Pick the Lineup against the Colorado Rapids: US Open Cup Edition

The Houston Dynamo will return to US Open Cup action tomorrow against the Colorado Rapids following their 2-0 defeat over the Austin Aztex earlier this month. The mid-week win over the Aztex had goals come from Leonel Miranda and Ricardo Clark, who came off the bench late to help put the game away. Forward Mauro Manotas also made his Dynamo debut and he played a key part in setting up Clark to put the game out of reach for the Aztex.

Owen Coyle utilized a largely reserve lineup with Raúl Rodríguez and Kofi Sarkodie being the only members of the first team in the starting XI. Older Dynamo reserves like Corey Ashe and AJ Cochran mixed in well with new players like Miranda and Alex.

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Coyle's Starting XI against the Aztex

With the Dynamo set to play the Chicago Fire as part of the MLS regular season this Friday, the Dynamo will likely field a team similar to the group that saw time against the Aztex. As pointed out in the preview the back group of Corey Ashe, AJ Cochran, Raúl Rodríguez, and Kofi Sarkodie largely performed well, but communication issues did arise from time to time. Some differences the Dynamo could see could affect the attacking positions. Against the Aztex, Chandler Hoffman's abilities were largely squandered as the lone forward and he could benefit from the talented rookie Mauro Manotas or Alex played in a more advanced position behind him.

The winner of this match will make it to the Quarterfinals to face off against the winner of the Sporting Kansas City and FC Dallas match. In the last round, Coyle tipped his hand in how he regards the importance of these earlier rounds of the US Open Cup against MLS regular season games, but we want to know how would you want to lineup your players against the Colorado Rapids? Let us know and be sure to let us know your selection in the comments below!

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