night and it's sold out. If you've got tickets do me a favor, get there early, wear orange and be loud. If you don't have tickets you can watch the match live on ESPN2.

Lets not only beat the hell out of FC Dallas, let's remind them what having fans behind you during a match is like. We must break them...Ivan Drago style y'all.