Dynamo return home looking to ride momentum: 3 things to watch

Man, it feels good to win. The Dynamo got a well deserved break this week after heading north and beating the brakes off Sporting Kansas City 5-2 on Tuesday night. Houston is back at home for the first of two games this week, welcoming the Loons of Minnesota United to BBVA Stadium tonight.

How do the Dynamo build on the momentum from their first win of 2020? Here are three things to watch.

Darwin meets his old friends

Revenge games are always fun for players and the way Darwin Quintero has been playing of late, the Colombian must be licking his chops getting ready for tonight’s contest. The former Minnesota man was acquired by Houston this offseason and has three goals and four assists in his first season with the Dynamo. Quintero made the bench of the MLS Team of the Week after scoring two goals and adding an assist against Sporting KC. Now Quintero gets a chance to show his old team and old coach Adrian Heath that he’s still got a lot to give. Forward Christian Ramirez, who also scored against SKC, is himself a former Minnesota player and could be looking to make the same point as Quintero.

Now it’s time for the new guys

We’ve had to wait a little bit but new signings Wilfried Zahibo and Ariel Lassiter are available tonight. Darwin Ceren has played well of late so we may have to wait to see Zahibo’s debut. With four games in the next eleven days and Alberth Elis and Mauro Manotas nursing injuries, Lassiter could get a run up front. Players always want to show out on their debut so look for both new guys to perform well if their number is called tonight.

Momentum

Ah, momentum. Such a fickle thing in sports. Who would have thought the Dynamo would win 5-2 ON THE ROAD this past week? That win doesn’t mean much, however, if the Dynamo return home and lay an egg. Head coach Tab Ramos is well aware of that. “Our victory in Kansas City was an important one, without a doubt, but I felt like we have been playing better, we had been training better,” Ramos said. “Our team is in a good moment and I think we have to keep it going....so now, we can’t rest on our laurels. Now we have to keep going and now we have to play better, because Kansas City, I think is just the beginning. We have to develop that consistency of teams that deserve to go to the playoffs.”

Ramos knows that win on Tuesday night could be a turning point, now they have to go out and make sure it’s the first of many wins in building Houston back in to a contender.