The 2016 MLS season is over, and for Houston Dynamo fans that’s a relief as we are ready for a fresh start in 2017. So far fresh start feels fairly appropriate given the lineup changes and new head coach in Wilmer Cabrera. 2016 was a mess for the Dynamo which saw their worst finish in club history in terms of positioning on their conference table and the 2nd worst in terms of points. Last season they finished 10th place (last) in the Western Conference with 34 points compared to the also awful 2010 season which saw them finish 7th place (2nd to last) in the West with 33 points.
With 2016 squarely in the rear view mirror, it’s time to focus on where to begin next season. MLS announced today the list of home openers for each club, you can find all of them here, and the Houston Dynamo will face off on March 4th at 7:30 PM Central at BBVA Compass Stadium against the reigning MLS Cup Champions the Seattle Sounders.
While it certainly feels daunting for a club building a new identity to take on the current champions, it should be noted that the heavily criticized Dynamo were able to draw them in all 3 of their meetings with the Sounders. In the first two meetings, both in Houston, it required a stoppage time equalizer for Seattle to escape BBVA with a point. Chad Marshall cancelled out Giles Barnes’s strike in the 94th minute and then Nicolas Lodeiro also found the net in the 94th minute to erase Andrew Wenger’s goal. The Dynamo struggled to find the net in Seattle in the final match last season despite an Osvaldo Alonso red card, but they still kept the home team scoreless.
It’s tough to predict how this game will go – and it’s difficult to predict how the Houston Dynamo will look when this match kicks off, but Dynamo vs. Seattle matches are generally exciting to watch. The new-look Dynamo, which Wilmer Cabrera revealed will have more than 1 forward in the starting XI, should provide for an engaging home opener.