Whitecaps begin pivotal week at Houston Dynamo

On Wednesday, the Vancouver Whitecaps will travel to Texas to face the in-form Houston Dynamo in a game that will have significant implications for the Western Conference standings.

Houston has emerged as the Whitecaps’ main rival for a playoff spot on their home turf, despite appearing to be on the fringes of the Western Conference’s top teams earlier this season.

Most of their struggles came when they were without Hector Herrera and a top striker. Those struggles have diminished significantly with Herrera returning and Designated Player Ezequiel Ponce signed to lead the line.

As a result, the team has collected seven points from its last three matches, which have seen it play against LAFC and Real Salt Lake, the top two teams in the conference.

Houston is built around an excellent defensive core, one of the best in the league, centered around the pair of center defenders Erik Sviatchenko and Micael. They have been tough to break down, but ironically, the Caps have been one of the luckiest teams this year in a 4-3 loss at BC Place earlier this year.

Indeed, the Caps dominated this match and were unfortunate to come away with no points. The fact that Ryan Gauld was absent was a likely blow, but the Caps also witnessed just how powerful the new-look Dynamo could be.

Houston had 60%+ possession in this match, which is normal. Overall, they had the most possession, on average, of any team in the league. They look to use their elite midfield to move the ball into dangerous positions, relying on quick, one-time passes to build dangerous areas.

Home hasn’t been the stronghold for Houston as it was last week, but they’re still a tough team to beat at Shell Energy Park, with just three losses all season. The Caps last won there in 2018 and were beaten 4-1 at a similar venue last season when they were forced to rotate and generally looked worn out.

There’s a similar risk this season, as the game comes during a busy week. There’s a big game against the LA Galaxy this weekend, and the Caps will also be looking ahead to the Voyageurs Cup final next week.

There is some good news though. Brian White and Andres Cubas are back in training and could feature, although I wonder if White might start on the bench to keep his legs for the weekend. Stuart Armstrong is still working his way back to full fitness and is likely to feature for another 20 minutes.

Ali Ahmed will miss the match with a quadriceps contusion though. He will face the team in Los Angeles, which makes me think it is also a bit of load management for him after the Copa America and with his inclusion in the squad so important for the Canadian Championship next week.

Houston will be without Lawrence Ennali, their talented young winger who has been sidelined for some time with a knee injury. But other than that, this will largely be Ben Olson’s first-choice team.

The Caps have also been in good form of late, riding a three-game unbeaten streak. This match gives Vancouver a chance to do what they love most — hit transition points after soaking up pressure and giving former Dynamo star Fafa Picault and Gauld space to cook.

This is a game where the Caps can show they are a team that can be a contender in the West. Houston is a good team, but they are not elite — basically where Vancouver is. Schedule bottlenecks or not, this is the kind of game where they need to get results late in the game if they want to be taken seriously.

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