Dynamo continue road trip in Utah: What to watch for

The Houston Dynamo continue their road trip with a stop in Utah to take on Real Salt Lake. These two teams met at PNC Stadium to open the 2022 Major League Soccer regular season. That match ended in a 0-0 draw. Houston is coming off a 2-1 loss to Kansas City on Wednesday night in the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup Round of 16. The Dynamo won their last match in MLS play, 3-0 over the LA Galaxy Sunday night. RSL did not play midweek in the Open Cup, they last played Sunday night in Montreal, coming home with a 2-1 win.

Tired legs

Tonight’s match marks the third match in seven days for the Dynamo, in three different time zones. After tonight, the next match for the club is not until three weeks from now (not counting the Charities Cup match against Atletico San Luis). Head coach Paulo Nagamura has done a good job during this busiest stretch of the season rotating players and giving guys time off. Houston has used 22 players in the last two matches, but the players are ready for some time off, I would imagine. Attacker Sebastian Ferreira and Thor Ulfarsson were not on the team sheet and should be good to go tonight, looking to build off their performances last weekend.

Another repeat

After playing Sporting KC for the second time this season on Wednesday, the Dynamo see another opponent for a second time tonight. Houston and Real Salt Lake met on the opening weekend of the season at PNC Stadium and drew 0-0. With it being the first game of the season and ending in a scoreless draw, I’m not sure there’s much that can be taken from it. But I’m not a MLS coach by any measure. Nagamura and the staff will definitely have been watching the film all week looking to find areas to exploit against RSL. “They had a great game over the weekend against Montreal,” Nagamura said in his weekly press conference. “We will study them, we will make sure we are prepared, we will have a good idea of what they are going to throw at us.”

Internationals off for duty

After tonight’s game an international window will give the team needed time off. However, some Dynamo players will be spending the window with their national teams. Forward Sebastian Ferreira will join Paraguay for a pair of friendlies in Asia. Midfielder Adalberto Carrasquilla will join Panama to compete in the CONCACAF Nations League. Rookie forward Thor Ulfarsson will join the U-21 Iceland National Team for three qualifiers for the U-21 UEFA Championship in 2023. Good luck and safe travels to all the guys on international duty.

Availability Report

Houston Dynamo – Questionable: Zarek Valentin (Health & Safety Protocol)

Real Salt Lake - Out: Zack Farnsworth (right ankle), Bret Halsey (ankle), Damir Kreilach (back), Jonathan Menendez (adductor); Questionable: Erik Holt (left foot), Anderson Julio (hamstring)

Predicted Lineup