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Well, the Houston Dynamo season will officially come to a close after their match against the Vancouver Whitecaps. The Dynamo have been a long shot to make the playoffs for awhile now, but were officially ousted from mathematical possibility with their 1-1 draw to the Seattle Sounders last week. The match against the Sounders saw plenty of action in the midfield, but chances were largely limited in the final 3rd of the field to both sides. Ricardo Clark was the first to break through with an excellent shot from outside the 18 yard box to beat Sounder keeper Stefan Frei, but Obafemi Martins equalized after confusion on a corner kick.
The Dynamo have utilized similar lineups for the past few weeks only moving a few players around here or there. Oscar Boniek Garcia took to playing right back again, despite his struggles at the position against FC Dallas, while Sheanon Williams partnered in central defense alongside David Horst while Raul Rodriguez served his suspension. Luis Garrido also rejoined the starting lineup after being held out of the starting XI against FC Dallas in favor of rookie Rasheed Olabiyi. Together, Clark and Garrido, helped prevent a potent Seattle offense from picking up much steam.
Coyle's Starting XI against the Seattle Sounders
The Dynamo were successful against the Whitecaps earlier this year and stunned a top team with a 2-0 win at BBVA Compass Stadium. The Dynamo have been one of the worst MLS clubs on the road this season, but have won their other match in Canada this season with a 2-1 win over Toronto FC.
With the playoffs officially out of the picture, Coyle's options are nearly limitless. Coyle has said he wants to see some younger players involved and get another look at Erick Torres (Cubo), but I would expect some veterans have earned a spot on the final starting XI of the season.
Still, the younger group Coyle mentioned could open up starting time for the rookie Rob Lovejoy, Rasheed Olabiyi, Mauro Manotas, or AJ Cochran. With Jermaine Taylor (right quad tear) and Nathan Sturgis (left hip pointer) the only players on the injury report, there are plenty of chances to get creative with who'd you want to see in the starting XI for the Dynamo's last game of the season.
Which younger guys will we see and will Cubo get another chance in the starting lineup? Let us know how you would line up the squad ahead of our match against the Vancouver Whitecaps.