Two sides who are currently fighting for a place in the top nine of the Western Conference come together on Thursday when Houston Dynamo host Colorado Rapids at the BBVA Compass Stadium in MLS.
The hosts are in eighth place with a game in hand on those below them, while the visitors are sixth and hold a six-point lead over 10th place.
Match preview
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Since making a return to the Western Conference in 2015, Houston have struggled to finish in the playoff positions come the end of the regular season, competing in the playoffs just twice thanks to a fifth-placed finish in 2017 and fourth place last year.
Their fourth-placed finish saw a major improvement compared to recent campaigns as they had finished in the bottom three of the Conference in each of the previous four years before that.
Not only did Houston make it into the playoffs for the first time in six seasons but they went all the way through to the Western Conference final, missing out on a place in the MLS Cup final after a 2-0 loss to eventual runners-up Los Angeles FC.
Ben Olsen's men would have been hoping to build upon that this term but an inconsistent start has seen them win five and lose six of their opening 14 fixtures, just five fewer defeats than across the entirety of the 34 league matches last year.
While it looked as if Houston had recovered from a draw and a loss in their first two with four wins in the following five outings, the Dynamo have won just one of the seven games since.
Their home form will be particularly worrying for Olsen with his side already equalling the number of losses they sustained at the BBVA Compass Stadium last year, and their six goals in seven matches is the second lowest of any side across all 29 teams in MLS.
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In stark contrast, their upcoming opponents Colorado have been much improved compared to the last campaign, going from the bottom of the Western Conference to sixth after 14 fixtures and already managing more wins than they did in 2023.
The Rapids kicked off the 2024 MLS season with a disappointing 4-1 loss to Portland Timbers but rebounded in impressive fashion with just one loss in the following eight.
Their form has seen a slight drop in recent weeks with three losses in their last six, including two games without victory heading into this one, and they will be looking to return to winning ways with a win over a Houston side who have just one win in the last eight across all competitions.
Colorado have failed to take three points from this fixture in any of the last five meetings, last being the triumphant side in October 2021 with a 1-0 away win.
Team News
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The hosts are set to be without no fewer than four players as they look to recover from their recent struggles in the coming game against Colorado.
Nelson Quinones and Carlos Ferreira are set to be on the treatment table until early next month, leaving them ruled out of this one.
Steve Clark and McKinze Gaines were both forced off in the 1-1 draw with rivals FC Dallas and neither are expected to make a return here.
Sebastian Kowalczyk is expected to return to the starting lineup after the striker missed out last time due to an accumulation of yellow cards.
Chris Armas will be unable to call upon the services of three of his own for this game, with Daniel Chacon, Kimani Stewart and Wayne Frederick all out until next month.
Houston Dynamo possible starting lineup:
Tarbell; Dorsey, Sviatchenko, Micael, Steres; Artur, Herrera; Carrasquilla, Bassi, Blessing; Kowalczyk
Colorado Rapids possible starting lineup:
Steffen; Rosenberry, Bombito, Maxso, Vines; Bassett, Larraz; Cabral, Mihailovic, Fernandez; Navarro
We say: Houston Dynamo 1-1 Colorado Rapids
Houston have had a disappointing run of fixtures coming into this game and will be far from pleased with their performances at home so far this campaign, and while the Rapids have had a much better start this year they have failed to win at this stadium in either of the last two meetings, and we expect that to continue with a draw here.
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