Pick the Lineup against the Vancouver Whitecaps

The Houston Dynamo had a rough night against the Colorado Rapids which saw our Dynamo fall 2-1 to the home side following a late 2^nd half goal to put the Rapids up. The Dynamo chased the ball often and seldom looked like a team trying to find its way into playoff seeding, though the game wasn't without a few flashes of brilliance by the Men in Orange.  Dynamo Captain Brad Davis provided the team with a game equalizing penalty in the first half and the Dynamo showed a few glimpses of desperation late, but it wasn't enough to provide a positive result for the team.

The Dynamo now look on at each game with increasing importance beginning with the 2^nd in the West Vancouver Whitecaps. The Whitecaps have proven to be a fickle team on both the defensive end and have proven to be more than effective on the offensive front. It is, once again, fair to say that the Dynamo need some kind of result to remain competitive as they remain only 3 points out of the final playoff spot.

Against the Rapids, the Dynamo had a number of players not suit up due to various injuries including DaMarcus Beasley, Raúl Rodríguez, and Kofi Sarkodie. This led Owen Coyle to play the versatile midfielder Alex Lima at left back due to some of his experience at the position with his former club, the Chicago Fire. Giles Barnes returned to the lineup, though he looked to be nursing his injury while Oscar Boniek Garcia made his 2^nd start since his return from an injury suffered with the Honduran National Team.

Coyle's Starting XI against the Colorado Rapids

While the Dynamo should have some new options available including those that missed time against the Rapids such as Ricardo Clark, DaMarcus Beasley, Rob Lovejoy, and Alex Lopez, it's unsure how or if they'll be used. Owen Coyle may not want to risk further injury in one game to give his players another week to recover for a run against more manageable competition.

There are a number of options that Owen Coyle could use against the Whitecaps, but his choices must start in the back against a very good Whitecap offense. If Raúl Rodríguez isn't healthy then AJ Cochran will be the man to replace him. In the midfield, Brad Davis and Boniek should be starting, but if Ricardo Clark is available it's unsure who his midfield partner(s) could be. Coyle could go for the hard hitting Garrido or the savvy Sturgis. Of course, there is no guarantee Clark could be starting either.

So how would you line up the Dynamo if you were calling the shots? Do you mix things up to give new guys a chance, play your strongest lineup possible, or go for something new entirely? The Whitecaps are a formidable opponent, but they've had to travel to Texas just last week in their match against Dallas and now have to face the heat again. Let us know your starting XI below and share your formation/XI in the comments.