Beginning with a trip to the Lone Star State to face off against the Houston Dynamo this weekend, the Colorado Rapids will play four of their next five matches away from Colorado. The good news is the Rapids are one of the better road teams in MLS and they did get all three points from their last trip to BBVA Stadium in downtown Houston in last year’s regular season finale.
In more recent good news, the Rapids dispatched Dynamo FC, 3-1, back in May. In fact, Colorado is unbeaten in the last four matches against Dynamo FC and 5-2-4 since October of 2016. Keep the good times rolling with another good result against Houston heading into the second half of the regular season with everything to. play for.
Get Rubio Involved
The Rapids will be looking to bounce back from their first home shutout in nearly three years by scoring a bunch of goals. And a guy who knows a little bit about scoring against Dynamo FC is Diego Rubio. He has four goals in five matches against Houston since joining the Rapids, including the last two game-winning goals. After going scoreless against SKC, nothing will help the team’s confidence rebound like seeing their striker bag a goal or two.
Dismantle Dynamo Attack
Houston Dynamo FC is last in the West and second-to-last in MLS in xG, according to fbref.com. Their 17.3 xG through 18 matches played is less than one goal per game. Dynamo FC hasn’t won since May 22. Since then, they’ve tallied seven draws and four losses. On the year, they have nine draws. Only Nashville has more with 10. That’s a lot of tying, and nobody likes to tie. You know they’re going to come charging out of the gate to get all three points at home and try to correct the course of the season the way FC Dallas and Minnesota United FC have done in recent weeks. They’ll believe a win over a team in a current playoff spot is just what they need.
Create Separation in the Standings
The Rapids are currently fourth in the West, a spot they’ve occupied the majority of the year. Sporting KC and Seattle Sounders FC appear to be the real deal, and LA Galaxy are finding results even without Chicharito. The Rapids have been neck-and-neck with these three sides all season long. Now they need to maintain that top-four pace and give themselves some breathing room from playoff line. The Rapids are seven points ahead of Real Salt Lake, which is currently in eighth. By the end of the weekend, that gap could balloon to 10. Take care of that, and then begin the work of locking down a home playoff spot.
