Field Level Media
05 Aug 2022, 08:55 GMT+10
Coming off a record-setting defeat, the Houston Dynamo will try to regroup when they visit the Vancouver Whitecaps on Friday.
The Dynamo's 6-0 loss to the Philadelphia Union last Saturday marked the largest margin of defeat in Houston's franchise history. It was the biggest setback yet for a Houston team that has only one win (1-5-1) over its last seven games.
Midfielder Hector Herrera described the 6-0 loss as "unimaginable" and said his team was "embarrassed." However, Herrera felt the Dynamo "have to look at ourselves, individually, (and) as a team to get past this. There is no time to mope. We have to prepare for the next match."
With only 11 games remaining in the regular season, urgency is building for both Houston (7-12-4, 25 points) and Vancouver (7-10-6, 27 points) to get above the playoff line. The 11th-place Whitecaps sit five points behind the seventh-place Seattle Sounders for the final Western Conference postseason berth.
The Whitecaps are 0-2-3 over their last five games, but did manage a positive result in last Saturday's 1-1 draw with Nashville SC. Vancouver again displayed some late-game magic, with Javain Brown scoring the equalizer in the 87th minute.
Six of the Whitecaps' final 11 games are at home, and head coach Vanni Sartini feels his team needs to maximize those points to have a shot at the postseason.
"The big pressure are on the games at home, and I would say we welcome the pressure ... We're probably a team that reacts much better when it's under pressure," Sartini said.
The Whitecaps are unbeaten (7-0-3) in 10 all-time home games against the Dynamo.
Forward Lucas Cavallini (quad) and goalkeeper Thomas Nasal (health and safety protocol) are expected to be available for Vancouver's lineup on Friday.
Houston goalkeeper Steve Clark left Saturday's game due to injury, so Michael Nelson will likely get the start between the posts on Friday. Midfielder Matias Vera will miss the game due to a one-game suspension for yellow card accumulation.
In the two teams' first meeting of the season, the Dynamo recorded a 2-1 win over the Whitecaps in Houston on March 12.
--Field Level Media
Get a daily dose of The UK News news through our daily email, its complimentary and keeps you fully up to date with world and business news as well.
Publish news of your business, community or sports group, personnel appointments, major event and more by submitting a news release to The UK News.
More InformationSOLOMON ISLANDS: In a move that opponents said is aimed at controlling and censoring the media, the government of the ...
WASHINGTON D.C.: In July, a Florida man was killed by exploding Takata airbag inflators, possibly becoming the 20th death in ...
Israel has launched an unprovoked war against the Palestinian resistance group Islamic Jihad. The Israeli army assassinated a high-ranking commander ...
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan - Pakistan categorically denied on Thursday that a U.S. drone strike in Kabul that killed al-Qaeda chief Ayman ...
EAST NUSA TENGGARA, Indonesia: Hundreds of Indonesian tourism workers went on strike this week to protest a sharp rise in ...
NASSAU, Bahamas: A team of explorers have announced that they have uncovered a treasure, including coins, gemstones and priceless jewels, ...
Minnesota United FC acquired the discovery rights to midfielder Jonathan Gonzalez and signed him on loan through the rest of ...
If the Chicago White Sox are to salvage a split of their four-game series against the Texas Rangers on Sunday, ...
The seven-time Ballon d'Or winner scored an overhead kick for the first time in his careerLionel Messi wowed once more ...
A trio of second-half goals by FC Cincinnati lifted the club to a 3-1 home victory over the Eastern Conference-leading ...
D.C. United held the visiting New York Red Bulls to only one shot on goal as the teams settled for ...
All the pieces are in place for the Chicago White Sox to make a run at winning the American League ...