Houston Dynamo vs Inter Miami: What to watch for

The Houston Dynamo return from the international break with a trip to South Florida tonight to take on Inter Miami CF for the first time since 2020. The Dynamo are coming off a late 1-1 draw against the Colorado Rapids, while Miami has yet to record a win this season. Can Houston pick up their first road win of 2022?

Back from international duty

While the majority of players on the Dynamo got a couple weeks off during international play, a few players were still playing with their national teams. Adalberto Carrasquilla (Panama), Darwin Ceren (El Salvador), and Sebastian Ferreira (Paraguay) spent time competing in World Cup qualifiers over the last ten days. Ceren played 32 minutes Wednesday, Coco played 27, and Ferreira started and played 73 minutes on Tuesday. Miami have five players returning from international duty in DeAndre Yedlin (USA), Edison Azcona (Dominican Republic), Damion Lowe (Jamaica), Aime Mabika (Zambia), and Jairo Quinteros (Colombia).

Road woes

You don’t need me to tell you that the Dynamo have been historically poor on the road. In recent years, wins away from downtown Houston have been very hard to come by. The Dynamo have only played one road game this season, a 1-0 loss to Sporting Kansas City in March. Now, with a trip to Fort Lauderdale tonight, Houston is presented with a big opportunity to grab three points away from home. Miami have yet to win this season and have had all kinds of defensive issues. These are the kind of games you want to win if you’re going to compete for a playoff berth.

The D in Dynamo

Houston opened the season with four straight opponents who made the playoffs in 2021. In those four games, the Dynamo conceded just three goals. New signing Steve Clark has been big between the posts and the center back trio of Tim Parker, Daniel Steres, and Teenage Hadebe have played solid as a unit. Adam Lundkvist has had a great season so far on both ends of the field and the right back position has not been an issue that a lot of people thought it may have been coming in to the season. If the Dynamo can start to find their scoring boots, this team has the makings of a solid unit in 2022.

Availability report

Houston Dynamo - none listed

Inter Miami - Out: Ian Fray (right ACL), Joevin Jones (undisclosed), Nick Marsman (undisclosed), Victor Ulloa (undisclosed), Robbie Robinson (undisclosed), Ryan Sailor (undisclosed); Questionable: Damion Lowe (undisclosed), Edison Azcona (undisclosed), Bryce Duke (undisclosed), Kieran Gibbs (undisclosed)

Predicted lineup