Houston Dynamo at Montreal Impact: New Players, Same Challenge

Things have been a bit crazy for the Dynamo the last few weeks as the club was a big player on the transfer market. The fan favorite Giles Barnes was sent to Vancouver and the club picked up several new players through trade deals and loans with various clubs. Could the Dynamo show a new look roster against the Montreal Impact? Maybe, but not likely. Let's discuss that, but first a look at the opponents.

The Impact have had a tough season of their own though they currently sit in 5th place in the Eastern Conference with 30 pts, comfortably inside the playoff picture. They started the season very hot winning 4 of their first 6 matches, but have only managed 3 wins in the following 15 games. They are a solid team at home in Saputo Stadium though, where they will host the Dynamo this Saturday. Troubling for the Dynamo's makeshift backline will be the scoring machine Ignacio Patti who has had a great season thus far notching 12 goals.

The season has changed for the Dynamo a bit in the last few weeks, signaled by the flurry of moves made in the transfer window and the squad's playoff chances continuing to dwindle, edging closer and closer to factually impossible. Costa Rican Keyner Brown, Columbian Yair Arboleda, young MLS vet Eric Alexander, and RGVFC players Jose Escalante and Christian Lucatero are the new names and faces to get familiar with. Though it's unlikely that any of these guys will get a spot in the starting XI fans can expect to see one or two of them come on as a sub, similar to Eric Alexander's time last week against San Jose. You can be sure he will have some fun playing against his former team in front of the Impact crowd. The utility midfielder may have a tough time breaking into the starting lineup as the Dynamo midfield has actually become a pretty solid group around the core of Garcia, Wenger, Alex, Clark and Warner. There is a better chance that Wade Barrett will focus on changes at forward and across the whole defense. With the departure of Barnes the team will probably need to feature an additional offensive presence to complement Will Bruin. Manotas has shown a lot of promise, and Barrett has specifically mentioned that he and Cubo Torres are deserving of more minutes. The defensive injury woes are pretty extensive and it's unknown if any of the injured are ready to get back on the pitch. Luckily at least one of the new additions will provide needed depth. Keyner Brown looks the part of a competent center back, and if he does see the field it would allow Jalil Anibaba to slide back to the right back position.

All in all this is a murky period for the Dynamo, not necessarily in regards to feelings surrounding the team, but rather concerning the future potential and critical next steps for the club. For the fans it's important to see that the club remains competitive during the upheaval and the tough season the club has experienced. As for the players it will be important to bring in the new members and learn how to gel again as a team. The recent transfers will be expected to contribute during the remainder of the season and create a solid base to build on for 2017.